Oaxaca Cultural Navigator

Delight of winter warmth,

carved stones from an ancient culture

supporting the Dominican Catholic church,

rusty red coiled bedspring fence,

hot pink bougainvilleas framing arched entries,

braying donkeys — a wake-up call, cobblestones under foot,

the sentinel mount Picacho, looms, dye pots,

cauldrons of fresh hot chocolate, pollo con mole,

Samburguesa’s tacos, Anita’s nieves,

daily market hubbub, abuelas adorned in aprons

and braids, guacalotes gurgling and clucking,

a basketball court at the end of Avenida Juarez ,

hanks of freshly dyed yarn

drying on a wood fence, children in uniform

off to school, coffee at the Sacred Bean, a farmer

leading his bull to pasture, bedspring fence,

faded black mourning ribbon above the doorway,

green quinciniera bouquet, health message graffiti,

un poquito mezcal in teeny green cups, urns of

lilies on the home altar, maize growing in the church

courtyard, aged fife player leading the

marching band, whirling July dancers with feathered

plumes, beeswax candles made by hand,

cat curled in the window box, gnarled hands forming

tamales, songs at Sunday mass, grecas carved

in 2,000 year old stone, hard work, family

celebrations, vintage bus to Benito Juarez painted verdant

mountain adornment, waiting for tourists, life goes on.

I’m in love with the book, Taller Flora by Carla Fernandez. In it she describes the various ways of putting webs (geometric shapes of cloth–squares, rectangles, triangles) together to create dresses, pants, skirts, blouses, shirts, sashes and jackets. Fernandez describes indigenous pre-Hispanic techniques for constructing garments, and compares this with western techniques. Westerners cut cloth to fit the body. Indigenous weavers feature the textile and, make few, if any, cuts into the cloth. Their clothing is loose fitting, comfortable, and easily adaptable to another future use. The weaving takes center stage.

Last summer, I eyed a piece of hand woven cloth tucked away on the bottom shelf case of the B&B where we were staying. It’s gloriously rich color spoke to me, and I bought it. It’s been stashed away and yesterday I decided to take it in hand and create a huipil. Imagine three long, rectangular pieces hand woven on a back-strap loom, each panel (web) 14-1/2” wide x 80” long and hand-stitched together, featuring intricate patterns of stars, birds, fish, crabs, lobster, bugs, deer, and rabbits. It is a brocaded piece from the coastal Mixtec village of Huazotitlan, Oaxaca. I don’t know for certain, but am assuming, that it is dyed with cochineal (red), indigo (blue) and caracol (purple) based on the price I paid for the cloth ($180 USD) — and that was not yet made up into anything!

Above: Example of weaving on a backstrap loom.

Lovingly, I opened the seams and took apart the hand stitching, thinking about the women who created this fabric. How many women’s hands were there? Were they mother and daughter? Dear friends or sisters?

The 4-ply cotton seam threads went on for a while, were knotted off, the trailing thread tucked neatly into the next set of stitches that continued but were different. I could tell they were made by another pair of hands by the way they entered the cloth. This was every bit as sturdy as any machine-made seam. I was deconstructing the panels because two panels would be sufficient to cover my body. I was able to create a huipil without making a single cut in the cloth. Here’s how I did it:

First using small basting stitches, I sewed two panels together at the center seam, being sure to match the direction of the pattern in the weave. I ended the seam at the opening of the neck hole, measuring how big I wanted this to be so the garment would go over my head. I made the total size of the opening 16″, and marked the cloth equally front to back with a straight pin (and tailor’s chalk) so I would know where to stop sewing. I continued to baste from the hem toward the neck on the other side closing the seam the same amount of inches front to back. Then, I held the side seams together to see how much of an armhole I wanted. I decided on a 12” opening for the armhole. So I measured 12” from the shoulder fold down the side-seam, marked it with a straight pin, and began to baste from the hem going up toward the straight pin.

