Oaxaca Cultural Navigator

I am writing this entry from Teotitlan del Valle in Oaxaca, Mexico. I’ve been here since July 4th, exploring the culture and landscape of this beautiful place. Surrounding mountains hug this little village like silent guardians, spirit-lifting backdrops to cobblestone roads and adobe brick walls. The rhythm is slower here, more thoughtful. Teotitlan is a village of master weavers. Wool tapestries hang outside homes, calling cards for the family business. I came here to learn about natural dyes from Eric Chavez, who I met at NC State when he came with his father to give a dye workshop and presentation about his work and his village. In the rug room of their beautiful open-air home hang faded photo portraits of grandparents and great-grandparents at their looms, a history of Zapotec weavers going back four generations. Eric and his father Frederico are still using natural dyes when many have moved to the faster and cheaper but highly toxic synthetics. Though I came with the specific intention of learning the natural processes for indigo and cochineal, I see that there are many more possibilities for natural dye. There are pomegranates, onion, flowers, moss, nuts; so many options for future experiments! Eric and I have been very busy. First he took me to the cochineal farm at Tlapanochestli, where I saw the growth and harvesting process of the delicate little bugs. They grow on cactus spears naturally, but must be tended to very carefully if they are to complete their life cycle. Outside in the sun they might live for a few days, but for the farmers to get a pigment they must live a complete three months. We also began a natural indigo bath at the beginning of this week. The bath consists of indigo and organic matter: banana and mango skins, flower petals, honey and a touch of alcohol. It is currently fermenting in the sun on Eric’s roof, and we expect that it will be ready for dyeing in about another week. A few days ago I helped Eric’s family harvest dye materials from the woods near Benito Juarez, a neighboring village hidden far up one of the mountains. They had run out of moss the night before, so Eric’s mother and father loaded up the back of the pickup truck with baskets, tools, and me, Eric, and his sister, and up the mountain we went. What a view I had from the back of that pickup truck! I am almost through my first big lesson- dyeing wool with cochineal. We’ve mordanted and dyed five 450g skeins of yarn so far, with one left to go: two neutrals, two acids, and one base to date. I’ve learned the very important mordant process and how to get different shades by manipulating the pH of the dye bath. There are five incredibly vibrant natural shades of red, pink, purple, and orange currently drying at Eric’s house, and next week we are going to warp a loom (one of the seven currently put together in his house) for me to weave on with my beautiful fiber. I’m going to practice a traditional Zapotec pattern. Tomorrow will be more cochineal dyeing, and then we are on to indigo with wool. Eric and his entire family have really taken me in. I’m having a wonderful time and learning more than I could have ever imagined.

Click on the blogroll link to see photos and more journal entries from Andrea’s 3-month artist’s residency in Teotitlan studying with Eric Chavez.   Andrea graduated from NC State University College of Art and Design, where Eric and Federico Chavez gave a master class to textile students.

The casita is an L-shaped design facing a walled courtyard. We really love the courtyard at Las Bugambilias in Oaxaca City, and decided that having a small, private outdoor living area would be wonderful. Along the L of the house extending into the the courtyard will be pillars supporting a 10 foot overhang that will give us shaded space for dining and lounging. Perhaps we’ll hang a hammock between the pillars! The indoor space includes a great room that will house a small L-shaped kitchen, a dining/work table, and living room area with corner fireplace. This space is 14 feet x 28 feet with windows facing north and south. The one bedroom, 14 feet x 16 feet will also serve as an office, and a small bathroom, laundry room, and a couple of closets fill out the space. All the walls in the house will be 12 feet high to keep the space cooler in the summertime. To the left of the courtyard entrance, a stairway will lead to the rooftop terrace where we will have a 360 degree view of the village and surrounding mountains. The sunsets will be glorious.

