Papel Picado

It would seem that the dry season has arrived right on schedule and with it come beautiful, clear, blue skies, not a cloud in sight.  One of my favorite things is watching the papel picado blow in the winds.

 

These are on my normal path in the city, but what do they say?

 Ah yes, "Viva La Virgen del Carmen," the church on Garcia Vigil.  Some closeups.

 And details.

 Easier to read projected on the wall.

You should be here.  The next couple of weeks are going to be packed with wonderful things to do and see.

This!

The world may have lots of problems and lots of problem people, but still... there are thing like this.

Maybe we are gonna be OK.

Seeing red

Well, that was weird.  I was taking a quick jaunt into the city to grab a torta at La Horrmiga and was about 5 k. out, when all of a sudden there was a really long line of taxis along the side of the road.  They were all from the same union or something as they were all the same colors.  There was one right next to me.  I bunch of guys ran onto the road and the taxi next to me pulled diagonally across the lanes behind me.  It was a bloqueo, a blockade, and I was the last car to make it through.  I looked in the rear view mirror and saw cars and buses already at a standstill.  I continued to drive in, but behind me was a sea of no traffic, not a car in sight.

On the way out, I figured it was blocked in both directions by now, so I took a different route back to the house.  No problema.  All part of life in the not so fast lane in Oaxaca.

Now, that's color, isn't it?

More art and artists....

The work continues photographing some of Oaxaca's artists.  Again, the most interesting aspect of the adventure is seeing each of them in their studios, their own private spaces.  Obviously, one can tell certain things by just looking around and taking in the ambiance.  However, there are other elements at work, the light, the air, the sounds, the hidden and unseen parts, and above all, the patina, as it might be described.
Angélica Vásquez Cruz lives high atop the mountain overlooking Atzompa and much of the rest of Oaxaca in a spectacular setting.  Her garden is something else.  She is one of Oaxaca's finest ceramic artists and her work can be found around the world. 

She uses clays from various parts of Mexico and even get some from other parts of the world.

Her colors are all produced naturally.

Crispin Vayadares lives in a different part of Aztompa, much further down the mountain, about a low as you can go.  I don't think I could ever find his house again.  He drove out and met us, left his car and then guided back out.  His house and gardens seemed lush and overgrown, but remarkably tranquil, a hidden jewel.

He says his work is inspired by the textile traditions.

Obviously, quite a prolific artist.

I have known Carlomagno Pedro Martínez of San Bartolo Coyotepec for years.  Hands down, a remarkable artist.  He is one of the masters of "barro negro," the black pottery for which Oaxaca is so famous.

 The maestro created this figure from scratch, as if by magic, in about ten minutes.

He has always had a wonderful sense of humor and energy. He is also the director of the Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca (MEAPO) in his hometown

  Ay, pobre Yorick. Yo lo conocía bien.

Non sequiturs

Neither here nor there.  I have been shoveling so much abono, I think it has gone to my head.  I mean, I see BS everywhere.  Yes, I'm lookin' at you, El Norte.  I don't know which is more depressing, the politics, the press, the pundits or, dare I say it? ( sure, go ahead, say it) the people.  You got people running for office who blatantly lie and the press says nothing, but has hissy fits over only the things they deem are important.  It is like a bad Junior High election.  Not to mention the guys who sit on the House Comm. on Science and Tech that think Satan caused all this stuff and that women have special powers, no doubt from God.  Talk about bullshit..... Continue to maintain carnal knowledge with that domestic fowl......

Ah, but I digress.  I have been shooting more of Oaxaca's artists, which has taken much longer than expected, but it is a fun job.  However, I ran out of food and had to run over to the market in Etla to grab some things.  As soon as I opened my car door, I was hit by the sounds of "Gangnam Style" blasting across the plaza.  I half expected a flash mob and I wish I knew the steps or I would have started one myself.  It's a mighty small world.  Korean video goes viral and gets picked up by all the CD and DVD pirates in the world, not to mention the torrents.  It is infectious.

 

On my travels through parts of Oaxaca I have never been to before, I was captivated by the sights and smells of these new vistas.  But as always it is the people who make it all so special.  This abuela in San Bartolo Coyotepec made us some fine memelitas with beans and cheese and fried me an egg on her comal.

This little cutie is the granddaughter of Angelica Vasquez, the fine ceramicist from Atzompa.

 Not too cute, huh?

A thousand words.....

A picture says....

I wanted to call this post "My Country Tis of Thy People You're Dying" after Buffy Saint Marie, who was one of my early heart throbs and heroes.  You had to get used to her voice and tremelo, but after that, she proved herself to be such a powerful, eloquent and brilliant woman.

Such a powerful and sad song.  It rings true for Mexico as well.

My thoughts exactly

I have had this thought for years.  "Man, wouldn't it be cool to get a bike and hit the highways?"  That thought is always followed by, "Yeah, but you would just end up killing yourself." Squirrel!

Photo Essay

Who needs words when the pictures can tell such stories.  I was trying to get a certain shot and came close, but not quite.  Still, I like the series.

This is as close as I got to the shot I was trying to get.... another inch or two over to the right.... work with me.  Actually, I was shooting from across the plaza and was happy and lucky to get these.