Not being an accomplished Mixtec seamstress, I took the fabric to the sewing machine and used a basting stitch (#4 stitch length on my machine) to sew all the seams together. I decided not to make the machine stitches smaller (#3) because I didn’t want to pull the the brocade fabric together too tightly and I wanted the flexibility to take the garment apart later in case I wanted to do something else with the material. Then, I steamed out all the seams with my iron (gently) so they laid flat. I finished the huipil by folding the bottom over into a ½” hem and sewing the hem by hand using blind stitches. The entire project took me about 3 hours. I didn’t need to finish off the neckline or armholes because the selvages are perfectly beautiful.

I’m really pleased with how this turned out. A huipil of this quality would cost $500+ in any shop in the Santo Domingo – Alcala de Macedeonia neighborhood!

Norma Hawthorne is a North Carolina fiber and jewelry artist, and university administrator, who writes about Oaxaca and living in Teotitlan del Valle on her website www.oaxacaculture.com She is currently organizing weaving and natural dyeing workshops with Federico Chavez Sosa and Eric Chavez Santiago in Teotitlan del Valle.

ADDENDUM: June 5, 2008. I’ve had lots of requests since writing this post for where to purchase the Taller Flora by Carla Fernandez book.  I cannot find a U.S. source and intend to try to track down this down on my upcoming trip to Oaxaca.  Meanwhile, if you go to the website:  www.flora2.com/ you can download the book from a PDF file.

Wars have been waged, tributes paid, and civilizations overturned because of cochineal. Cochineal is one of the most valuable commodities on earth. Some say, it is more costly per ounce than gold. For the uninitiated, cochineal is used to dye fiber RED (and purple, pink, orange, and all shades in-between). Remember the Red Coats of the British Army — their coats were dyed with cochineal. Yes, cochineal is a “parasite,” I reply in response to a question recently asked. Aztecs had exacted fealty payments in cochineal from Zapotec and Mixtec subjects long before Cortes conquered southern Mexico. However, not soon after, the Spanish created a controlled world monopoly on the commerce of cochineal. The holds of galleons were filled with tons of dried powder to export to Europe, as a royal and middle class sought to bedeck themselves in red — symbol of power and prestige.

Where does cochineal come from?

A beetle grows and develops on the fleshy leaf of the prickly pear cactus. It becomes imbedded, morphs from male to female, lays its eggs, multiplies, and after about three months of development is ready to be harvested. In Teotitlan people call this beetle a bug. The bug is picked off by hand, dried, and then crushed. It is about the size of an ant. If you pick a live bug off the cactus, put it in the palm of your hand and crush it, it oozes a deep, rich red, like the color of blood. Add lime juice or ash and watch a color transformation. It takes a g-zillion little dried bugs to make an ounce of powder. In the Chavez home, they crush the bugs by hand with a mortar and pestle.

Oaxacan rugs and textiles dyed with cochineal are much more expensive because of the cost of the dye. One can pay up to 50 percent more for a piece that is all naturally dyed with cochineal. Because of the costs, cultivation and preparation time, most weavers in response to market demands for cheaper goods, have put aside the traditional methods of dyeing with cochineal and are using aniline (commercial synthetic) dyes instead.

Oaxaca, once the center for cochineal cultivation, has been surplanted by Peru which produces the largest quantity of cochineal in the world. With renewed interest in cochineal by weavers, the cochineal farm just outside of Oaxaca city is cultivating and selling the little bugs. You can even find souvenir packets of them in gift shops on Alcala Macedonia.

