Dinner

 

Hey Chris, why no posts? I've been busy building an ark.  Yes, the rainy season has returned with a vengeance.  I don't know how much we have received and every drop is a blessing but ¡Ya basta - enough already!  My cistern is filled and every water collection container I have is full as well.  The ground is so saturated I don't dare step on it.  The plants, however, are in heaven.  They are putting on a growth spurt and I am taking advantage of the weather and transplanting like crazy.

So here is dinner, a huge broccoli crown, that got sauteed with Oaxacan garlic, small and strong, some olive oil, then the best Korean sesame oil and some very fine Chinese soy sauce, both of which I brought down from Boston.  Plenty of leftovers for salads mañana with some of this dill.

 

If you can believe it, these broccoli plants will keep producing florets for the next year or so.  I had plants a couple of years ago that lasted two years and were still going strong, but were sooo ugly, they had to go. 

More plumas moments

There is such a sense of community in all that surrounds the danza de pluma in Teotitlan del Valle.  There are many formal presentations, offerings and blessings that occur while the dancers are dancing.  It is after all, a very long dance or series of dances.  Huge baskets of fruit, tlayudas, cases of beer and lots of other things are brought in by one group and offered to another group, probably different sections of the village. Maybe it is the section that has official domain over this particular dance, but really, I don't know and I will have to find out.

But it is the lovely interactions between people that is always present and so refreshing that is so noticeable.  Ahh.... Life is full of such moments. One of the subalternos sharing the moment with his son.

There are two subalternos and each is responsible for the care of either, the dancers or Monteczuma, Malinche and Marina.

"Someday, my son, all of this will be yours."

They bring them water, repair sandals or whatever is needed and are constantly moving, interacting with the crowd, making jokes, but in reality they are very important, as they are subtly exercising control over the entire scene.  Meanwhile,  just drink in the sights.

Armando Vincente Mendoza, one of the Four Kings.

Hmmm....

The great thing is that this is just normal village life in all its glory, just people living their lives.

Danza de la Pluma moments

 

Observance of the danza de la pluma is always a special time in Teotitlan del Valle.  I say observance because it really is a rite or ritual.  They dance it because it has been danced for so many years,  They dance it because it tells the story of Cortez and the conquistadores, with minor local adjustments.  And they dance it because it re-enforces their commitment to how the village sustains itself,  how they live their lives, shared work, shared wealth and above all, respect. 

For the dancers, it is a physical ordeal and yesterday, they were still going strong even though they had dance for close to ten hours the previous day.  It is a lot of dancing and with the penachos, the headdresses, catching the wind and forcing them to keep their heads erect, well, they sure have earned my respect.  I can't imagine it.

And the day and the dance itself are filled with special and powerful moments.  Here is Moctezuma, Jose Isaac Vazques de los Angeles, with Malinche, Juana Lisabeth Contreras Vicente.

And here is the moment when Monctezuma takes off his penacho and hands to Doña Marina, Malinche's alter ego, Ailani Ruiz Ruiz.  Great symbolism there.

Yesterday, was the first time, I really caught the significance of this moment. It gripped me.

It is food for thought on the history of Mexico.  For many people here, Cortez was no hero and Doña Marina/Malinche represent a complex part of the Mexican psyche, malinchismo.

from Wikipedia

The word malinchismo is used by some modern-day Mexicans to refer pejoratively to those countrymen who prefer a different way of life from that of their local culture, or a life with other outside influences. Some historians believe that La Malinche saved her people from the Aztecs, who held a hegemony throughout the territory and demanded tribute from its inhabitants. Some Mexicans also credit her with having brought Christianity to the "New World" from Europe, and for having influenced Cortes to be more humane than he would otherwise have been. It is argued, however, that without her help, Cortes would not have been successful in conquering the Aztecs as quickly, giving the Aztec people enough time to adapt to new technology and methods of warfare. From that viewpoint, she is seen as one who betrayed the indigenous people by siding with the Spaniards. Recently a number of feminist Latinas have decried such a categorization as scapegoating, blaming her for forces beyond her contro

Octavio Paz addresses the issue of La Malinche's role as the mother of Mexican culture in The Labyrinth of Solitude. He uses her relation to Cortés symbolically to represent Mexican culture as originating from rape and violation. He uses the analogy that she essentially helped Cortés take over and destroy the Aztec state by submitting herself to him. His claim summarizes a major theme in the book, claiming that Mexican culture is a labyrinth.

More convite faces

The last two days in Teotitlan del Valle have been filled with the Danza de las Plumas, always a glorious event.  However, the weather was severely overcast, with rain all around, which did manage to stay away.  Still, the light was no where as nice as it was for the convite.  It was, however, quite good for video, but that will have to wait.  So back to Saturday and the procession of unmarried women and girls.  Look at this light.... and check out the boy checking out.

