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Posts Tagged ‘urban art’

I need a haircut!

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , on April 16, 2020| 6 Comments »

I think I’m not alone…

Callejón Hidalgo, Oaxaca de Juárez – (Signed by, “Prost”)

If you need a haircut, raise your hand.

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A day without women

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Politics, Protests, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 8, 2020| 4 Comments »

Today, March 8, women around the world are celebrating International Women’s Day with marches, forums, exhibitions, and more. The mass media is filled with stories about extraordinary women and companies catering to women are using references to International Women’s Day in their advertising, though, I might add, very few mention its revolutionary past.

However, it isn’t today’s demonstrations, expositions, and other special events that has women in Mexico talking. It is the call for women to disappear for a day to protest the staggering amount of violence perpetrated against them. Government statistics report that 3,825 women met violent deaths last year, 7% more than in 2018. That works out to about 10 women slain each day in Mexico, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for females. Thousands more have gone missing without a trace in recent years.

Using the hashtags #ParoNacionaldeMujeres (National Women’s Strike), #UnDíaSinNosotras (A Day Without Us), and #UnDíaSinMujeres (A Day Without Women), organizers have reached out to the women of Mexico that on Monday, March 9, nothing moves: Don’t go out, don’t shop, don’t go to school, and don’t consume — become invisible, simulating the thousands of women who have been murdered or disappeared.

As three female legislators wrote in an article expressing their support for the strike, Women are responsible for about half of the compensated economic activity in the country, and relied upon disproportionately for unpaid work in the home, which is roughly equivalent to 15% of Mexico’s GDP. In exchange, our rights are impaired or ignored. Women have become the protagonists of thousands upon thousands of stories of violence and impunity at the hands of men who, in public and in private, feel they have a right to decide over our lives and our bodies…. That and many, many reasons more are why Mexico’s women will march in protest on March 8, and stop everything – stop working, stop asking, stop accepting – on March 9.

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A goat and sheep walk onto a wall

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 19, 2020| 4 Comments »

There is a new mural in town. After five years, The gods are watching mural (my name for it) has been replaced by the watchful eyes of a goat and a sheep.

Together they stand outside La Madriguera taller on Tinoco y Palacios (between Morelos and Matamoros).

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Not for sale!

Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, Signs, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 7, 2020| 14 Comments »

I am, at long last, back in home sweet home Oaxaca. The weather is warm, the garden looks great, and the building at the end of the block that has looked to be on the verge of collapse since I first laid eyes on it thirteen years ago, has had a new paint job — announcing in a very creative way that, despite its dilapidated condition, it is not for sale.

And, don’t just take my word for its neglected and decrepit condition. There is a precaution notice from the city of Oaxaca warning passersby that the building is in a bad state.

All one has to do is peek through one of the broken windows to see there isn’t much there, there.

Located at the corner of Crespo and Matamoros, it is one of the more than five and a half thousand historic structures in the state of Oaxaca listed by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History).

There is currently a building boom going on in the city, especially of upscale hotels, to meet the snowballing tourist demand. I suspect that restrictions and costs related to remodeling these cataloged buildings is why the much-needed renovation to this one hasn’t happened.

However, the owner of this building, whoever she or he may be, has let it be known, in a variety of designs, fonts, colors, and in no uncertain terms, that it is NOT FOR SALE!

The artwork covering the building is quite an improvement. However, I can’t help thinking of one of my grandmother’s sayings, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”

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Murals of Jalatlaco

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 8, 2020| 8 Comments »

The Jalatlaco neighborhood always yields artistic surprises…

November 13, 2019

November 13, 2019

November 13, 2019

October 22, 2019

October 22, 2019

Happiness is wandering the streets of Oaxaca.

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Recycling with heart

Posted in Creativity, Environment, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 18, 2019| 7 Comments »

In late October 2019, I stumbled on this installation on the Alcalá in front of Santo Domingo. The message on the heart to the left, in English read, “Knowledge of degradable and biodegradable garbage. I think and therefore recycle.” – Sandra Zárate Garcia

The message on the heart to the right declared, “Care of rivers and seas, ‘Caring for water with a heart.'” – Marcos Raúl Moreno Félix


And, it wasn’t just there. Hearts, enhanced by fifteen artists and waiting to be filled with recyclables, began cropping up in parks and public spaces throughout the city.

Yikes, could it be? Oaxaca is finally joining the world of recycling. ¡Qué milagro!

It is a project of the DIF, a governmental agency charged with strengthening and developing the welfare of the Mexican families

According to mayor Oswaldo García Jarquín, “this campaign is the beginning to truly become aware of the importance of caring for our environment; not because of a fashion, not because of a political vocation or sensitivity issue, but because it is an already indispensable issue and Oaxaca must be an example at the national level and worldwide.”