I’m nearly through Charles Mann’s “1491″ — an extraordinary, powerful testimony to the survival and skill of native American people who, archeologists have posited, have lived in the Americas for at least 32,000 years. When most of Europe was covered in ice and uninhabitable, North and South America were populous and thriving. I’m discovering so much that I did not know because it was never taught in school: the diseases of influenza and small pox were responsible for wiping out 90% of the Indian population making it easy for the European conquerors to overcome any resistance; waves of migration from Asia probably occurred through Beringa (a swath of land from Alberta, Canada, fanning down into Washington State) and along the coastal areas of the Americas. Sea-going, hide covered canoes could have traveled from North America to the farthest tip of South America in a 10-15 year span. Indians were the world’s first mathematicians, architects, astronomers, and cultivators, and it is useful for us to reflect on the enormous impact this has had on the world as we examine the superiority myths that our western culture and history perpetuate.
Here is an excerpt from the book that I want to share with you:

“Mesoamerica would deserve its place in the human pantheon if its inhabitants had only created maize, in terms of harvest weight the world’s most important crop. But the inhabitants of Mexico and northern Central America also developed tomatoes, now basic to Italian cuisine; peppers, essential to Thai and Indian food; all the world’s squashes (except for a few domesticated in the United States); and many of the beans on dinner plates around the world. One writer has estimated that Indians developed 3/5 of the crops now in cultivation, most of them in Mesoamerica. Having secured their food supply, Mesoamerican societies turned to intellectual pursuits. In a millennium or less, a comparatively short time, they invented their own writing, astronomy, and mathematics, including the zero.”

Perhaps we would treat the Mexican farm or construction worker with greater respect if there was a greater knowledge and appreciation for the cultural history of her or his native Mexico. Perhaps there would be less fervor to build a fence and strengthen the border if we acknowledged the cultural assets of immigrants. Perhaps we could build a bridge rather than a barrier that would create collaborations and exchange.

When: Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 6-9 p.m.

Where: Made By Hand Norma Hawthorne Gallery & Studio, 110 Blue Heron Farm Road, Pittsboro, NC 27312 (near Chapel Hill and Raleigh)

What: Exhibition & Sale of Chavez Family Tapetes (Rugs)

And: Discussion about Zapotec weaving and natural dyeing techniques, culture and traditions, travel in Oaxaca and points of interest; exhibition and sale of alebrijes, jewelry, handwoven clothing and textiles. Join us for a Oaxaquena Fiesta with traditional refrescos y antojitos.  Meet Eric Chavez Santiago and Elsa Sanchez Diaz.
Who Should Attend: collectors, artists, university students, teachers, designers, anyone interested in Oaxaca, multicultural exchange, weaving and natural dyeing techniques

RSVP to Attend and for Directions: normahawthorne@mac.com or (919) 274-6194

Tricia Goldberg first met Federico Chavez, his son Eric and daughter Janet, in April 2007, when they came to San Jose, California, with an exhibition of their work at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. Tricia, a weaver and member of the American Tapestry Alliance, shares her connection through a published narrative in the Winter 2007, Vol. 33, No. 4 issue of Tapestry Topics, A Quarterly Review of Tapestry Art Today. I have reproduced much of it here with Tricia’s permission.

“When my friend Deborah Corsini, the museum’s curator, talked enthusiastically about a family of traditional weavers who would be bringing their rugs to the museum, I had no idea I would be visiting them in their home and studio that summer. About two months later, my husband, two daughters and I found ourselves in Teotitlan del Valle….I had mentioned our vacation plans for a visit to Oaxaca to Deborah and discovered that the Chavez family lived nearby. With her encouragement, we made plans for a visit. As Eric had told me by e-mail, a sign directed us two or three blocks from the town’s main street down a cobbled lane to their home….

“The Chavez family greeted us in their home’s open courtyard, which holds a sturdy loom, winding equipment, and vast quantities of year in a wide range of subtle colors. The yarn is natural wool from sheed raised in nearby villages. It is locally spun on drop spindles which produces a texture quite different from that of commercial or wheel-spun products.

“Eric Chavez has dedicated himself to reviving and maintaining centuries-old traditions of natural dyeing. As Federico wove and Janet wound bobbins, Eric explained how indigo produces many shades of blue and cochineal yields various reds, pinks, purples and oranges. Cochineal comes from the crushed bodies of beetles that are raised on cactus plants, harvested, then dried.

