They're baaack...

Here we go again.  The teachers have taken over the zocalo and the surrounding streets in their annual protest.  At least, I am learning how to deal with the chaos that these protests cause.  I waited until the massive march, or make that, the five massive marches, well coordinated, all starting from different points surrounding the city and then converging in the center, were over.  They started at 9 AM and I drove in at noon to check things out.

This is Alcala, the pedestrian walkway a couple of days ago.

And today.  No one and I mean, no one, ever parks their cars there.

This is the same location as the police shots in the previous post.  Nary a cop in sight today.

They are here for eight days or longer depending on various factors.  The northwest corner of the zocalo.  Casa de mi Abuela restaurant in the background.

The north entrance to the cathedral.
  
More tomorrow.

"The smell of fear"

That is the headline to this story from Noticias, one of Oaxaca's leading newspapers.  You will have to translate it yourself, but you know how to do that.  Most times, I accentuate the positive, but in all things, all places, there is another side.  This article has some dismaying facts and figures.  If one chose to, one could/should take pause... and ponder....where will it go from here?

I am a guest here, an alien.  There is much I don't know and much I don't understand.  I do try to stay abreast with what is happening.  I ain't seeing nuttin'.  I keep going into the city, but aside from some small protests, I have not seen the massive marches or sit-ins that were so prominent and disruptive last year.  I read that they may kick in tomorrow.  We will just have to wait and see.

But for now, things are quiet.  Understand that there is always a police presence here, so seeing these guys lined up is not that much of a rarity.  I asked them, "What's up" and they answered that they were there to protect the tourists.  I said, "From what?"

Really nothing out of the ordinary as you can see.

The Mayan Year begins... or repeats

This is a very interesting story from the LAHT. 

“The idea is to recover something that belongs to us Quintana Rooans that was lost for many years. Today Quintana Roo is populated by immigrants and we need events that anchor us to what is really ours, to something that belongs to our communities, and that is what we seek with this crossing,” the Xcaret communications and public relations director, Iliana Rodriguez, said.

And that’s why everyone taking part in the activities is a volunteer from one of the indigenous communities that still preserve many of their ancestral customs and languages.

On Thursday a market was installed to sell products made with ancestral ingredients like maize and cocoa beans – in fact the latter were once used as money for making payments.....

“This year’s crossing is to prepare ourselves to end this cycle and begin the one that follows,” Rodriguez said, adding that despite popular belief that the Mayas predicted the end of the world this year, that’s not what they were saying.

Unlike current thinking that time is lineal, for the Mayas, she said, it was circular and everything would be repeated.

“When you look back on your past, you have the chance to prepare yourself for the future and perform certain rituals to prevent the bad things” from happening again, she said.

The Mayans never faded away and disappeared.  They are still there, all across the Yucatan.  It is a remarkable section of Mexico.  One could take weeks exploring the ancient cities, enjoying the beaches, the people, the food.   But it is hot.  Always makes me think of the lyrics, "Hot time, summer in the city.  Back of my neck feelin' dirty and gritty."  I like to describe Merida as it is like Bangkok, only with Mayans.

This story reminds me how special Oaxaca is in that its history is celebrated all the time, everyday.  History and traditions are very much alive here.

Ahhhhhh.... lluvia (rain)

Water coming down from the sky is such a blessing here.  Oaxaca goes through a long dry season each year and how/when it ends is always on peoples' minds.  After all, this is an agrarian part of the country and rain means the growing season kicks in. 

This year has been a little different in that we had some nice early rains five or six weeks ago when everything began to green up and then it turned very hot, hazy and dry.  The plants withered and went back into waiting mode, as did the rest of us.

For the past couple of weeks, it has rained at times, but often very localized.  It poured in the city a few days ago, but not a drop here.  I could see it, but it never made it here.  That's how it is lots of times.

