Nightly parades...

11.01.09

Today was fun. We walked around the Zocalo and the Mercado de Noviembre (November Market). This was a day of people watching and eating some local food. The market was really cool. Like most markets around the world, except the ones in the states, this is where the locals come to buys their goods and groceries. Of course there is the part of the market for tourists to buy goods. How else would some of these people survive? Some of the items in the food market looked kinda scary, but when it’s all cooked up, it smells delicious. There were spices, bread, fruit, veggies, drinks, and of course meat.

Some vibrant and colorful photos from inside and outside of the Mercado...

At night there was a large parade that passed through the center of town. Day of the Dead has merged a bit with Halloween so we saw a lot of people dressed up in halloween costumes as well as dancers dressed in indigenous clothing. There was lots of music and lots of people!

Day of Old Tradition...

10.31.09

Today is another full day of Oaxacan adventures. The 1st half of the day we went to Monte Alban (White Mountain). This is where the ancient indigenous people settled, dating back to around 500BC. Because it was abandoned so long ago, no one really knows the exact history. They can only guess from evidence found by archeologists...and they all seem to have different opinions. We do know they were super mathematical and studied astronomy. Of course this is similar with most ancient civilizations. Nonetheless, this was a very interesting place.

After resting a bit, we went on a cemetery tour for Dia de los Muertos. Here the festivities begin the evening of the 31st and continue through the afternoon of the 2nd. On the 31st family members of those who have passed will decorate tombs with flowers, candles, favorite foods, and drinks of their beloved. You will see arches made of sugar cane adorned with marigolds and celosia flowers. The arches are important because they are considered the gateway between the living and the dead. The cemetery smells of incense (it is the sap of the Copal tree that is burned) and this incense cleanses the bad spirits that may be present. After the tombs are decorated the townspeople will wait by the tombs, eating, drinking and telling stories - all the while waiting for the spirits of their loved ones to arrive at midnight. This is not a sad moment, it is a celebration of being able to spiritually connect with your passed loved ones.

Crafts, culture, and dancing...

10.30.09

(Lots of writing and lots of pictures!!!)

Today was a very good day…quite busy, but very fulfilled. We started off with a good Mexican breakfast at the hotel. This will help keep us moving all day…except the 1^st 30 minutes when the food coma sets in. We first decided to take a walk down Calle de Alcala where the local kids were putting up altars for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). This was very cool. The kids were running around and all working together to get the altars built down the entire block. It felt very festive and fun. From there, we continued down to the Zòcalo (town square). There were more altars going up around the Santa Domingo Cathedral. We went inside to see the ornamentation in the church. Although it was under restoration, it was still very grand and beautiful.

After strolling back to the hotel, we discovered that we missed the tours going out to San Bartolo Coyotepec, Santo Thomas Jalieza, & San Martin Tilcajete. We decided to hire a private taxi to take us out there. The towns are about 13-15 miles outside the center of Oaxaca. Well worth the money…still less than a cab ride home from the airport in Portland. We had an awesome taxi driver that pointed out all sorts of local interests on the way out there and back. San Bartolo Coyotepec is where Dona Rosa became famous for her black pottery in the 50s. Her son, now in his 60s, carries on her tradition of black pottery making. We loved this place. The pottery is so beautiful. Eventhough the pottery is black, there is such depth and character to the richness of it. It’s the natural color of the clay when fired at a specific temperature and time. Any shorter or longer, and the color is lost. Santo Thomas Jalieza is a small town that is known for their weaving and cotton textiles. The colors of the textiles were so bright and vibrant. San Martin Tilcajete is a town known for carving very intricate small animals out of Guayabo or Copal wood and painting them very bright colors with all sorts of designs. These animals are called Alebrijes. These were so cool and intricate. The painting of these things were crazy. Some were so detailed that a lady was using a syringe to apply the paint.

After arriving back to the hotel we sat by the pool, had a margarita, reminisced about our day, and had a small taste of food. We then got ready to go to the Guelaguetza. This is a celebration usually performed in July. Our hotel offers the performance every Friday night in their ballroom, formerly the chapel. This performance highlights the traditional ceremonial dances of the eight regions of Oaxaca. We had a nice dinner, and then the performance started. Guelaguetza is the Zapoteca word that means the “act of giving.” Of the eight regions our favorite was the Coastal region – where the women fight to conquer their loved ones, drawing on mezcal for strength (or just to lower his defenses)!