PHOTO ART
SIERRA CASA AZUL
One of the first locations while filming MUXE: The Language of Art & Culture, was this imposing and noble house of the nineteenth century, cataloged as a Historical Monument of the Nation; located in the heart of downtown Oaxaca, just two blocks from the zócalo and the cathedral and five blocks from the Santo Domingo Cultural Center; with its classic balconies and unparalleled wooden gate, now transformed into Sierra Casa Azul Hotel.
TLACOLULA MARKET
Tlacolula Market on Sundays is full of fantastic food, artisans and colorful plants, dried peppers and seeds and almost anything you can imagine. Many people from the surrounding villages come to buy and sell in Tlacolula on Sundays.
Languages are heard everywhere: Zapotec, Triqui, Chinantec, Amuzgo, Mixe and others that belong to the 16 ethnic groups of the region. Vendors from remote mountain communities go down to the party. They wear their best outfits that help recognize their origin by the colors and design they bring. The women of Tlacolula look very traditional with their flowered blouses and skirts, long braids and colored silk scarves around their heads, sometimes adorned with coins. Although for the inexperienced eye it might be difficult to tell from which people these traditional clothes belong.
The market is located 30 kilometers from Oaxaca City, a town famous for hosting the indigenous tianguis with greater significance in the Central Valleys since prehispanic times.
Languages are heard everywhere: Zapotec, Triqui, Chinantec, Amuzgo, Mixe and others that belong to the 16 ethnic groups of the region. Vendors from remote mountain communities go down to the party. They wear their best outfits that help recognize their origin by the colors and design they bring. The women of Tlacolula look very traditional with their flowered blouses and skirts, long braids and colored silk scarves around their heads, sometimes adorned with coins. Although for the inexperienced eye it might be difficult to tell from which people these traditional clothes belong.
The market is located 30 kilometers from Oaxaca City, a town famous for hosting the indigenous tianguis with greater significance in the Central Valleys since prehispanic times.
AGAVE FIELDS
Mezcal is a distillate made from agave, an iconic plant of Mexico. It’s one of the world’s most diverse and complex spirits, and although it has recently been gaining popularity, it is still often misunderstood. Mezcal plays an important role in the culture of the places where it’s made. In Oaxaca, where the great majority of mezcal comes from, it’s not just a drink, but forms a part of community identity. It’s consumed in celebrations, but also used in rituals and for healing purposes. Here’s what you should know about this special beverage including its history, the different types of mezcal to look for, and where to sample it on a trip to Oaxaca.
ALEBRIJES
Alebrijes are whimsical carvings depicting animals, people, objects, and imaginary creatures painted with intense colors and intricate patterns. Although these distinctive cultural artifacts are often assumed to represent a long established, tradition of Mexican folk art, they only began to appear in the 1940s.
After the Mexican Revolution, intellectuals and politicians began to reinvent a national identity that would unify a population that had suffered ten years of violent civil war. Rejecting European aesthetic ideals that had been dominant before the Revolution, they began to recognize the value of Mexican arts and crafts. They sponsored various exhibitions of arts and crafts from all over Mexico as part of a new Mexican aesthetic. The state of Oaxaca had long been an area of accomplished wood carvers who produced masks and utilitarian objects. One such wood carver was Manuel Jiménez of the town of Arrazola. In the 1940s, Jimenez saw the opportunity to capitalize on the demand for local crafts. He began to carve animals and figurines to sell in the street markets. Until the mid-1960s, Jiménez basically maintained a monopoly on alebrije carving in his village. However, the alebrije vendors he supplied found him unreliable. Craft marketers looked elsewhere for a source of alebrijes and encouraged men in neighboring villages to carve them.
In 1967, Martín Santiago, of the village La Unión Tejalapan, signed a contract with Enrique de la Lanza (one of Jiménez’ patrons) to produce alebrijes. Santiago taught the craft to his brothers and developed a successful family business. In 1968, the production of alebrijes spread to the community of San Martín Tilcajete. By this time, alebrijes were becoming very popular among tourists as an indigenous artifact, despite the fact that they were actually commodities of recent origin. The director of Mexico’s National Tourist Council learned of Isidoro Cruz’ work in San Martín Tilcajete and arranged for his alebrijes to be viewed in an exposition in Mexico City and Los Angeles.
After the Mexican Revolution, intellectuals and politicians began to reinvent a national identity that would unify a population that had suffered ten years of violent civil war. Rejecting European aesthetic ideals that had been dominant before the Revolution, they began to recognize the value of Mexican arts and crafts. They sponsored various exhibitions of arts and crafts from all over Mexico as part of a new Mexican aesthetic. The state of Oaxaca had long been an area of accomplished wood carvers who produced masks and utilitarian objects. One such wood carver was Manuel Jiménez of the town of Arrazola. In the 1940s, Jimenez saw the opportunity to capitalize on the demand for local crafts. He began to carve animals and figurines to sell in the street markets. Until the mid-1960s, Jiménez basically maintained a monopoly on alebrije carving in his village. However, the alebrije vendors he supplied found him unreliable. Craft marketers looked elsewhere for a source of alebrijes and encouraged men in neighboring villages to carve them.
In 1967, Martín Santiago, of the village La Unión Tejalapan, signed a contract with Enrique de la Lanza (one of Jiménez’ patrons) to produce alebrijes. Santiago taught the craft to his brothers and developed a successful family business. In 1968, the production of alebrijes spread to the community of San Martín Tilcajete. By this time, alebrijes were becoming very popular among tourists as an indigenous artifact, despite the fact that they were actually commodities of recent origin. The director of Mexico’s National Tourist Council learned of Isidoro Cruz’ work in San Martín Tilcajete and arranged for his alebrijes to be viewed in an exposition in Mexico City and Los Angeles.
20 DE NOVIEMBRE MARKET
The 20 de Noviembre market has a variety of food stalls where you can sample many Oaxacan specialties, but carnivores flock to the one corridor that's known as "El Pasillo de las Carnes Asadas" (the grilled meats aisle). Follow your nose to find it: smoke and the smell of meat grilling are thick in the air. You can select the raw meat that looks best to you and have it grilled to your specifications as you watch on. Find a spot at one of the long tables with benches and order salsa and guacamole to accompany your feast. Buy some tortillas from one of the passing vendors, and enjoy!