Yesterday evening there was a wonderful rain that lasted for a few hours.  Here, it was a light steady rain, but in the city I heard it came on like gangbusters with some initial heavy downpours.

Maybe it was the rain that really wakes up the land.  There is always one that does and everything and everyone sighs with relief..... until it goes monsoon on us.

It is cool and moist this morning.  Checking the weather map, it looks like there may be more coming this evening.

Still rainin', still dreamin'.

True it is...

Hey, look what I've got

This girl was radiating such joy and happiness.  I wanna be that happy.

Of course, I do have a gadzillion shares of Looney Tunes stock so I am not too bummed.

Neither here nor there

I have a question and it is this.  Is there some mexicano in El Norte reading the newspapers about her/his home country and flippin' out, saying, "That is just too crazy.  What is goin' on?  What could they possibly be thinkin'? Am I gonna have to go back and fix everything?  Again?"

'Cause that's what I thinking looking at some of the stuff that's going on in the States.  Maybe it is because I get all my news from the internet and because "they" know where I am, I get the international feed on lots of news sites.  Of course, I check all the US national sites also and..... well.....  "That is just too crazy.  What is goin' on?  What could they possibly be thinkin'?  Am I gonna have to go back and fix everything?  Again"

Going up or down?

Street sweep

There are legions of these workers who clean the entire city with their hand made brooms.  They can wield that broom and send stuff flying more accurately than those noisy gas-powered blowers.  Really, they work miracles and are seen everywhere.  I think they collect trash from homes as well.  I am sure they are a union.

A moment of respite in a tranquil setting.

Speaking of unions, today was May 15 and the day the teachers union usually takes over the zocalo in a never-ending, multi-year, series of protests.  It is always one of the hot button issues here.  I am sure there will be much more, but today I just played it cool and worked in the garden.

Everyone's got an answer

I see this one in various places.  "Jail for who ever (keeps) putting trash here!"

So they put a little extra in.

There is graffiti that some folks like

And other graffiti that people don't like.

Shots of the day.... una boda

Whenever I see a wedding or quinceanera, I am drawn to the visual action and always try to get a couple of unobtrusive shots.  These are from yesterday as the parties got ready for a wedding in Santo Domingo.  There is always a strange juxtaposition between the regular people and those folks all dressed up for the festivities.  Seeing the maids of honor with the little street vendor made for an interesting study, generating lots of thoughts.

 A yawn...

Beauty comes in many forms....

the eye of the beholder.

We have all been there, just before a wedding, sometimes as participants or guests

 Sometimes just an observer, on the the outside looking in.

Street Art cont.... never fails

It is like a river, always there, always changing.  River rat?

I am not sure about this one.  I am sure all the characters are important political figures, but other than that.... it looks like Benito Juarez's head on the platter.... center figure/Jesus with a automatic weapon?

Then there is this one plugging Davos, the home of the World Economic Forum.

Things are looking up

While walking the city one comes upon all sorts of architectural treats just by looking up.

 This guy looks out across the street at all the ice cream vendors in the Jardin de Socrates that abuts La Soledad church.  I am not exactly sure what sort of a figure he is... maybe a dancer from the danza de las plumas.  He looks like he has weathered some hard times.  He ain't alone.

Women at work

At a follow up to yesterday's photos is this story about women in the Oaxacan workforce, in particular working mothers.

It is a different world here. People work very hard for a daily wage of under $5 US.  That can be 8-10 hours of hard labor.  I see it all the time.  I have learned to work that way myself... well, I am tryin' anyway.

I maintain that Oaxaca is a false patriarchy, one in which the women are the real strength of the system.

However, the laws and protections are not there for them in many cases.

from Noticias.  Here the first paragraph translated.

