The future - Coming and going...

Oh, to be young again....

They'll be taking over soon enough....

Viernes en Llano

Every Friday during Lent, there is a big celebration in Llano Park.  For each of the five Fridays, a different school shows up to have their young ladies gather accolades and lots of flowers. 

And the guys get to help carry all those flowers.

This was the most people I've ever seen for this annual celebration.  There looked to be eighty young ladies processing.  It may look like some sort of a beauty pageant, but it isn't.  Really, it is just an incredible feel-good experience.  For sure, the girls strut their stuff and the boys, well, they're boys.  They go gaga.

 And there is music, of course...

It seems like each girl has a cheering section and gets lots of flowers. 

They cheer for a good solid hour...

I mean, they even had a marmota, the large globe.  That's some serious love.

It may be some sort of contest, but I don't know what the criteria for winning is.  However, I will say, that no one ever looks sad or disappointed, nothing but joy and happiness.

And a few heart throbs...

The beauty of Oaxaca...

Three more Fridays to go..... Be There or Be Square

Market Day in Etla

Wednesday is market day in nearby Etla.  I guess I consider it to be my market, as I go there all the time and know lots of people there.  I love the place.  It is also one of the go-to places for some of the best cooking classes in the area.  I always see them getting tours of what a real Oaxacan market is all about.  Today is was Alma de mi Tierra and Seasons of the Heart.

Right now, the area where lots of normal market action takes place, is under construction and has been for a few months.  It's a big project that I've been following.  The progress is slow, but sure. The finished part looks great.  It will be wonderful to see in when it's done in a few months.  These guys know their craft.

Anyway, one of the best parts of the market is this line of prepared foods that are offered every single week by the ladies of Etla. 

And I can attest that there is lots of incredibly good food, all homemade and fresh, at ridiculously low prices. 

The rajas tamales I get, are really nice and fat and so good all for about $.50 US .  Hungry yet?

Vincente Fox on Bill Maher last night

Submitted for your perusal...

The Way of the World - The Weight of the World

More Carnaval - San Martin Tilcajete

It is hard to take in the many looks and aspects of carnaval in San Martin Tilcajete.  Also, as a visitor, an alien, it is impossible to take in all the background, the traditions, the subtleties, the things you had to be born there to know.  There are families that have participated for years, long before it was the place to be for tourists.  I wonder what they think of all the attention.  I mean, all those people sticking cameras in their faces... uh, me, included.  Here are some of the candid portraits I manged to snap.  The bride.....

Her (his) attendants...

"Please, Mister, get me outta here."

And some not so cute looks....

Some muxe, Mexico third gender joined in the festivities.

 Stunning....

 And girls with moustaches...

Masked...

And unmasked....

And the classic look....

And my favorite, Juana from Matlacihua Arte, holding one of her masks... the horns are not hers.  There was another mask behind her that just happened to line up.  Her husband, Jesus Sosa Calvo, liked the shot.

One suggestion I would make is that there should be many more food vendors earlier in the day.  The crowds were huge and they could have made a fortune.... uh, I was hungry and could have gone for just about any kind of food.  The area is famous for empanadas (hint, hint).

Carnaval in San Martin Tilcajete

San Martin Tilcajete certainly was the place to be on Fat Tuesday for one of the best and biggest (and only?) celebrations in the surrounding area.  Carnaval here has become more and more popular and yesterday, the village was filled with more people than on any other day of the year.  Lila Downs, as well as some the folks who made "Coco," was there. 

San Martin Tilcajete is one of the most famous wood-carving villages and the masks are always spectacular.  This one is by good friend, Jesus Sosa Calvo and his wife Juana.  Yes, they painted the person as well.

The central part of the celebration features a "wedding", a procession through the streets of the village and a "ceremony" in front of the municipal building. Yes, the bride is a young man.

I'm not sure how the bride and groom are selected, but each is holding a photo, so maybe there are deeper meanings than just fun and irreverence.

In addition to the wedding party, there were roving bands of "diablitos" wearing bells and often covered with oil.

Here's another mask from Jesus and Juana.... simply wonderful.

Some absolutely amazing costumes.

And, of course, the Queen of Carnaval.

So many wonderful looks..... ¡Viva San Martin Tilcajete!

More in a bit.....

Watching the Olympics in Oaxaca

Watching the Winter Games is pure fun here.  They are on for 18-24 hours a day, as far as I can tell, with very few commercials and, because the Mexican team is so small, the coverage covers everything and everyone relatively equally.  I have not read how well NBC is handling it all in the States, but it's almost pure sports here, no "up close and personal" and no nationalism.  Of course, the Mexican team may be small, but they have created quite a stir with their uniforms.

¡Viva Mexico!

This is a woman's world..... or it should be

 

The women of Oaxaca continue to amaze and inspire me.  They have a strength and resiliency, often a smile and a little mischievous glint in their eyes.  Like the women above from San Marcos Tlapazola, a village near Tlacolula.  They are renown for their ceramics, which is produced by a large women's collective.  I see them all the time and they are always happy, willing to joke and ready to do business.  In fact, I don't ever remember meeting a man from the village, but I must have.  Their pieces are reasonably priced, a little higher than other places, but the design and quality is second to none.  They rule.

And they are representative of many of the qualities that many women seem to possess here.  They are the backbone of the place, no matter what any man says.  They start young....

Grow into young women....

Until they are seasoned with strength and wisdom

They persevere...

James Brown sang "This is a Man's World" but guess what?  It ain't.  Time to let the women run the place.... for the next 5000 years.  Yeah, I'm lookin' at you, El Norte... and everyplace else.