Posting Posters

Off to the city to get photos printed and to see what the latest offering of posters and street art are.
The revolution will not be twittered.

 I want to find a copy of this one.  It has the different varieties of agave for mezcal..... it also explains why I have seen cuish in graffiti all over the place.

Maybe a political figure or one of the missing?  .... it would be irresponsible not to speculate.

Street Art cont....

It is always there and always changing.
Gorgeous.

The words obviously are by someone other than the artist.  I dunno... "born to be killers"  Is my translation correct?  Whazit all mean?

LLuvia - Rain

The rains have come a little early this year and we have had a few decent showers.  But last night!  Thunder rolled across the valleys.  The power went out a couple of times.  And the rain came down in buckets, the heaviest in six months.  Fantastic!  One can feel el campo waking up, turning green.

The best

OK, I have just finished sorting and picking out the shots for the printers.  They are all tweaked and resized and my butt is sore from three days in front of the computers.  There are lots of great images, but so many of food, it is hard not to get hungry just looking at them.

Here was breakfast for the day after fiesta - simply the best.  It can not get any better.
 
Carnitas and chilaquiles cooked by the fabulous (and famous) Mendoza sisters.
 
I have never tasted better.... evah.

Where are they now?

Must. Get. Food. Right. Now.

Kids

"OK, let's get a nice shot."

I shot five shots of these kids and each one got funnier.  Three of them, Diego, Beatrice and Antonino (1, 2 and 4, l to r) are the groom's nieces and nephews.

*Blogger was read-only the last day or so.

Chocolate

Chocolate is an important part of Zapotec life as it is in much of Oaxaca.  I remember when oaxaqueños would visit me in Boston, they would always present me with mezcal, tlayudas and chocolate.  So it is a part of formal rituals and presentations.... plus it tastes real good.  Oaxacan chocolate is different, more grainy and flavored differently, but still every bit as delicious as anywhere.

And as they say, "there ain't nothin' like the real thing."  This post should be in Smellovision because the fragrance permeating the courtyard as these women ground the chocolate on matates was unbelieveable.


It becomes a super fine paste and then it is mixed with water and frothed.

All of this work is really hard.  It takes strength and stamina.

As it is beaten, the foam or espuma is taken off and then served.

 Here is the chocolate with atole and some tlayudas. Atole is a traditional masa based drink that comes in many forms.  This was sweet, but not too sweet.

Here is the formal presentation to Sergio and Virginia by the padrino.

The happy couple.... must be the chocolate.

Each couple receives a chest, the baul, and an armoire, both of which are filled with bread and chocolate.  Each person at the fiesta receives some bread and a beautiful piece of chocolate to take home.
Mmmmmm....this was my breakfast yesterday.

Some thoughts....

Virginia's family is from Veracruz, so they were even less familiar with Zapotec traditions than I am.  After all, I just shot another wedding a month or two ago, but there is so much to learn.  For instance, there were close to 300 people at the wedding and fiestas.  There are countless benedictions and ceremonies in which every person individually blesses the couple and shakes the hand of every other person in the room, all by gender and age.  I was much more comfortable this time taking part.  As I arrived, I paid my respects to the men and shook hands with all of them as they stood or sat in long lines.  When it was time to leave, I did the same to all the men and women, literally hundreds of people.  To lose one's inhibitions about such things is exhilarating.  I can't describe the feelings I had as I shook hands, said a few words and made eye contact with so many people.  People would break into the warmest smiles as I, an outsider, acknowledged their traditions.  It is all about respect.  Plus, people were so nice to me, I woke up this morning still floating on air.

La novia

Just getting started going through the photos and trying to find the keepers of which there appear to be quite a few.  It will be quite a job as they all need to be tweaked and resized. 
 A per a commenter's request, some bride photos.
 
Virginia is certainly one beautiful bride.

More later.

