Day of the Dead cont....

Talk about having a big head.

One of the great things about this place is the constant flow of art that comes in many forms.

There is always something new to see, hear, smell, touch or taste.  These are large papier-mâché heads that lined the pedestrian walkway on Alcala for the week.  

They were all the same size, but each artist or group of artists could do what they wanted.  
 
A little dental detail.

This one in particular had some wonderful painting.
 


 

How's the weather?

Glad you asked.  Crystal clear skies and 5C.  That is 41F, same as it is in Boston right now.  However, it will be in the upper 70's in a few hours here and I do not think that will be the case in Beantown.  I bet there was frost in the very nearby mountains.  Lots of houses have no windows here and certainly none have heating system other than the wood or charcoal fired stove they cook on.  I kinda wish I had one right now.  I have a fireplace, but it throws no heat.  It just sucks it up the chimney.  Waiting for the sun.... ah, there it is coming over the mountains.

Just thinkin'...cont.

Please read the Nancy Davies story at World Upside Down (H/T Joan) for more information about the recent killings.  Sure makes one wonder what is goin' on.

So forgive the snarkiness.....

People ask me all the time about the scene in Oaxaca and I usually respond that Oaxaca is just fine, just a few years ahead of the curve.  The US will experience some of the problems we have here if it continues down the path it is on - like it could possibly stop when governed by folks who think that Jesus rode in on a dinosaur 6000 years ago. 

What problems?  Lack of infrastructure (roads, water, internet, electricity), lack of educational system, lack of a real judicial system and of course, corruption, poverty, and frustration, although I guess the US is catching up on that one.

Folks in El Norte probably look at Mexico and go "OMG.  The country is out of control."  Well, guess what?  Better look in the mirror.  People here just shake their heads looking at the US.  They ask how this can be happening?  "Dios mio!  ¡El país está fuera de control!"

Imagine being a oaxaqueño living in the States now.  It could be worse. Your name be Abdul rather than Juan.

At least the people here have a greater awareness of what is happening to them.  They are getting screwed and they are not happy about it.  They blockade roads daily.  They march.  They sit-in.  They try to become autonomous  - Just like Texas wants to - You go Rick.  Instead of being Tricky Dick, we can call him Triqui Rick;-)

The recent elections in the States, so obviously bought and paid for by corporations do not look good from afar.  Thanks SCOTUS, Chamber of Commerce, Fox.  You bought it you own it.  BTW - Many of the GOP's presidential candidates work for Fox.  What would you think if the same were true of Televista?  Sounds insane, no?  There you go.

So why do I say Oaxaca is ahead of the US.  It has already experienced many of the problems that appear to be coming down the pike for the US.  People are dealing with them and paying a huge price.  Things are not getting better, people are just becoming more resilient and resigned to the fact that this is the way it is going to be for a while.  Oaxaca cannot pay its electric bills, so the lights are turned off in parts of the city at night.  Sound familiar?  There is a long litany of woes.

But don't worry, just like the US, the rich and powerful are doing fine.  None of them ever gets arrested or prosecuted for their obvious crimes, just like the US - think banksters, Wall Street, politicians - I mean, Bush came out and admitted he approved torture - ho hum, have a nice life, George... and a good book tour.

He will never do the time for the crime.  Just like Oaxaca's governor. 

And now we have the cartels announcing that they are dispensing justice and promising more of the same.  I guess the US can follow the example and use Blackwater, I mean, Xe.

Other than that, what did you think of the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

Now, back to your regularly schedule programming.....

Two killed in front of Santo Domingo - UPDATE 3

Now the Zetas are taking credit for the killings.

From notioax.com (full story in Spanish)

"The thing that happened to `Dragón' and to his compadre `the Chema' will happen to all that rob, kidnap, extort and assassinate in the name of the organization `Zetas', without belonging to it.”...

They also they sent a message to the authorities, mass media and to the public saying:  "No  one will be able to sleep peacefully, no civil servant, politician, leader, or delinquent who collaborates with the brothers Diaz Pantoja, will be pardoned”

They warn: “To the honest citizens, the decent people and workers of Oaxaca, our organization DOES NOT TOLERATE any extortion, kidnapping or robbery against people and industrialists.  We will not allow it and we are going to bring order."

They are talking about the recent killings of the leaders of social movements, I think.  Please feel free to correct my translation.  I am not sure if I have it right.

Day of the Dead - San Agustin Etla

Certainly one of the highlights of El Dia for me was when I awoke very early Tuesday morning to catch the dancers in San Agustin Etla just up the road.  They wear the most interesting outfits covered with bells or mirrors.

They come in all ages

and they start young.

First, imagine dancing for over 24 hours.  Next, imagine drinking and dancing for 24 hours.  Now imagine doing it wearing many pounds of metal and/or glass.

  These outfits weigh a ton as you can see from this guy's face.

This is the third or forth time I have shot this and each time I am amazed and learn more.  The first time I was just overwhelmed by the whole thing, instant euphoria.  Last year, I remember being caught up in the mosh pit at the end and wondering what was going on.  This time I knew that there were three groups of dancers from various neighborhoods, Vista Hermosa, San Agustin and San Jose and that they are very competitive.  In fact, one could surmise, they do not like each other very much, at least, not when dancing.