The President of the Consultative Council of the Municipal DIF, Patricia Benfield López, “recalled that, with this initiative, it helps reduce the amount of solid waste and encourage its use, since the resources obtained from the sale of waste will be invested in the manufacture and installation of more structures. While PET caps will be destined to associations dedicated to care for girls and boys with cancer.”

My favorite, by the painter, Noel Gómez Lorenzo, is in a very prominent spot on the zócalo. May the hearts of Oaxaca be filled each and every day!

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Tip of the hat

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 30, 2019| 2 Comments »

Yesterday’s excursion south of the city brought an unexpected surprise.

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In San Martín Tilcajete…

I spotted a mural by my favorite mural colective.

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A tip of the hat to the Tlacolulokos of Tlacolula de Matamoros.

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A picture is worth 1000 words…

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 9, 2019| 4 Comments »

The strength, power, and spirit of Oaxaca seen in a mural on Calzada de la República near Calle La Alianza in Barrio de Jalatlaco.

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More bonita basura

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 22, 2019| 8 Comments »

The art of the trash bin in black and orange…

Full color…

Fronts, sides, and backs…

Whimsical, symbolic, and abstract…

Garbage art on the zócalo has gone forth and multiplied.

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Garbage art

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 9, 2019| 6 Comments »

Now that the Zócalo has been cleared of street vendors…

A not so wretched refuse bin stands out.

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Black and white and blue in Tlacolula

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 6, 2019| 8 Comments »

The artistry and message of my favorite mural painting collective, the Tlacolulokos, continues to be revealed on the walls of Tlacolula de Matamoros. Today, on a brief visit, blogger buddy Chris and I stumbled on three of their masterpieces. The first one I’d previously seen and blogged about in 2017 under the title, Who tells your story. However, the second mural was new to both of us.

A blouse divided.

A broken heart — not your usual randa de aguja (needlework technique) blouse detail.

Their message, not mine.

The third mural was a couple of houses down and presents a more historic and celebratory entrance.

Spanish swords and Mitla grecas provide driveway decoration.

A headless woman woman in traditional Tlacolula costume walks toward the entrance.

Thoughts of an upcoming festival castillo, agains the backdrop of the valley’s mountains, dance in her missing head.

Her carrizo shopping basket is filled with purchases for the festival.

From the first Tlacolulokos mural I saw in 2014 to their Tokiolula mural through today, their art continues to speak to me, teach me, and inspire me to really see the people and culture around me.

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Macedonio Alcalá never dies

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Music, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2019| 2 Comments »

A mural celebrating the life and music of composer and violinist Macedonio Alcalá has joined a bust of fellow Oaxaqueño composer Álvaro Carillo in the Jardín Carbajal (Macedonio Alcalá at Cosijopi).  The mural by Uriel Barragán (Bouler) was unveiled August 22, 2019 in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the death Macedonio Alcalá. The composer is best known for his piece, “Dios nunca muere” (God Never Dies) — a song that has become Oaxaca’s unofficial anthem and provided the artist with the theme of the mural.

Mural of composer Macedonio Alcalá

According to one legend: While Macedonio Alcalá was convalescing from a serious illness, he was visited by a group of indigenous people from Tlacolula de Matamoros, who asked him to compose a waltz for their festival of the Virgen de la Asunción. Subsequently, the flutist José Maqueo went to see him, and noticing the poverty stricken situation of Macedonio Alcalá, without him noticing Maqueo left twelve pesos under the pillow. The next day the composer found the money and told his wife: “Look, God never dies, always comforts the afflicted,” and he immediately began writing “Dios nunca muere.”

Whether it’s true or not, it’s a lovely story to accompany a lovely waltz.

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From front to back

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 9, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Face the facts…

she’s turned her back on you.

The walls of Oaxaca tell all.

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Zapata stays

Posted in Creativity, Culture, History, Music, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 26, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Even if you’re dreaming of sitting on a beach with a book and glass of wine in hand, there are reminders that one hundred years ago, on April 10, 1919, Mexican revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata was assassinated.

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In southern Mexico, in the words of Lila Downs, Zapata Se Queda (Zapata Stays) and remains a beloved martyr who continues to inspire.

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And, to remind all to never forget, and continue the struggle.  The cry of “not one more” echos from the streets.

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Mural on the wall of Taller-Galeria Siqueiros on Calle Porfirio Díaz.

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Women in struggle

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Politics, Protests, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 11, 2019| 2 Comments »

Armed with their art, the women of Armarte OAX have taken to the streets to raise their voices in struggle.

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And, they aren’t alone in Oaxaca…

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In the early evening of International Women’s Day, thousands of women “reclaimed” some of the most dangerous streets of the city demanding an end to street harassment, punishment for rapists, the cessation of violence against women, and safe abortion.

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Struggle, the other “women’s work.”

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