La Boda de Sergio y Viginia

Yesterday was the wedding.  It was a long day and I arrived late at 7AM and left early at 11PM.  Again, I do not know how they do it, the amount of time and energy expended.  However, what a total blast with so much to drink in.  I could write a different post about various aspects.  It would probably take four or five just to document the food and another five or ten to talk about the traditions.  But for now, I need to head back for another fiesta, the big party at Sergio's family's, the day after celebration.  Then there is the day after the day after party and so on.  In another week, it will all wind down.  I have some great shots. but it will take a few days to go through the close to 1400 photos and cull the ones to get printed.
The couple in front of the family altar before leaving for the church.

With a band leading them, Sergio y Virginia walk to the church, a mere two or three kilometers into the village.

Another wedding in Teotitlan

I am shooting another wedding in Teotitlan del Valle.  This time it is Sergio, the brother of Fermina, whose boda I shot a couple of months ago.  I have a better idea of what is happening just because it is not all new to me.  Two things struck me today.  First, how much work and preparation go into the event and second, just how much fun people have in doing that work.

All day I was surrounded by happy, laughing people, who were all bustin' their tuches (I do not believe that is the Zapotec word for it) and of course, speaking Zapotec, so I did not understand a word.  However, joy and laughter, comprendo.
I will write more when I recover, but again, the men and women remain apart through most all of the celebration with old and young having differing jobs and responsibilities.

I showed up to help the men in killing and cleaning almost 100 turkeys this morning.

Yes, there is a shot of me plucking some poor bird's feather. 
Not the best portrait, but that is Zacarais, father of the groom, and two of the groom's brothers, Beto and Antonio in the back.

Here is the groom, Sergio with Monday's meal.

The younger women grinding corn for tortillas using matates.  It is such hard work, but they were having a total blast.
 
Cooking vegetables for the caldo de res, beef soup.

Great faces everywhere.

More as I get it.  Man, I am tired and I did nothing.  They are still working and getting ready to party for a week.  That is stamina.

Cinco de Mayo in Oaxaca

Pretty much grillos..... crickets and I don't mean chapulines..... except for Puebla, it's more of a gringo thing now.

Street Art cont....

As always, the street art and graffiti continues to be vibrant and an essential part of the city.
Alfred Hitchcock directs.... or maybe it's Fellini....

This neighborhood is safe.

Good to know I am not the only one shooting the stuff.

What's it all mean?

This detail explains it.
 
Ahhhh....

Top Ten

Just a quick note after saying how hot May normally is.  Well, today is one of those rare days when it all feels perfect, temperature, humidity, air quality, breeze.... It is clear and crisp, 19C (66F) at mid morning with highs in the upper 70's later today.  Ahhhhh.....

Remittances to Mexico Rise 5% in 1st Quarter

from the Latin American Herald Tribune

Emigrants’ remittances to Mexico increased 5.48 percent between January and March over the same period in 2010, Mexico’s central bank said Monday.

In the first three months of the year, remittances from outside the country rose to nearly $5.1 billion, a jump from the $4.83 billion in the first three months of 2010.

In the first quarter there were 15.7 million transfers, 1.9 percent more than in the same period the year before.

Mexico’s central bank said that remittances in March totaled $2.05 billion, significantly ahead of the $1.65 billion in February.

Each remittance averaged $343.36 in March, a month in which 5.96 million transfers were made, most of them online.

Millions of Mexican emigrants, above all the 11.5 million living in the United States, send their families a monthly sum that they often use to cover their basic living expenses.

Remittances are Mexico’s No. 2 source of revenue after oil exports.

May Day

It is May, the hottest month of the year in Oaxaca.  However, that is not sayin' it is real hot, just a bit hotter than normal. around 33C that's 92F.  It will cool down to 27C in a couple of days, that's 80F.  Nice and cool at night, around 10C, that's 50F and that is in the city.  Out here in el campo, it's even cooler.  Flowering trees seem to love it. Flamboyant above, frangiapani or plumeria below.  The latter smell fantastic.  I am waiting for mine at the house to bloom.