Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Music, Travel & Tourism, tagged Banda Oro Blanca, bands, Guelaguetza, Mexico, music, musicians, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Reyes Etla on July 18, 2017| 2 Comments »
The dancers get most of the press, but the musicians are some of the unsung heroes of all the Guelaguetza performances. And, I have to say, yesterday the Banda Oro Blanco at the Guelaguetza at “Las Peñitas” in Reyes Etla played a leading role. And the view wasn’t bad either!
What can I say about this clarinet player? At one point he played off a fake book on a smart phone and he was on fire!!!
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Black and white photography, dancers, Flor de piña, Guelaguetza, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Reyes Etla on July 26, 2016| 4 Comments »
Yesterday, two friends and I hailed a taxi and headed out of the city. We disembarked at the Viguera crucero, where we crowded into blogger buddy Chris’s car enroute to the intimate Guelaguetza in Las Peñitas Reyes Etla.
The day was overcast and there were a few light sprinkles, but the welcome we received on this grey day warmed our hearts.
As they have in past years, for three and a half hours, the members of the folkloric dance group, Danza Balachi, danced, changed costumes, danced, changed costumes, and danced some more.
The sun eventually made an appearance and our day ended with very yummy estofado at our favorite restaurant, Comedor Colón in Villa de Etla. It was a great day!
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged Beverages, Expo Feria del Queso y Quesillo, Feria del Tejate y el Tamal, Festival de los Moles, food, Guelaguetza, mole, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Reyes Etla, Rosita de cacao, tamales, tejate on July 22, 2015| 8 Comments »
Oaxacan cuisine, with its pre-Columbian roots, is a major attraction and the state’s tourism board and restaurant association continue to do their utmost to promote this cultural heritage during the Guelaguetza festivities. Last Friday, set amidst the beauty and tranquility of the Jardín Etnobotánico, it was the opening degustación (sampling) for the Festival de los Moles. 
This was my fourth time attending this buffet luncheon celebrating the 7 moles of Oaxaca. And, like the previous years, my plate was swimming in moles and I came away sated and smiling!
The Expo Feria del Queso y Quesillo in Reyes Etla beckoned on Saturday. When we arrived, students from the Universidad Tecnológica de los Valles Centrales de Oaxaca were giving a demonstration on the cheese making process.
Despite how tempting the various cheeses looked, I only managed tiny tastes of a couple; Alas, I was just too full from the previous day’s feast to fully appreciate them.
However, by Sunday, my mouth was watering for wild mushroom empanadas, but we were foiled in our attempt to head up into the mountains for the Feria Regional de los Hongos Silvestres in San Antonio Cuajimoloyas. A bike race had closed the highway and several of the major streets getting into and out of my part of town and, as you can imagine, alternate routes were gridlocked. Grrrr… I think the Guelaguetza events committee needs to rethink the schedule and transportation logistics!
Lucky for me, the Plaza de la Danza is only a block and a half from Casita Colibrí and so, late this morning, there were no impediments to walking over to the 10th Annual Feria del Tejate y el Tamal. The women from the municipality of San Andrés Huayapam (about 7 kilometers northeast of the city), were ready and waiting to welcome visitors with their ancient drink and variety of tamales.
The leis the women (above) are wearing are made from Rosita de Cacao flowers, one of the ingredients in tejate. For the uninitiated, tejate is a foamy, quite refreshing, and nutritious non-alcoholic pre-Columbian beverage made from nixtamal corn, mixed with tree ash, toasted cacao beans, mamey seeds, and Rosita de Cacao flowers and is called, “la bebida de los Dioses” (the drink of the Gods).
The tejateras of the Unión de Mujeres Productoras del Tejate prepared and served their tejate to inquiring novices and aficionados, alike. The sale of tejate is the main economic activity in San Andrés Huayapam.
And then there were the tamales… Pots and baskets, covered with hand embroidered and crocheted tea towels, were filled with steaming tamales nestled in corn husks — verde, chapulin, amarillo, frijol, dulce, rajas, chepil, and chichilo. If you’ve never tasted tamales in Oaxaca, you are missing something!
Huayapam’s chichilo tamales are well-known and loved. Chichilo is one of the seven moles of Oaxaca and it is only served on special occasions, such as weddings and christenings or when the crops have been harvested. It is made from chilhuacle negro, mulatto, and pasilla chiles; blackened tortillas and seeds of the chiles; and avocado leaves, the latter imparting a subtle anise flavor. Of course, no tamal festival would be complete without mole tamales wrapped in banana leaves…
Today and tomorrow (July 22 & 23), if you are in Oaxaca, the Plaza de la Danza is THE happening place for tasting some delicious local specialties between 10:00 AM and 8:00 PM. ¡Buen provecho!
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged Alejandra Robles, Diosa Centéotl, Expo Feria de Queso y Quesillo, Festival de los 7 Moles, food, Guelaguetza, Jimena Santiago Vasquez, Laura Esquivel, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Reyes Etla on July 20, 2013| 10 Comments »
Yesterday, we began the marathon than is Guelaguetza in Oaxaca. First on the day’s agenda was a morning trip to Reyes Etla.