Starting the day before, each group travels from house to house, led by a traditional band, dancing the whole time.  Well, maybe taking a little time to drink some mezcal or eat an orange, but most of the time they were moving to infectious music.

I went with the groups as they went to several homes and then went to the base of the hill where I knew the groups would eventually meet.  "Meet" is not the right word.  Really, it is a scrum or mosh pit.

First, the band led the dancers from San Agustin in.  There were guys cracking bullwhips which sounded like gunshots.  The crowds closed in while at the same time, the bands were leading the other groups in.  You can see that the tubas and drums are head to head just blasting away.

They push forward and it gets a little scary as the dancers go ballistic, pushing, shoving, throwing things, including epithets.  Meanwhile, the security guys are effectively keeping control by grabbing dancers or out of control folks.  I planted myself right in the middle and got pushed around, all the while holding the video camera overhead on a tall tripod.  Guess what?  Great video.  Be patient.  I will post it soon.

There were lots of great costumes, some traditional,

some not
 
and some well, just out there.

A total blast!  One of the best!

El Dia de los Muertos - Day of the dead

It will a take a few days to process all the photos and video, but it was a spectacular and festive time for Oaxaca.  No doubt about it, this place is magical.

The main problem is that there are so many things to do and places to be, that one cannot do it all.  There were many tourists here and many businesses did just that, business, and for that, they are very thankful and happy.

I went from highlight to highlight closing out with a wonderful traditional meal in Teotitlan del Valle dining at the home of zapotec weaving friends, Zacharais Ruiz and his family.  I have said it before and I will say it again, Emilia makes the best mole negro I have ever had and she does it time after time.  It takes her a week to make and just minutes to inhale.  Mmmmmm.
The altar at the Ruizes.

The best parts are the people.  It was hard to stay sober for at every panteon or cemetery, people welcomed me, offered me mezcal and conversation.  Some wanted to practice there English, but most just wanted to share whatever they had.  I heard many good stories and saw many wonderful sights.
 
One of my favorites is seeing children happily playing amongst the graves of their relatives.  It just seems so healthy to stay so connected and open.

Two killed in front of Santo Domingo - UPDATE 2

Here is a story from the LA Times.  Be sure to read the comments following it as they take umbrage with The Times' account.

"The shootings are not believed to be drug-related but rather tied to the complex world of provincial politics in Oaxaca, where deals, scores, and broken alliances are often settled through violence. Campus-based student gangs, known as porros, are among those accused of carrying out fatal attacks against the teacher-led movement that sought to oust Gov. Ulises Ruiz in 2006......

Maldonado and Gonzalez were identified as leaders of a porro gang at a Oaxacan university that routinely clashes with police and opposition activists (link in Spanish). Ruiz, pressed by local reporters including Mexico's official state news agency Notimex (link in Spanish), dismissed immediate whispers in Oaxaca that the porro killings at the Santo Domingo church were somehow tied to the upcoming end of his six-year term as governor.....

Porros are often hired as unofficial muscle for politicians and political parties in various regions of Mexico. Operating as contracted thugs, the secretive groups are thought to openly attack or seek to sabotage opposition demonstrations, such as those that gripped Oaxaca during the conflict over Ruiz's rule in 2006. The Oaxaca teachers' group known as the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca, or APPO, accused the Ruiz administration of hiring porro groups to attack its blockades in the city at the time. The gangs were known as "caravans of death" (link in Spanish).
In statements during the 2006 confrontations, APPO said at least 17 people died in attacks, but subsequent reports place that figure higher. Among the dead over the seven-month period of upheaval was the American journalist Brad Will, a case that Will's survivors say has never been fully solved."

 

People

Yes, there are all sorts of people here.  Look at the diversity in this shot.

Families everywhere.  I love that the little boy is more interested in the clown than anything else.

Not everyone is happy.
 
What a troubling expression on this young mother's face.
 
 Incidentally, for those of you hitting the fainting couches, breast feeding is so common here, one never even thinks about it.

Like the sands of time

Well, anyway like the sand paintings in the earlier post... here today, gone tomorrow.
Here is the perfunctory blood stains shot in front of Santo Domingo from last Friday's shootings.
The wooden crate has a candle inside.

In the city

There are lots of people here.  Businesses are trying to recoup for many slow days, but the mood in the city is ebullient.  People are happy for the most part.  This is the new covering for the scaffolding in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

There are plenty of tourists.  The zocalo has the traveling vendors who kind of spoil the ambiance of the place and the businesses sure complain about them, but there they are, selling all sorts of things.
Unfortunately they are blocking the Governor's Palace where some of the best ofrendas are normally set up.  I am not sure where they are this year.

Beautiful bags.

The tapetes de arena or sand paintings/sculptures have been a big hit.
 


The day before.

The day of.


The day after.

The work near the zocalo was on an entirely different scale.

The works were huge with lots of students doing most of the assembling.

It all begins

El Dia de los Muertos has arrived.  It is hard to keep up.  Yesterday was the final day of prep as people made their altars.  I am happy my flowers ended being are part of so many.  Obviously, it is a photographer's dream.  I will do my best to post as I go, but there is lots of ground to cover.  The driving is some of the best part.  You can see why.
 
This is the back of the hill near San Martin.
 
The valley near Santa Ana Zegache.

A friend on the road.

One of the reasons I drove out this way was to see the preparations at San Antonino where they mix the earth with water and put a smooth skim coat on the graves.