The idea of living in a simple, small, one bedroom casita is very appealing. We continue to downsize. Our North Carolina house is a passive-active solar cottage, 1,500 square feet, with two bedrooms. It is very basic by U.S. mega-house standards, but elegantly simple with a wonderful kitchen and living area with windows that face a pond. We learned, by building this house, that size was not as important as quality and conserving energy. With the wood stove and the radiant heat floors powered by solar hot water, and AAC block construction, we are doing our part to conserve. I also learned how easy it is to live smaller and with fewer things. The beauty of the outdoor landscape becomes part of our furnishings, and I intend to use the casita courtyard as a living room during most of the year.

You can see photos on my website:  www.oaxacaculture.com   Go to the page: Casita Construction.

The casita construction is progressing.  Each week photos come in either from Eric or Omar el Architecto showing us the developmental stages of the foundation.  Since this is an entirely made by hand project with two men on the job, even a small home like ours will take 6 to 8 months to complete.  This is fun, because we really don’t have any nail-biting decisions to make right now, and I’m not certain, given the simplicity of the casita and its size (860 square feet), that there will be any major issues confronting us throughout the process.

The footing trenches are about 3 feet deep.  They have been filled first with giant boulders.  Then, smaller rocks are poured into the trench to fill the gaps between the boulders.  All are cemented together.  The cement comes in bags from Cemex, just like in the states.  But, it’s mixed with gravel and sand (not a pre-mix) and water right there on the ground in small batches.  There are no big cement trucks rolling in here!  I am amazed at how great the construction is … and why not?  These people have been building Zapotec temples for over 2,000 years, and have been the labor responsible for all of Spanish-colonial Oaxaca.

This is earthquake country and foundations need to be solid and deep.  There was a 6.5 earthquake last week centered near the Chiapas-Oaxaca border that sent tremors up and down the Oaxaca Valley.  Eric and Janet said they felt it, they were scared, but nothing was damaged and no  one was hurt.  I read that there were 40 earthquakes in Oaxaca last year, and that could be a good thing, since the earth is heaving regularly to relieve pressure.

When Stephen and I walked around the village a couple of years ago, we admired the beautiful quarried stone in rich hues of pink, salmon, green and gold that made up many of the building foundations.  These quarried stones are cemented on top of the boulders of our foundation base and rise above ground level about 9 to 10 inches.  The floor of our casita will be this height above ground  so that there will never be a water problem.  After the foundation is completed, the rebar that forms the support pillars for the house will be filled in with cement.  The roof will be constructed, the terra cotta red concrete floors will be poured using integrated color, and the 12 foot high red brick walls will be filled in between the pillars.  I’m not exactly sure of the sequence.  I’m told the floor will be poured after the house is “dried in.”

The bulldozer came to dig the trench in mid-January.  About six weeks have passed, and it’s still too soon to tell whether we are on, ahead of, or behind schedule.  It really doesn’t matter, because progress happens according to the rhythms of the season and lives of the people.  Fiestas and family celebrations take precedence and there’s nothing we can do to accelerate any of it.  I do know that the rocks and concrete get delivered, that the workers get paid.  There is one more foundation wall to complete, and then accounts will be reconciled and we will move on to the next construction phase.

We’re expecting Eric Chavez to return to North Carolina this spring.  He’ll be coming on March 22 with his friend, Elsa Sanchez Diaz, to participate in an art fair and exhibition at East Carolina University, in Greenville.  The University has  invited him back for a second year because of the success of his presentation last spring.  During the time they will be here, Eric and Elsa will also meet with Molly Matlock and Chris Bouton of the Chatham Arts Council to plan a fall 2008 arts in education program for the public schools, artists and weavers, and the general public, including a major exhibition and sale at the community college.  The program looks like it will include workshops for teachers, with students in elementary, middle and high school, and master classes in collaboration with local artist cooperatives.   Because Eric is a fluent English speaker, he is able to speak eloquently about his Zapotec people and culture, the influences of the Spanish conquest, the impact of tourism on the economy of Oaxaca state, and the ancient weaving and natural dyeing traditions of his village, Teotitlan del Valle. 