“Federico’s rugs are rooted in the indigenous Zapotec traditions of geometric, loom-controlled patterns, but increasingly they contain his own more personal, experimental designs based on images from nature as well as motifs from Zapotec mythology. He stands at his loom, operating its two pedals with one foot. He uses plain, straight wooden bobbins and packs the weft with a simple plastic comb.

“At least four generations of the Chavez family have been weavers: Federico, who taught his own children to weave, learned from his father Jose, who in turn was taught by his father Victoriano. Federico wove and sold his first rug when he was 10 years old.

“In an adjoining gallery room, Federico, Eric, Janet showed us their collection of finished rugs, spreading and unrolling many of them on the floor so we could appreciate the dazzling variety of colors and patterns.  Their inventory is large, perhaps larger than they would like. Typical of most people in the area, they are still feeling the effects of a drop in tourism brought about by last year’s civil unrest in Oaxaca.

“This gallery space is also the family’s dining room where we were invited to join them for a traditional lunch of chicken mole prepared by Federico’s wife Dolores. We were joined by Omar, the youngest son, a 13-year old who is a skilled weaver himself.

“Eric and Janet are sophisticated young Oaxacans who gracefully blend modern life with tradition. Eric holds a college degree in business and tourism and works to study and preserve ancient artistic traditions. Janet is a student of comparative languages at a nearby university and, in addition to her work for the family’s rug weaving business, maintains strong ties to local religious customs. She told us she hoped to be invited to participate in a celebration a week later in which she and other women would parade through the town in traditional costume, carrying ornate canastas (baskets) on their heads holding saint’s images. Although the basket is heavy, she explained, if you can carry it, this means that your sins for the previous year were not so great. With her parents’ help, she modeled the costume for us — a long, wrap-around wool skirt (cochineal dyed and woven by Federico) and an elaborately embroidered floral blouse — and before our eyes she changed from a modern young woman in jeans into a traditional Zapotec maiden.

“We decided to return to Teotitlan the following week, assuming (correctly) that Janet would be in the parade. The procession through the town’s narrow streets and the accompanying festivities were well worth a second trip. We had also decided to purchase a small rug that we had admired on Federico’s loom the week before. To our surprise, it was finished, but was still on the loom because another rug was still being woven on the same warp threads. He was happen to cut off the rug we wanted and assured us that tying the unfinished one back onto the loom would not be a problem. We value our rug for its beauty and as a link to the Chavez family and the art of Oaxaca.

“We want to encourage more travelers to visit Oaxaca and experience first-hand this beautiful area and its friendly and creative people.”

Tricia Goldberg lives in Berkeley, California, and hosted the Chavez family at an American Tapestry Alliance event at her home during the ATA’s Silver Anniversary Biennial Celebration.

In Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico, with the Chavez Santiago Family — master weaver Federico Chavez Sosa, his wife Dolores Santiago Arrellanas, their daughter Janet Chavez Santiago, and son Omar Chavez Santiago. Janet is fluent in English and a university student of languages and linguistics. Omar has studied English since elementary school and is attending college preparatory high school. All instruction is translated for easy understanding.

Two Dates in 2008: Accepting Registrations Now

• Saturday-Saturday, November 22-29, 2008
  
• Saturday-Saturday, December 13-20, 2008

Includes 22 hours of personalized instruction, 5 participants maximum enrollment, for weavers, knitters, natural dye aficionados, artists, teachers, university students, parents and children (over age 14 when accompanied by an adult).

If you don’t see dates to fit your schedule, contact me. We can arrange a customized schedule. email: normahawthorne@mac.com

Right: Greca pattern rug handwoven with churro wool, naturally dyed with pecan shells and leaves.