The Señor de las Peñas church sits atop at hill and views of the lush green fields (gracias, rainy season) and the mountains were breathtaking.
Impossibly adorable children danced and shared, in the spirit of Guelaguetza.
We were in the heartland of Oaxaca cheese country for the crowning of Jimena Santiago Vasquez, as queen of the third Expo Feria de Queso y Quesillo.
Did I say cheese? Oh, yes — stalls and stalls of yummy cheese. The fair runs through Monday and we will be back!
Next on our itinerary was a return to the city for a little (?) gluttony — the Festival de los 7 Moles opening banquet on the grounds of the Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca. Botanas Oaxaqueña (cheese, chicharrón, chiles rellenos), followed by Sopa de Fandango, 15 (not 7) Moles, 4 Tipos de Arroz, followed by a platter of pastries and scoops of Leche Quemada and Tuna nieves (sorbets). Oh, and did I mention, cervesas and mezcal?
We even got a little culture, as author, Laura Esquivel (Like Water for Chocolate) spoke, though it was a little hard to hear her, with all the eating, drinking, and related conversations!
Moving rather slowly, we pushed back from the table and headed down to the Alameda (oh, it felt good to walk!) to take in the last stage of the Diosa Centéotl competition — the chosen “Goddess” presides over Guelaguetza. However, the area surrounding the tented stage was a mass of people by the time we arrived and the best I could do was see the backs of the magnificent traje. (See Chris’s blog for close-ups from the stage one competition.) And, the winner is… Dulce Yanet Grijalba Martínez, from the Zapotec community of San Pablo Villa de Mitla.
After a brief siesta, I rendezvoused with some young friends and we walked over to the Plaza de la Danza for a free performance by Alejandra Robles, one of my favorite Oaxaqueña singers. (For video from the last time I saw her, click HERE.)
The night was still young for my young friends and they were off to get a nieve at Jardín Socrates. I was off to bed, because I’d already had my day’s allowance of nieve AND we’ve only just begun!
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged braiding, braids, dancers, Flor de piña, Guelaguetza, hair, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, pineapple dancers, popular travel destinations, Reyes Etla, style, travel, Tuxtepec on August 3, 2012| 7 Comments »
Oh those beautiful braids of many of the dancers in Guelaguetza! How do they do it? In Reyes Etla, trapped between a yellow caution tape barrier and the folding chairs of the Tuxtepec delegation (the pineapple dancers), the answer was revealed…
Number 1: You can’t do it yourself!
Number 2: Hair extensions! (Who knew???)
Number 3: Practiced hands.
Number 4: Patience.
But, it’s well worth the effort!
Posted in Beverages, Celebrations, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged cheese, Feria Internacional del Mezcal, food, mescal, Mexico, mezcal, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, quesillo, queso, Queso y Quesillo Expo Feria, Reyes Etla, travel on July 28, 2012| 1 Comment »
Besides mushrooms, tejate, tamales, and mole, there is cheese and mezcal… and last Monday I hopped in a colectivo bound for Etla; my destination was Reyes Etla (about 20 km. from the city) for the 2nd annual Queso y Quesillo Expo Feria. Oaxaca is known all over Mexico for its cheese and, without a doubt, the best comes from the municipalities around Etla — and Oaxaca’s department of tourism is on a mission to promote its position globally.
Vendors tempted with artistic displays and tastings of, among others, queso fresco, queso crema, and quesillo. Yummm…. It is a dark day around Casita Colibrí when there isn’t a ball of quesillo in the refrigerator.
FYI: Quesillo (aka: Oaxacan string cheese) was first made in Reyes Etla in 1884 — supposedly by mistake! According to one legend, a young girl from Reyes Etla disobeyed her mother and allowed the cheese curds to expand into a spongy mass. She attempted to correct her mistake by pouring boiling water over the curds, then she kneaded it and pulled it into the first strip of what is now known as quesillo.
And, now, we turn to the 15th annual Feria Internacional del Mezcal… After years of languishing in tequila’s shadow, being considered a “poor relation” — that is, if it was considered at all — mezcal’s profile has risen dramatically in the past several years.
In August 2010, none other than Eric Asimov wrote about, Mezcal, Tequila’s Smoky, Spicy Cousin in the New York Times. A year later, a NYT ‘s article advised, Move Over, Tequila, It’s Mescal’s Turn to Shine. (You say mescal, I say mezcal.)
And, sheesh, I was flipping channels the other night and stumbled on Tim and Tim in Oaxaca, being instructed on the art of making mezcal by my landlord, on an episode of the TV program ROAM! Then there is the No Reservations “Obsession” episode, where Anthony Bourdain explores Ron Cooper’s obsession with mezcal.
Back to the feria, where over 40 vendors displayed their wares…
poured generous tasting shots…
and sold their mezcals.
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In addition, there was an exhibit showing the various types of maguey, from which mezcal is made…
and the equipment used and processes they undergo to become this smoky and complex distilled spirit.
As the old Oaxaqueño saying goes, “For everything bad, drink mezcal, and for everything good, you also should.”
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 