 These programs are wonderful cultural bridges to understanding the artistic traditions of Mexican culture and the rich history of immigrants who live and work here.  We have found that wherever we make presentations, give workshops and exhibit in the U.S., people are welcoming and interested.  Often, cross-cultural appreciation, understanding and respect is facilitated through the arts.   

 Eric is planning his exhibition and presentation schedule for fall 2008 at museums, galleries and universities in the U.S.  Often, he is sponsored by through Latino Studies programs,  university art museums, departments of global studies, education, textiles,  art and design, weavers and textile guilds, or a collaboration of these and other community groups.  If you or your organization would be interested in hosting Eric Chavez, please reply by posting your comment to the blog.

I went online before leaving for Oaxaca and did a price search for a one-week car rental for our trip to the Tehuantepec, Huatulco and Mazunte. I got a great price from Hertz through Hotwire. It was $139 for the week, so I booked it and paid for it in advance. We got to the rental agency at the airport and they asked if we needed their insurance package, and cautioning us about the liability issues. The cost for insurance would be an additional $400. I called my insurance agent in the states to find out if my car insurance would cover the rental car. Only if you are driving the rental car in Canada or the U.S. It’s not covered in Mexico, they said. So, we decided to play it safe and get the insurance, opting for the full package that covered all liability. I’m not sure we’ll ever rent another car again in Mexico because of the price, but having the insurance was a blessing. The car, a small Hyundai with the mark, Dodge Attitude, definitely had an attitude. As soon as we left Tehuantepec, just after Salina Cruz, the engine began to surge and there was little compression to give us the power to get around the curving beach route. I decided it was best to stop in Huatulco and find a Hertz agent, since there was an airport there. We found an agency in one of the major mega beach hotels, who was very gracious and exchanged cars for us. We ended up with a mid-size Mitsubishi, which was nicer but also bigger and more expensive to fill the gasoline tank. The fact that we had the full coverage made this transaction so much easier. Even though we had to fill out a complete report about what was wrong with the car and talk to a regional manager, the exchange was with little difficulty other than the inconvenience. The benefit of taking out full coverage!

The three great wood carving villages are San Martin Tilcajete, Arrazola and La Union.  I’ve written about finding La Union in another post.   And, of course, you can find wonderful alebrijes in excellent galleries along Alcala, such as La Mano Magica, or  tucked around the corner and across the street from Santo Domingo, at Tally (5 de Mayo 409).  There is no limit to what you can find at every price range, from $8-10 USD up to thousands of dollars.  Some people like shopping on the street at the Tlacalula or Ocotlan market.  It’s important to note that the vendors here are usually not the artists.  They may be from a village; they may be a relative representing the craftsman and earning a commission.  Their offerings are usually smaller, more primitive and are not finely finished or painted.  But, these fancifuls can be a bargain and great sources for gifts. 

For collectors, the most accessible sources and the best range of choice could be found in the finest Oaxaca shops or in the Jacobo Angeles gallery “La Azucena,” on the highway at the crossroads to San Martin, where excellent examples from throughout the region are displayed.  But the highlight and most fun for any thrill of the hunt is going out to the villages in search of the masters.

For me, the search for a master does not necessarily mean finding the most famous (or most expensive) carver.  My process is to go to a village with a short list of carvers whose work I really like and stay open to discovering others.   I gauge the quality of their work by size, difficulty of carving execution, finish work (how well is it sanded and are there rough spots), painting detail, use of and variety of color, general artistry and movement, and use of  natural pigments.  Do the pieces have many removeable parts or are there discernable glued joints?  Carvings from one piece of copal is more highly valued, for example.  

Here are a few of my favorite carvers.  but, understand that you can arrive at their home studio/workshop and there will not be much there that is for sale at the moment.  It varies.  The best carvers are constantly producing their work and shipping immediately upon completion to galleries in Oaxaca or the U.S.   Sometimes I have gone to find  the person is not there.  If you can get a phone number and make an appointment in advance, that is preferable.  Now, I have a list of many carvers and am able to do this to ensure a connection. 