Customized sessions are limited to 5 participants, with personalized instruction from master weavers Federico Chavez Sosa and his family. You are invited into the Chavez family home and studio workshop. Not only will you learn the way Zapotecs have been weaving for over 500 years, and dyeing for millenia, you will be experiencing village life through a very unique and personal perspective.

The Chavez family have traveled and exhibited throughout the United States, are in the permanent collections of galleries, museums and artists, including the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame. They have exhibited and lectured widely, including at the National Museum of Mexican Art (Chicago), the San Jose (CA) Quilt and Textile Museum, the American Tapestry Alliance, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Purdue University, and the University of California at Santa Cruz.

See www.oaxacaculture.com website for bios about me and the family

Who Should Attend: weavers, artists, knitters, designers, teachers, university students, anyone interested in weaving and natural dyeing techniques, and sustaining indigenous art forms using ancient technologies

Level of Experience Necessary: These are small group, hands-on workshops that can accommodate varying levels of expertise, from beginner to advanced student. Because the size of each group is limited to 5 people, you will receive individualized instruction and coaching from the master weaving family of Federico Chavez Sosa.

Each student will be assigned her or his own loom for the session. The loom will be dressed (warped) and ready for you to begin weaving upon arrival. Materials include your choice of naturally dyed wool yarn from which you will weave a sampler textile that can be used as a wall hanging, pillow cover, or comprise the body of a purse or shoulder bag. You will select the wool from colors dyed with pomegranates, pecans, mosses, indigo, and cochineal.

Right: Federico Chavez Sosa at his loom working a custom-ordered rug with all natural dyes.

What You Will Learn:

• Traditional Zapotec weaving techniques, patterns and motifs that produce squares, stripes, diagonals, circles and color gradations;
• Use of the two-harness pedal loom and shuttles;
• Practice weaving simple or more complex patterns, depending upon your level of experience;
• The cultural history of rug weaving in Teotitlan, ancient wool preparation techniques, natural dyeing methods, and how to discern synthetic dye use
• Participate in natural dyeing demonstrations to see how the range and variety of color is developed from native plant materials;
• Complete a finished textile: cut the sample tapestry from the loom, clean the wool tapestry, twist and tie the fringes; and
• Work under the expert guidance of weavers whose family has been creating extraordinary textiles for generations.

Weaving Workshop: Days One Through Four

9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Day One, Monday: Arrive at the Chavez Family Studio for an orientation and demonstration of Zapotec weaving patterns and techniques to create squares, stripes, diagonals and circles. Choose your loom and select the colors for your chosen tapestry. Prepare the bobbins. Begin your project. More experienced weavers will work with Federico and and his family to create more complex patterns.

Days Two to Four, Tuesday-Thursday: Participate in demonstrations and then practice using the two-harness pedal loom using a variety of shuttles to make more complex patterns and greater variety of colors, experiment with using the equipment on your own, learn dyeing techniques using cochineal, indigo and moss. Learn how to count threads to create a circle or square within the overall design. Finish off your piece by cutting it off the loom, cleaning it, then tying fringes.

What Is Included:

• All weaving equipment and supplies to create a finished wool tapestry sampler that is approximately 18” wide by 24” long
• 22 hours of supervised instruction in English by renowned master weavers
• An educational reference notebook of workshop materials to take home with you
• Afternoon lunch (Comida), snacks, beverages daily for four days
• Seven nights lodging with daily breakfast in Teotitlan del Valle at a lovely and comfortable bed and breakfast within easy walking distance of the Chavez Santiago Family studio
• Guided visits to Tlacolula Sunday market, archeological sites of Mitla, Dainzu and Yagul, organic farm and weaving cooperative, Oaxaca textile museum with private tour; meet renown painters and weavers.
  
• Additional nights lodging and single supplements available.
  

Complete Week-long Itinerary

Saturday: Arrive in Oaxaca, travel by taxi (on your own) to your bed and breakfast in Teotitlan del Valle. Explore the village on your own.