Of the total women with children who work in Oaxaca (581 thousands), 26 percent are dedicated to commerce. Of that amount, 50 percent, 70,000, are dedicated to this activity but in an informal way, and in this sector of the economy an increase of the feminine participation is being seen. In agreement with estimations of the National Camera of Small Commerce in (Canacope) the 70 percent of the traveling salespeople in the city of Oaxaca are women, and a majority are mothers of families. Concerning this matter, the federal delegate of the Secretariat of the Work (STyPS), Maria Guadalupe González Ruiz, recognized that women in Oaxaca face a disparity in income in relation to men. In addition, women face deficient labor conditions, and because of this subordination, 51.5 percent of the population, the women, do not even count in writing on a contract.

The story goes on to say how women supplement their incomes and some interesting statistics, the one that jumped out is the young age at which women or girls become mothers.

Practice, practice, practice...

Kids can lead a very different life here, but still, they are just kids, you know, sweet li'l heart stealers.

Some spend many hours on the streets, but hey, it's a good time to get homework done

 This little one had a great deal going.  She walked up and stuck a sticker on me that said, "Te amo."

 Hard to resist.

I remember being inspired watching some old guy walk down the street and give a coin to every street musician and every single kid.  Compassion is very easy to practice here.  How about where you are?

Chores

A good day for cleaning.  This place will be spotless.

Cinco de Mayo - Oh?.... meh

I know that yesterday was Star Wars day - May the Fourth be with you - but today, Cinco de Mayo, is a much bigger deal in El Norte than it is here.  It isn't even a holiday.

In the U.S. it is another opportunity for everyone to party and for every business to cash in.  So go crazy and enjoy it.  I am sure there are margaritas and tacos being sold everywhere.  I am just imagining that Dunkin' Donuts morning burrito... mmmm. 

We are getting closer to every day being a sponsored event, kinda like David Foster Wallace wrote about in Infinite Jest.

But I digress... Cinco de Mayo, here in Oaxaca, is basically a non-event.  I am sure, just to the north, in Puebla, there is something going on, as on this day in 1862, the Mexican army celebrated a victory over French forces, but in most of Mexico, it is just another day.

I guess it is like St. Patrick's day when everyone is Irish.  So on Cinco de Mayo everyone is Mexican.  I bet that is making some heads explode on the right.  Relax and enjoy that margarita or just a straight up shot of mezcal.  As for the food, there ain't nothin' like the real thing, but have a taco for me.  Party on, Garth.... I mean, Juan. ¿Dónde está la fiesta?

Read more here: http://blogs.mcclatchydc.com/mexico/#storylink=cpy

Lining it up

As in many parts of Oaxaca, or all of Mexico for that matter, sometimes behind the blandest of exteriors lies the most exquisite of interiors.  Often, if one looks through a doorway, one can catch a glimpse of a hidden courtyard or garden.  While walking back from the Merced Market, where I have found a wonderful supply of delicious sweet breads, I looked through a closed gate and beheld this jewel.  It looks like the perfect setting for a good film noir.  Is it deco?

Dia de la Santa Cruz

The are firecrackers, cohetes, bottle rockets with a really good bang at the end, going off all around me.  At times, it sounds like a war zone, but it is only because it is May 3rd, the Day of the Holy Cross, also the Day of the Construction Worker.  I am in the middle of a construction boom around the house and I wanted to see if the unfinished houses were decorated and they were.

No one is working and traditionally, there are lots of special meals with family and friends.  Hmmm.... the firecrackers having taken a break in the heat of mid-afternoon, only one every 15 seconds or so, but tonight, it should be fantastic!  It is funny the things you get used to.  They sound like music to my ears now.

The day after

The day after International Workers' Day it is back to work....

in a just few more minutes.

May Day - International Workers' Day

The workers were out in force today with long marches and many speeches.  There was action all over town.

At one point, some less than savory individuals began pelting the marchers with eggs and a shot was fired, which brought out the police and soldiers a half hour after all the action was over.

Not everyone was fired up.

Too bad they did not have any of these shirts in my size.  I liked them all.

"I think it looks perfect with your hat."