Confite in Teotitlan del Valle

It never fails to be an uplifting and powerful experience as the girls, young ladies and women of Teotitlan del Valle process through the streets carrying canastas adorned with flowers, flags and saints.  This was the annual celebration of the "Solemnes cultos religiosos en honor a la Santisima Virgen del Rosario."

Carrying these canastas is no piece of cake for the baskets are heavy and the women walk two or three k. at the very least.  I am not sure I could do it just carrying nothing, merely hold my hands up for that long.  They make it look easy.

I am not sure how many confites I have seen thus far, but no matter rain or sun, it is one beautiful tradition.  I think it may happen at least six times each year, but it seems like more.   I am always moved and struck by the beauty.

It is always fun to show up nice and early and watch as the people arrive.

It was pouring when we arrived, but the rain was very localized and it soon moved off leaving puddles, mud and glistening slippery streets.

It gets dark much earlier now and by the time the confite ends it is too dark for shots, so we concentrated on the assembling, the setup and the start.

Just so you know, this is a procession of unmarried women from the village.

 Some are very young and some are quite old.

There were even a couple of gringas marching and they were amazed at how hard it was to carry the baskets on their heads with their arms up for so long a distance.  One was carrying hers on her shoulder, unable to do what even the little kids could do.  I totally understand that one.

 ¡Viva los tradiciones!  ¡Viva Teotitlan del Valle!  Next fiesta in Teo is in December.  I'll be there.

From this to that

Transformations

From this

to that

From this

to that

From this

To that

Monte Alban solo

 

Monte Alban can look very different depending on the time of year.  In March, the end of the dry season, it can be fairly drab, with muted greens, the predominant color being brown.  However at this time of year, at the end of the rainy season, it is often lush and verdant.  It is also the off season and I have learned that in the early morning, just as it opens, one can be almost alone in the huge site.  Yesterday was such a day as I headed up there with spixl and aside from the gentlemen selling copies of zapotec pieces and some workers, we were alone in Monte Alban. 

 

It was quiet and ethereal.  At one point there was the roar of aircraft, a rarity here, and I looked up and shot this. 

 It almost looks like the Great Wave Off Kanagawa, but look more closely.

 

They were, no doubt, checking us out to see what we were up to.  My other job as an international spy and bon vivant means that they need to know my location at all times.  I sent them the "all's well" sign and they left us so we could return to imagining what the place had been like a thousand years ago without all the air traffic.  Look how empty the place is.  If you know the site, those are the Danzantes just ahead and there is always, always, always a tour group there.  No so today.

 Whew!  Just magical and as always, totally cosmic, man.

The Ladies Who (make me) Lunch

Wednesday is Market Day in Etla and I am pretty much always there.  I go other days of the week, but miercoles is when the place is really happening, the street crowded with vendors and fresh food in abundance.  I buy from these ladies each week and I did much sampling and tasting before becoming a loyal customer.  They know me and treat me so well, but there is always a fair amount of ribbing and joking when I show up.  For a while, the other ladies would say, "Why not buy from me?"  but now they say, "Oh, watch out, here comes your boyfriend."  At any rate, my life is blessed to have them in it.  On top of that, I am kinda of food snob.  I want good food.... at a good price.  And trust me, these ladies are really good at what they do.  You have no idea how good it all tastes.
Doña Melisa and her nice delicious, fat tamales.  Her mole is excellent and her rajas can't be beat.  At least three days each week, I eat and thoroughly enjoy her cooking.

I get my chile rellenos from Doña Juana.  They are pasillas filled with chicken, raisins, tomato, onion, lots of good stuff.   They at the bottom of the shot beneath all that other delicious and tempting food.

Doña Vicki is the cheese lady in a village known for its cheeses.  She does an incredible business and is there everyday, unlike the others who are only there on Wednesdays.  She also has mole, honey, salsa, chapulines, fresh butter, etc.

What would I do without them?  Oh, Doña Rosa, my produce lady is ill, so send her some good wishes.  Eat wisely, my friends

October 2, 1968

Why is October 2nd such an important date in Mexico?  This is why.

El Maestro Toledo

I am supposed to take photos of Maestro Fransisco Toledo some time soon..... maybe.  Not only is he one of the the world's most popular and famous artists, a remarkable patron and one humble dude, but he can regularly be seen on the streets of Oaxaca.

I wonder if he minds the attention?  As he says in the article. "I am not interested myself, I am interested in others."  Instagram and  Igers?  It is a whole new world out there, isn't it?

There is a new film out about him (from La Jornada)

Francisco Toledo made a series of engravings, inspired by a Report for the Academy of Franz Kafka. Albino Alvarez took that work as an axis to make a documentary about the Oaxacan artist. The Toledo Report (2008) moves from Toldeo's native Juchitan to Paris, London and Madrid, to closing in Oaxaca.

Men like Toledo, considered the director of the film, "are always necessary." They are needed apart from any country or culture; "men honest, generous, artists committed who shed their community, who are interested in getting the culture and that they care about the preservation of the historical heritage". He continued, in an interview: "They are essential for any culture." "As well as Francisco Toledo, he also includes Bertolt Brecht and many others"