Todo el mundo

It's everywhere, in every language.  Check them out at http://www.gstrike.org/

Of course, in Oaxaca, this is an every day event.  ¡Viva!
h/t spixl

Hmmm...

This little school, or that's what I think it is, is just on the plaza next to Carmen Alto.  It is opposite one of my favorite graffiti walls, so I walk by it all the time. Maybe it is just me, but the sign above the entrance to Jardin de Ninos or Children's Garden is not only almost impossible to read, a font nightmare,

but the Soeur over the door kinda looks like....

wait for it.... a vampire. 

Or is it just me?

Word of the day - Canoodle

One thing that any visitor to Oaxaca would notice is the amount of canoodling that goes on in this place.  Not only in the city, but everywhere.  And we are talkin' serious canoodling, not merely PDA's.

We always speculate as to where it all leads.  Some think that because of the strong church influence and the crowded home scenes, that WYSIWYG and that's where it ends, but as a former teacher of adolescents, I am skeptical.

Best in the West

Tuba players!

  I ran into this band as I was walking down Alcala.  Every time I see one of these guys, I realize that I am in the heart of an area with some of the best tuba players in the world.  OK, what do I know?  Well, actually, I do know something after being a musician, composer, and conductor for lo, those many years.  I worked with lots of brass players in classical, jazz and rock and I think the tuba players here could eat all their lunches.  They play with such abandon and strength.  They are aggressive, but friendly.  Lots of this has to do with the music the groups play here.  They are the foundation, the bass and instead of doing the old "oompa"  thing, they dance around in the rhythms and generally kick total ass.

 Just what I need.  One more aspect of this place about which I should write a book.

Greatest.Thing.Evah.

Well, make that, greatest thing ever purchased through the car window... uh, greatest thing ever purchased while stopped at the intersection in front of the baseball stadium?  That works.

However, I love it!  What better way to learn the states and their capitals?  When I am done with it, it will go to the kids next door.

So you think you know your US states?  Try this game.

OMG!!!!  Look at this.  A Mexico State game!  I am so on it.

All the news?

The morning coffee, reading the newspapers online, one cannot help but be struck by how filtered the US media is.  Three women win the Nobel Peace prize but no mention in my old town rag, the Boston Globe.  The OccupyWallStreet protests, which is a huge international story with many references to it being the equivalent of the recent "Arab Spring"... no mention of the hundreds of protest actions across the country... no mention at all.

Here and elsewhere, there has been notice paid to the situation resulting from Alabama's draconian new immigration law.  Students have stopped going to school out of fear and crops are rotting in the fields.  This is progress?

Ah well, I guess all I am saying is get your news from as many sources as possible while at the same time remembering that they, the media, are all part of the problem. 

¿Me puede ayudar?

I need a little help here.  Just looking through shots of Teotitlan and came across numerous ones of this little soldier, IMO-TCFHOG™ uh, too cute for his own good. 

W.C. Fields said something like, "Never work with children or dogs.  They upstage you every time."

OK, speaking of details.  Who the heck is this on his hat?  I can't make out the writing, but I can see a Smurf or Pitufo, as they are called in Spanish, in the left bottom corner.  So is he from the movie?  Hero or villan?  Need a little help here.  Maybe Princess Abigail knows.

Details - Teotitlan del Valle

First, I was wrong.  There is one more opportunity to see los danzantes in Teotitlan del Valle this year and that will be on December 12 at 1 PM.  Be There or Be Square.

My sister blogger, spixl, and I had a wonderful time at the danza de las plumas yesterday.  We arrived quite early and basically had the dancers to ourselves.   Not really, but there were very few people there yet. 

Most would arrive later in the afternoon and stay until the end which could be 9 or 10 PM.

By now, they are used to me, I think, and I wandered from angle to angle, shooting photos and shooting the breeze with lots of folks.

Of course, there was the perfunctory shot of mezcal from this illustrious group.

 

I keep noticing more and more each time I shoot these dancers.  The level of detail is inspiring, so much thought, work and pride goes into each outfit.  Not to mention the expense. Take a few minutes and look at Malinche's dress.  She has her totem and castanets in her hands.

 Or the beautiful work on these leggings. 

At around 2PM, the dancers took a break to grab some food and to sit and rest.  They arranged all of their coronas or headdresses in a group to protect them from the wind blowing them over.  It was the perfect time to get in close and personal. 

I am always amazed at the level of detail that goes into each outfit.

  Sonajas or rattles and the totem that each dancer carries.

