Complacency is a trap. At least that’s what I was thinking when I up and left the comfort of a Yankee prep school gig, where I taught music, amongst other things, for 28 years. There was also that life long career as a composer, musician and artist.
First, it was a year in St. Thomas, USVI, working as a reporter and shooting photography and then, a year in San Agustin Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico. Time passed. More time passed and a year back in the Athens of America followed by a hasty return to Oaxaca where it is all happening. A couple of years in San Sebastian Etla and now, just down the road in San Pablo Etla. Life is good.
Click on an image to see it larger. For additional photography please visit my flickr page. You can find my music on Jango(World & latin - Worldbeat) and at iTunes and most online stores. ¡Soy consciente de todas las tradiciones del Internet! If you are coming to Oaxaca, please contact me for tours or advice.
Every year there are more and more muerteadas, but the best and the cuna, the birth of the muerteada, is in San Agustin Etla. What's a muerteada? It's a combination of an all-nighter parade with live music, dancing, food, costumes and perhaps, some beer and mezcal. Starts tomorrow night and goes until mid-morning.
The one in San Agustin Etla is filled with all of the above and the traditional outfits are covered with bells and/or mirrors. It ends with kinda of a mosh pit as two groups come together at the base of a hill and the bands and dancers go at each other... separated by two lines of security just to keep things in some sort of control. It's insane, but fun. Here's last year's.
This one's basically for men, but kids and women participate. However, there's one for the women in two weeks.
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