Sunday: Your guide will meet you at 10 a.m. at your bed and breakfast for the trip to the Tlacolula market. Transportation will be provided. Return in time for comida (late lunch) on your own. Meet at 4:30 p.m. in the B&B courtyard to visit local artists and weavers.

Monday-Thursday: Oaxaca Weaving Workshop: Dancing on the Loom at the home and workshop of the Federico Chavez Santiago family.

Tuesday Afternoon: After comida and the day’s weaving session is over, your guide will take you to the organic farm and weaving cooperative for a discussion of how natural plant materials are grown for dyeing.

To Be Arranged: Private tour of the Museo Textil de Oaxaca, and visits to the archeological sites of Yagul, Mitla and Dainzu. Admission and transportion included.

Cost for the 7-Night/8-Day Program is $1,340 USD per person, double accommodations. Single supplement is $1,685 USD per person.

Contact: normahawthorne@mac.com for more information and to register.

Below: Eric Chavez Santiago winding warp for his next tapete (rug).

How to Register: A $500 USD deposit is required to reserve your space.

Final payment of the balance is due 15 days before the start day of the workshop. If the final balance is not paid within 15 days before the start day of the workshop,we reserve the right to treat the reservation as cancelled. Any registrations made within 15 days of the workshop date must be paid in full at the time of registration.

If cancellation is necessary, deposits are refundable, as follows:

Any cancellation by a participant must be made in writing by email. Deposits may be refunded

• up to 30 days before the workshop start date, less a $100 cancellation fee.
• up to 15 days before the workshop start date, less a $200 cancellation fee.
• After that, deposits are not refundable.
• If cancellation is necessary, you may apply the deposit to a future workshop scheduled in the same calendar year. We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule workshops, in which case you may choose a 100% refund or to apply the tuition to a future workshop.

Personal checks are accepted. We can also accept payment with PayPal. Contact us for details.

What Is NOT Included:

• Lodging and transportation in/to Mexico, Oaxaca and Teotitlan
• Some local transportation costs (bus, taxi, collectivo)
  
• Gratuities and fees
• Trip insurance, medical expenses, hospitalization, and other fees
• Evening dinners, snacks, liquor
• Optional afternoon side trips and excursions

Upon registration for the workshop, we will provide you with:

• Transportation options to get from the Oaxaca airport to Teotitlan del Valle and your bed and breakfast
  

• A walking map to the Chavez casa and contact information.
• A list of recommended lodging in Oaxaca, in the event you wish to extend your stay or arrive earlier.
• A list of recommended reading, a seasonal packing list, and travel tips to make your journey easier and more fun, including a self-guided walking map of Teotitlan del Valle
• Immunization, Visa and passport information, How to Get There, weather information, money exchange

Note: Zapotec weavers use the pedal loom, which they stand at to work. People who have difficulty standing for any period of time, or who have back problems are discouraged from attending. Many of Teotitlan’s streets and alleyways are cobble stone and/or dirt, with many uneven surfaces. It is a several block walk between lodging options and the weaving workshop. Please bring appropriate walking shoes.

Here, below right, Dolores and Federico are completing a “Mountains and Rains” pattern rug woven with all natural dyes. It is one of the largest commissions they have created, 12 x 16 ft.

Optional and Included Activities:

Friday Market, Ocotlan with stops in San Martin Tilcajete and San Tomas Jalieza; Sunday Market, Tlacolula (included); cooking classes; temezcal bath; Spanish lessons; hiking to Mt. Picacho and the Presa; birdwatching in Benito Juarez; visit to Cochineal Farm; a day in Arrazola and Atzompa; handmade paper factory in San Augustin Etla; visits to 2,000+ year old Zapotec archeological sites: Mitla, Dainzu, Yagul (included). Customized day trips can be arranged before or after the workshop. Prices quoted upon request.