These are Moteczuma's.

 Amazing work.  It just keeps going.  The pieces that dangle from the sides. 

Notice the beads in between.

I wonder what they are called?  I will find out.
Even Marina's braids were works of art.

More to post later.  However, my camera seems to have been taken over.....

First things first

Of course, we had a wonderful time in Teotitlan del Valle at the danza de las plumas, but before I left, I had this spectacular breakfast at our favorite restaurant in Etla.  Enchiladas with mole negro and a side of cecina, nice spiced pork.

Then a few hours later it was this fine empanada with mole amarillo and chicken.  The massa was so light and fluffy, it made for a slightly more delicate shell, but the whole thing was super tasty.

This woman was doing a good business.  It was wonderful to sit right in front of her and watch her cook.  It seemed effortless.  She formed the massa, pressed it, laid it on the comal, filled and folded it and made memelitas at the same time.

She had real cook's hands, turning all the items that were cooking with her bare hands.  I cook that way, too.

Back to Teotitlan del Valle

The day here is rather cold and blustery with gray skies and an occasional patch of blue.  I am off to Teotitlan del Valle to watch the danza de las plumas once again.  I think I have seen this group of danzantes four or five times now and it is always magical.  This is the last time they will dance this year, but I believe they have two more years together as a group.  Each cycle is three years in length and then a new group will take over the honors.

Before the danza in the four or five day celebration is the confite, or procession of unmarried women from the village.  This time it was cool and rainy, but who cares, it was still magnificent.

Look at this gorgeous floral canasta that led the procession.

Now imagine carrying it on your head for a couple of miles on cobblestone streets.

This gentleman led the procession carrying a marmota.  Actually, the kids lead the way with little marmotas of their own.

Obviously, it is a photographer's dream as each of the participants is dressed in resplendent traditional garb. 

Lots of heart-stealers.

Of all ages.

You may remember this little guy from earlier posts.  Still as cute as ever.

 

It gets dark by the end, but still managed to snap this portrait with the mountains in the background.

QOTD

This seems to be going viral as the "quote of the day."
 "Money is like manure: Spread around, it helps things grow. Piled up in one place, it just stinks."

Hermanas

Gee, do you think they are related?

This weekend is the final time this year that Teotitlan del Valle will be celebrating with a confite, or parade and the dancing of the Danza de las Plumas.  Next time will be in July of 2012.

I have taken lots of shots of Carina (r) at various events, including the confites and several weddings.  You can bet I did a double-take when I saw her sister, Adriana, who seemed quite used to people getting them confused.

More of the calenda or confite in the morning before I head out to watch the dancers one last time this year. 

Who and where?

To what is this man referring?

“It’s a government that bases its policies on the media. Since the media are no longer covering us (as much), they decided that we’re no longer a strong movement,” he added.

“They’re mistaken if they want to minimize us. They’re mistaken if they want to dilute us, because the movement still has very high morale and is still very empathetic with the citizenry, that invisible element that doesn’t matter to them,”

Sounds like it could be from any one of numerous populist actions around the world.  Greece? Spain? Wall Street?

No, it is about Mexico and the gentleman is Mexican poet and peace activis,t Javier Sicilia.

Read the full story from LAHT

Stunned

Still in shock after the historic collapse of the Medias Rojas, those pesky Red Sox.  If you are a Sox fan or even just a sports fan, you know what I am talkin' about.  If not, no big deal.   Carry on.

Protestors

Over the years, I have posted a fair number of shots of protests, marches and blockades here in Oaxaca.  I have much admiration for how involved and active people are here and have often commented on the fact that these sorts of things do not happen that often in El Norte, more of late, but still not enough.

However....... one of my favorite websites is BagNewsNotes, where they analyze the photos and images the media feeds us.  They also have their own photographers covering the world and one of the best is Alan Chin.
Please check out his work from the Occupy Wall Street protests in NYC.  As the media continues to basically ignore the story, it still has legs.  There is still hope that protests will grow and the coverage will follow.

As someone once said, "Keep hope alive."

Oh wait..... shiny object, Michael Jackson's doctor, Chasz Bono, Nancy Grace's .....

Tourism? - meh

It's International Tourism Day.  Who knew?

