Better late than never...

Oops.....  I took off nice and early for the Viernes del Llano celebration.  I thought it started at 10 AM, so I left at 8:30, only to discover it had started much earlier, maybe 7 or so.  It ended just before I got there... oh well.  What is the event exactly?  I'm not really sure, but it is kinda like a beauty pageant where everyone is a winner.  Kids from local schools show up and cheer and give flowers to girlfriends for a couple of hours.  There is music, lots of press, even more people.  In general, it is a crazy good time. But I missed it.  However, I got to see the leftover detritus.

And girls walking away.

I did get to see the band waiting for its ride. 

And participants wait for the bus.

I did manage to snag a couple of shots of the stars of the show.

A classic.

As always, amazing shoes!

And one of a future participant.

What a fun event, a real Oaxacan good time and it happens every Friday morning through March with different schools it week.

Be there or be square.  I am sure Shannon over a Casa Colibri will have more.

If it's Tuesday...

Or any other day of the week, there is a protest or blockade somewhere.  It is just normal life and people deal.  Social media makes life easier.  There is a Facebook group with over 10,000 members that follows all the action reporting on current marches, blockades, protests and accidents.  So these shots are from last Tuesday, which was Flag Day, Dia de la Bandera. As sister blogger spixl posts, there was lots of action. I was just passing through and caught this contingent, obviously from the campo, the country, continuing the fight to keep corn free of trans-genetic infection.  Without corn there is no country.

 What a great poster.  Wake up Benito! and say no to trans-genetic corn.

 It's still possible.

Monsanto es una plaga aqui.

The future is now

This from a protest a couple of days ago.

Atzompa - The day after

I drove up to the archeological site to see what, if any, damage the fire did yesterday.  Fortunately, the blackened ground ended right below the parking area

It burned a fairly large area, but not to worry, that smoke is from an entirely different fire a few miles away.

As I said yesterday, these fires are pretty common and people hardly ever freak out about them or let them get out of control.  Every now and then, the winds whip them up, but in general, there always seems to be some sort of firebreak, like the parking lot, and they die out.

Looks like only the hardiest of plants and seeds will survive, but for sure, they will be back as soon as the rains come.

More good news, it looks like the other entrance from the Monte Alban side is finally open.  I plan to explore it soon.

Stick figure

This guy was on my screen door this morning and I thought it was a wind-blown twig.

"You lookin' at me?"

When I got near it, it bobbed back and forth.  In truth, I had a hard time figuring which end was which.

The two little antennae might be a clue.  Now why does this shot make me think of Fred Astaire?

Mother Nature is a wonder.

Atzompa - Not the best day to visit

This was the view of Atzompa early this afternoon. 

That's the archeological site at the very top behind the veil of smoke.

You can see it is a large area.  I hope everyone is OK.  I know a few folks up there and will go and check tomorrow or the next day.

These fires are pretty common these days, the countryside is so dry and crispy.  Normally, they stay under control.  In fact, fire is the preferred method for clearing agricultural fields.  I am totally on the other side of that debate, organic material by the tons worked into the soil.

Sunday church social

There was a large covered area setup in front of the church in Tlacolula yesterday with lots of ladies selling all sorts of good food.  So...

Why choose?  I'll take a chile rellenos, too.  Those beans were soooo good, flavored with hierba santa and epazote.

Easy to see why things taste so good.  Look at the available ingredients.

BB

Faces from Carnival - San Martin Tilcajete

Yesterday, Mardi Gras, carnival was celebrated in San Martin Tilcajete, the famous alebrije or woodcarving village.  It appeared to be a very popular destination as there were lots of foreign visitors, all loaded with cameras.  And San Martin openly welcomed everyone with their version of Carnival. 

As usual there was a good band.  I love this clarinetist's carved mask, a very typical San Martin carving style.

The wood carving skills were evident in many of the masks.

 

These are heavy masks. 

I recognize the styles, very San Martin Tilcajete.

The main event is the boda or wedding(s), both civil and religious, of bride and groom, both males. 

The civil ceremony is performed in front of the Palacio, the municipal center, followed by dancing.

There are processions to and from the bride and groom's houses and finally to a home for a semi-formal religious wedding.

It seems to be an all male event with lots of the men dressed up as women.  Sometimes, it is hard to tell.... except for the chin hair.

Today, Ash Wednesday, everything is quiet.

Both sides now

Coming

and going.

Key Moments

A bright Saturday afternoon in front of Santo Domino.  A classic quinceañera photo shoot.

Not too special.

Meanwhile, her seven chambelanes or attendants await.

Followed immediately thereafter by a bride and groom basking in the moment.

Felicidades!

Think green

We are well into the dry season.... omg, it is raining... sorta.  However, the color palette of the country is muted from the lush greens of the rainy season.

So one does think about green.

In more ways than one

On the bright side of the the color spectrum, it is February and even though everything else is pretty brown and crispy, somehow the jacarandas explode with Prince-like purple.