Optional Fee-Based Services to Be Arranged:

• Pre- or Post-Workshop day trips to craft villages and regional markets, that includes transportation and visits to renowned artists and artisans in San Martin Tilcajete, Arrazola, San Tomas Jalieza, and Ocotlan
• Airport pick-up and transportation from Oaxaca to Teotitlan
• Teotitlan village walking tours to meet other artists and artisans working in natural dyes

Documentation

U.S. Citizens traveling to Mexico are required to carry a current passport, valid for at least three months after your re-entry to the U.S. It is your responsibility to obtain proper documentation. If you are not a U.S. Citizen, contact the Mexican embassy, consulate or national airline of Mexico for entry requirements.

Trip Insurance

Please consider purchasing travel insurance. Unforeseen circumstances of getting to Teotitlan del Valle could cost you more than you expected. In the event of an emergency or natural disaster caused beyond our control, trip insurance will cover any unexpected expenses.

It’s amazing to know that in a farming area southeast of Oaxaca City, likely somewhere in the highlands past Mitla or Matatlan, is where maize originated. Maize is different from the huge kernel, yellow corn we know in the U.S. Its variegated, multi-colored kernels are smaller and full of healthy richness. The Oaxaca region is home to at least 59 species of maize, from the protein-rich variety used to make tortilla chips to a softer grain mashed for use in tamales. Maize comes in a rainbow of colors: blue, red, black, purple, orange, yellow, creamy white, and a mix of all, each used for a distinctive purpose with distinctive textures and flavors. The cobs vary in size, too, depending on what it is cultivated for.

Photo: Grinding maize in Teotitlan

Farmers in Oaxaca first bred maize some 6,000 to 8,000 years ago, and from there it spread and was adopted by Africa, Asia and Europe. Worldwide, we eat it roasted on the cob, popped, stripped and cooked into cereal or polenta, ground and baked to become bread or cakes. It is a staple that traces its origins to a possible DNA mix of teosinte and gammagrass (there is still some controversy about origins, since teosinte has very tiny cobs and kernals). Plant geneticists believe that edible maize was developed by Mesoamericans within a 100 year time span — an incredible, accelerated feat! When combined with beans, maize offers a complex protein that is very nutritious.

Though the exact date and circumstances of the first cultivation of maize is a mystery, by 1500 A.D. the Aztec and Mayan civilizations had long called the descendants of that original plant “maize,” literally “that which sustains life,” and claimed that the crop was flesh and blood itself. Maize cob and stalks were incorporated into the stone carved images of Aztec, Mayan and Zapotec leaders connoting royalty derived from the gods and assumed a central place in their headdress. It was a symbol of power, source of life.

In the modern economies of the U.S., East Asia, and Europe, however, it is the ultimate legible” industrial raw material: agribusiness uses its starches and cellulose for fuel, fodder, paint, plastic, and penicillin. The risk is that genetically modified corn will eradicate the local small farmers of southern Mexico who have been practicing sustainable agriculture, farming on 10-acre plots for millenia, using the same milpa techniques as their forebearers to replenish the earth without having to use chemical feritilizers, a stake in the ground for cultural preservation and a healthier food source. Local farmers cannot compete with the lower priced genetically modified corn produced by agribusiness, and we have seen smaller farmers in Teotitlan give up their plots. The debate is fueled around NAFTA and corn imports, providing more corn for more people that may or may not have as much nutritional value as the original source, and the risk of the genetically modified corn wiping out the DNA of the heirloom varieties.

The practice of milpa is the farming technique of growing corn, beans, avocado, and squash all together on one plot of ground, the beans and squash twining around and hanging on to the corn stalks, adding their nutrients to the soil, year after year, with no depletion of minerals. Oaxaca soils have sustained food growth in this manner for thousands of years with no loss of productivity.

You can read more about this in Charles Mann’s book, “1491,” and when you visit Oaxaca and eat tamales and tortillas, think of this food as a 6,000 year old contribution to gastronomy and world health. Ask, if you like, where the corn comes from in order to support the local farmer and local economies. You’ll be doing your part for sustainable development.