Here's an interesting story from Noticiasmex about the state of tourism in the state.  It certainly seems to indicate that there is an inter-connectivity between most all people, things and activities.  The economic slowdown in Europe effects Oaxaca.  The constant media drumbeat about violence in Mexico effects Oaxaca.  The current political attitudes in El Norte effect Oaxaca.  The cartels effect Oaxaca.  The internal economic problems, poverty, the failure to resolve indigenous conflicts, the disaster that the previous administration inflicted on the state, the lack of a convention center, the lack of an aggressive tourism campaign, the lack of flights, the lack of roads..... it is a long litany and all effect Oaxaca.  And probably effect you, too.

The story is filled with interesting statistics, like the number of hotel rooms, restaurants, and discos.  Or the number of people involved in tourism. Or that only 4% of the 100,000 people that attended the recent guelaguetza were not mexicanos, only 4000 international visitors!

Oaxaca needs touri$m to recover and it needs to recover in order to draw tourists. 
Poco a poco, ojala.

Quizas, quizas, quizas

Maybe, just maybe, a little of that fine active Oaxacan political protest attitude is heading north.  The protests on Wall Street have not drawn much attention from the media, at leas not until the police peppered sprayed into a crowd and the video went viral. 

Here is Chris Hedges, the writer, telling it like it is.  He actually expresses my thoughts and feelings precisely and succinctly.

It's time, people... or it is sure getting closer.

It's all here just waiting for you

More of this, please....
Sounds like me but it's not.
from The Daily News (Galveston County)

"There, everything was new to me, and I wanted to absorb it all. I was living in the moment. I was deeply enchanted by my surroundings. I admired everything, even the stray dogs.

Before my departure, I had studied various books, maps and travel guides, and I had taken college courses on Oaxacan history.

Nonetheless, I was amazed by this foreign life and was culturally shocked. Despite my preparation, the sentiment of being in a different culture was unfathomable until I actually stood in the middle of it and felt it against my skin.

Oaxaca functioned at a different pace than me. Our habits differed: I would move with haste while they moved with serenity. Much of the shock had to do with language."

Read the whole story.

Cumpleaños

Another year, more water under the bridge. 

Much to look forward to and many opportunities to be compassionate.
I just hope I am looking the right way.

like a brick house..

Just down the street from the smiley face shot from before, perfectly pointed and painted, these bricks do the word proud.

They just keep going..

Makes for an interesting shot, a study in lines, shapes, angles and textures.

Jack Kerouac rumbled...

Here is an interesting story from the Periscope Post.  I have driven though this area.  It is rugged and desolate and magical.

Long gone are the days in which Beat writer Jack Kerouac rumbled through Mexico in his search of God and self-consciousness. A lot of things have changed on both sides of the border since Kerouac’s journeys over five decades ago. A new has century arrived bringing along a different but not necessarily better world, overwhelmed with immediacy, technology, democracy and plenty of wars.

The good news is that despite all of the changes to Mexican society, there is still a place that makes us feel right back in those golden years of pleasant debauchery. It is an enchanted place named Oaxaca that lies hidden somewhere south of the border, amidst misty mountains and ancient valleys. A place that, as Kerouac would put it is definitely worth the “trip."...

There is something about Oaxaca that conquers the senses and captures the spirit of each visitor....

“Our relationship with mushrooms is as old as our people” explains María E., a traditional shaman from San José, who like most people in the town has a very close relationship with the hallucinogenic fungus. “For centuries we have been aware of the mushrooms’ medicinal powers; that is why we are very respectful of them and turn to their healing ability only after a thorough spiritual preparation. Our souls have to be clean and purified before beginning any trip,” revealed the 40 year-old woman. According to strict local customs, it is only those who can really see into the human soul that should have the privilege of consuming mushrooms in order to heal society’s ills. But that doesn’t stop locals making sure curious visitors don’t sample the mushroom experience. “Oh, yes, we care for them too,” admitted a somewhat reticent shaman after being asked about the steady stream of backpackers and hippies who make the trip to the town. “All of us can use some natural medicine every now and then, you know” concluded María.

 Read the whole story.

Don't be so quick to write this off.  We have talked about this many times and feel like it/they would be a good thing to do, given the depth of understanding and spirituality that many of the indigenous possess.   If there is one thing I have learned down here, it is that different cultures possess differ knowledge and 10,000 years of history has taught these people much.  My mind has been so changed by life down here.  I see things much differently now having experienced some of the rituals and traditions. It is all pretty humbling.... and eye opening, mind expanding.  So all of this makes much sense, but only if one enters with a sincere and grateful respect.

Signatures with street cred

The term of art may be "tag," but these somehow seem more elegant with the sweeps and swirls.

I wish my handwriting has some of this style and flair.

Yes, I know that tagging is an epidemic, but I still find it fascinating.