 So many beautiful faces.

Classic.

 Classic cute.

I always love how beautiful their hair and earrings are.  Again, a classic look.

Even Christ appears to be impressed with these braids.

And this shot tells so much.  Look at the stretch of her arms.  The canasta is taller than she is.  So fully extended, the girl carried it for several kilometers.  Absolutely amazing.  What stamina... and she was not alone, hundreds of others joined her.

Another convite in Teotitlan del Valle

Convites. processions of unmarried women and girls, are important parts of each fiesta on Teotitlan del Valle and yesterday's was particularly sweet, with lots of happy kids and lots of participants in the procession.  Also, even though it was spritzing when we arrived, almost instantly, the sun popped out and the light became beautiful.  Getting there early and watching the multitudes assemble is always a blast and the first thing I noticed was this unusual Virgin that was to be carried by one of the girls.

 And what a beautiful girl she was and is.

 

 Here she is carrying the Virgin to her starting place.

Right at the very front of the procession.

I'm not looking for a novia, but she could steal my heart... if I were a ten-year old boy.  I took lots of shots of the whole event, but I thought to start, I would post these of her as she led the whole group of women through the streets.

The things they carry are heavy and they walk several kilometers.  It takes real strength and stamina, but she made it look easy.

More in a bit, but first, it is back to Teo for the Danza de las Plumas.

Shirt shots cont.....

I love taking photos of people's shirts  I bet I have hundreds of them by now in a series called, "Do you know what you shirt says?"

 My last clean shirt and proud of it.

Hipster in the know.... Vinyl Rules.

I feel like I only get one out of ten good ones.  People walk by and if I can't get it together to ask, "Hey, can I take you picture for your shirt?"  they are gone and I am kicking myself for missing the opportunity.  It is actually a fun exercise and everyone always agrees... always.  It's crazy.  But not as crazy as some of the shirts.  These from the last couple of days.

A guapo from Tlacolula.  Santa Muerte looks serious.  I like the red eyes and the stud in his ear.

I should have shot this one from the side.  The young lady is very pregnant and the eyes and smile were perfectly placed.

I don't think I could pull this one off as well as she does.  Very cute, but I need those glowing red eyes.

And what does this one even mean. Sure, Mondays ruined his life. Good thing he has two extra hearts (r) ????

Well, someone's happy

It has been a weird rainy season.  It poured in June and then was dry for the next two months.  However, the last couple of days it has been very cloudy for Oaxaca and there have been some very nice soaking rains.  I am sure all the campesinos must be happy.   And my little inner garden sure is.
A little wall art.

 There is some nice dill, all volunteers.  I have it everywhere.  That's hollyhock from Boston.  Papyrus, carrots, basil, zinnias and a few things that I have no idea what they are.

A serious broccoli plant.  That's the new door I had cut which leads to the outer garden.  A huge improvement.

 They are so happy.

I know where every one of those plants came from and all of them except the papyrus were free, because I have propagated tons of plants from single starting plants or else from saved seeds.  Cool, huh?  Hey, they grow like weeds.

If it's Sunday, it must be Tlacolula

No matter how screwed up the politics are here, and where aren't they screwed up, they are a mere blip on the Oaxacan horizon.  There are way too many positives, places, people, events and food, glorious food, to dampen the the real spirit of the place.  With 10,000 years of history, if they are one thing, Oaxacans are resilient and determined.

And there is no better way experience all of the above than to go to the Sunday market in Tlacolula.  So back we went.  These are all hip shots, shot from the hip so as not to disturb the flow... and not to get the evil eye sent my way.  Holding a camera up and pointing directly at someone changes everything, but most of the time all you have to do is ask in a polite way and voila.... "I am ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille...."  But I love shooting blind from the hip.  I never know if my aim is even close, but with practice.... one gets better.

When one enters the market proper there is a phalanx of many women all selling tlayudas or tortillas.  It is quite crowded and you have to force yourself through, but the temptations are right in your face.

Speaking of faces...

I have been there so many times, I am starting to recognize people who are there selling their wares each week.  This abulea always has a special charm, an aura, around her.  We always talk to her about her beautiful traje, her outfit.

 I forget which village she comes from.... next time.

This is my seed man.  Last week he had an old peso piece, a large coin, about the size of a silver dollar.  He was flicking his wrist and bouncing it off the cement floor.  The thing rang like a bell.  He smiled and repeated it a few times. And he was the center of attention for a brief moment and it was a wonderful moment at that.