A few of my favorite San Martin Tilcajete carvers:  Jacobo Angeles, Justo Xuana,  Maria Jimenez Ojeda, Pablo Mendez Sosa

A few of my favorite Arrazola carvers:  Hector Martinez, Bertha Cruz

A few of my favorite La Union carvers:  Gabino Reyes, Sergio Santos, Calixto Santiago

Arrazola has a central artisans market that is quite good.  We always make a stop there to see the work.  On the last visit there was a great big Skeleton Couple, he bedecked in top hat, she outfitted in a dazzling dancing dress.  Ask around town, go in and out of workshops and you will likely find something wonderful to take home.  (See my post “Packing Tips” for how to get these home without paying an arm and a leg for shipping.)  

I also have a few fine pieces from my collection  for sale in my Gallery Shop:  www.oaxacaculture.com

My son just sent me a story about Oaxaca travel posted on CNN that they picked up from the Associated Press news syndicate.  It’s a good read, published February 5, 2008. 

The piece emphasized how safe it is to travel to  Oaxaca now, and how few tourists there are.  Even a year after the “troubles” have subsided, the images portrayed in the media have stayed in peoples’ minds and, consequently, they have stayed away.  The writer says, and I concur, Oaxaca is a great travel opportunity.  There are  no waits in restaurants, no crush of crowds along the promenades, there is ample opportunity to grab a curb-side table, sit and sip a hot chocolate, drink a beer or eat pollo con mole at any one of the outdoor cafes ringing the zocalo.  No one will shoo you off.   Oaxaca is safe.   It is tranquil and beautiful.  It’s robust splendor is everywhere:  the freshly painted majestic 16th century Spanish colonial houses that are converted to  shops, offices, hotels, and restaurants.  The ancient cobbled streets  have a story of their own. 

I liked this piece of journalism.  It  was well thought out because it didn’t whitewash what happened in 2006.  It addressed the economic losses suffered by the artisans, by the entire region, resulting from the  loss of tourism.  It also presented an honest explanation of the political and social  issues facing Oaxaca that have not been resolved:  the conflicts between the politically powerful and the working poor, the social unrest that remains  beneath the surface.   But for now, all sides welcome tourists and want to do their best to make their return possible and hospitable.  The pleasant tourist police stroll the central historic area offering directions and answering questions. The zocalo flower gardens are always freshly planted.  The balloon vendors have eager customers in young locals.  There is new directional signage throughout the city pointing tourists to important artistic, civic and religious sites.  New street signs on the corners, posted on the sides of buildings, and freshly painted facades in all shades of melon, pomegranate, mango, earth and lime, send a message that this is a city rebuilding and hopeful. 

For the CNN story, see:

http://www.cnn.com:80/2008/TRAVEL/getaways/02/04/mexico.oaxaca.ap/index.html 

There are three ways to get to Teotitlan: by bus, by collectivo and by private taxi. Each village has it’s own bus system which it contracts with the village leaders. The Teotitlan bus is colored bright yellow with orange contrasts. The best place to catch the bus is from CHEDRAUI. This is a shopping center not too far from the Zocalo. You can catch a taxi to get to Chedraui for a few pesos. It would be a long-ish walk. The bus runs every hour at the 1/4 hour … best to get there 20-30 minutes early because these times are approximate. The fare to Teotitlan is 10 pesos (about $1.00). The collectivos will also swing by this stop and the fares are a little bit more. They will circle the bus stops to pick up passengers until they are packed full — 4 in the backseat, sometimes 2 in the front seat. A private taxi will cost about $10-15 USD. The Teotitlan bus will take you right into the center of the village, but you can ask them to drop you off anywhere along Benito Juarez, the road into town. If you wanted to stop at Federico Chavez’s casita before entering the center of town, you would ask to be dropped off at Francisco I. Madero which crosses Benito Juarez. You can also hop a bus from Oaxaca to Tlacalula or Mitla. It will drop you off at the Crucero (the crossroads where Avenida Benito Juarez joins Pan American Highway 190). There are usually taxis or tuk-tuks waiting for these buses, and they will take you into town for 10 pesos. If there isn’t one there, it won’t be too long before one comes along!

The other option is to catch the same bus or collectivo at the Abastos Market where they originate, but it’s so confusing down there, a huge hubbub of people and cars and taxis and buses, that I prefer Chedraui. It’s just easier. Chedraui also has ATM machines, some fast food services, boutiques, and a supermarket. The other bus stop is near the ball stadium at the corner of Calle de Los Derechos Humanos and Boulevard Eduardo Vasconcelos on the main road leading into and out of town. It picks people up between 15-25 minutes after every hour from Monday through Saturday. This is the last main stop and by the time the bus gets there, there is usually standing room only.We love riding the bus. It will take about 45 minutes in either direction. The bus directly into Teotitlan does not operate on Sunday, but you can get the bus to Mitla and ask them to stop at the Crucero. Same routine: pick up a taxi or tuk-tuk into town.

The Teotitlan bus will go through Tule and stop to pick people up along the 190 Highway. Villagers go back and forth for doctors appointments, to their stalls in the markets, to school, and to visit with friends. They haul bags of food and flowers, rugs and baskets, books in backpacks. This is where I love people watching: the elderly women with their fancy braided pigtails and huge dangling 10K gold filagree earrings embellished with pearls or colored zircons or amethysts, and the school children in uniforms.

The artists and artisans of Oaxaca depend upon tourism for their livelihood.  Now, almost two years after the APPO “troubles” tourists are beginning to come back to Oaxaca and that is very good. But there are still too few tourists and the economy is hard hit. The troubles hit the villages hard even though they were beyond the reach of political confrontation.  Many artisans have gone back to working the fields or have gone to other Mexican cities and El Norte to find work.  I know families who have moved away, left their homes empty, in search of work. As they put their artistic talents aside, the message sent to the children is that this livelihood may not be sustainable.  Children may begin to plan their own futures based upon these observations along with absorbing television and film messages of a better life somewhere else.  In the book, “The Unbroken Thread,” the authors talk about villages that are no longer weaving because the elderly craftspeople have died and with them, their extraordinarily beautiful work.  Do we have a responsibility to preserve this cultural heritage?  It is difficult in rural Mexico for most.  Talented workers earn about $15 USD per day.  Tourism will determine whether the artistic endeavors of individuals and villages survive, I believe.  And yet, we know that the impact of tourism can be devastating … creating a Disney-esque destination that loses its authenticity.  Indigenous people become actors on the stage of travel entertainment.  I raise this because each of us has a responsibility as we travel to Oaxaca or other destinations of treading lightly and leaving a small footprint.  I see tour buses full of elder hostel travelers, educated, with money to spend, interested in learning, and I know that they would be unlikely  travelers without this accommodation.  They benefit the local economies significantly.  Tour buses have influenced the construction of big houses on the highways where it is easier to pull in and unload a big group, bypassing other equally worthy weavers who live further down the road in the village, funneling the economic opportunities to those who can afford to build the big houses on the main road.  This phenomenon has happened in Teotitlan and it is now happening at in San Martin Tilcajete, where Jacobo Angeles has built a beautiful gallery on the road to Ocotlan that also represents work by talented colleagues from his village, too.  What is the more authentic experience?  What is most valuable to the people of a village and the sustainability of their culture?Not everyone has the ability or desire to travel independently and explore the back alleys of a foreign village where they don’t speak the language.  I don’t have answers.  I am only raising these questions for consideration.I want to say it again.  I want to shout it.  Traveling to Oaxaca is completely SAFE.  It is a wonderful international heritage city, a colonial gem.  It is at the crossroads of Mesoamerican history and culture.  It is the region where corn was first cultivated thousands of years ago — a gift to the world.  It is mountains, beach, desert and tropics.  I don’t want Oaxaca to become Cancun or Huatulco, but I do want tourists to go there because I want it to thrive.