Category Archives: Teotitlan del Valle

Portrait Photography Workshop in Oaxaca: Good Friday–Day Five

Posted on Friday, April 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

Today, we are immersed in the reverence and solemnity of Good Friday, moving along with the crowds to photograph the religious and social rituals that are part of this important day. Here in Oaxaca, Mexico it’s called Viernes Santo and celebrated with traditional European-style that very different from the United States.

We are based in Teotitlan del Valle for the second part of our portrait photography workshop. The giant matraca (wood clackers), positioned on top of the church between the two steeples, started yesterday evening on Maundy Thursday and went on all night. It can be heard throughout the village. To signify the Last Supper, our host Josefina served us succulent fish stuffed chiles rellenos and a potato turnover with salsa, accompanied by white beans to signify the season.

This day, Good Friday, began with not one but two processions, one led by half the townspeople following the figure of Jesus held high on a litter, and the other led by the Virgin of Soledad (solitude) who represents Mary.

Each procession was led by a brass band, singers, noisemakers and drummers through different parts of the village. They converged at the exact same moment in the Zocalo in front of the village governing center called the Municipio or Palace.

There must have been 600 people sitting under the shade of the rug market, on the steps of the Palace and protected by umbrellas from the fierce sun that was strong even at ten o’clock in the morning. The priestly benediction included adhering to the ways of Jesus to refrain from violence, alcoholism, and to maintain strong community and family connections. A good universal message, I thought.

This is a reverent and solemn occasion for the people of Teotitlan del Valle. Most here take their religious life seriously and are observant. I was impressed by the mix of husbands and wives and children, young men and women, as well as the traditional abuelas and abuelos (grandmothers and grandfathers) who participated today.

It was not unusual to see entire families sitting together or standing for the hour-long priestly blessing. There is no mass on Good Friday as is the custom. In the magic light of late in the afternoon, the people processed from the church to the cemetery and then back again. This will complete the spiritual connection with dead loved ones, as well.

Our next photography workshop is this summer 2012: Oaxaca Photography Expedition: Market Towns and Artisan Villages. Two spaces left. Don’t miss it!

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Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Teotitlan del Valle, Travel & Tourism, Workshops and Retreats

Tagged blogsherpa, culture, Easter, Good Friday, Mexico, Oaxaca, religion, Semana Santa

Portrait Photography Workshop: Maundy Thursday in Oaxaca

Posted on Friday, April 6, 2012 | 2 Comments

Semana Santa, the Easter season in Oaxaca, is magical and mystical. It is especially so in Teotitlan del Valle where traditional Zapotec practices blended with Catholic ritual offer photographers an exceptional workshop experience. On the evening of Maundy Thursday, almost the entire village arrived for the five o’clock mass at the church with the overflow spilling out into the church courtyard. Our small group came to participate and experience the ritual.

Women covered their heads with traditional fringed shawls. Men approached the sanctuary in reverence with their heads uncovered.

Children played tag around the church courtyard tended by a mother, an aunt or an older sister.

The bejeweled horse decked out in sparkling mirrored plumage was fed fresh sweet cornstalks by mesmerized little boys. The seasoned veterans sat on the garden wall or under the ancient tree on a comfortable bench.

After the hour-long service, after everyone stood together in reverent prayer, the priest and church committee of volunteers led a procession around the plaza to the clanging of wood beaters on top of the church, the blast of trumpets and the rhythmic clap of drum beats.

This would go on all night at regular intervals as is this village’s custom. On Good Friday, another procession will begin at ten o’clock in the morning with figures of Jesus and the Virgin of Soledad circling the village each in a different direction and then reuniting at the church for another mass.

Our next photography workshop is set for summer 2012: Market Towns and Artisan Villages.

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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Photography, Teotitlan del Valle, Workshops and Retreats

Tagged blogsherpa, class, Maundy Thursday, Mexico, Oaxaca, photography, portrait, Semana Santa, workshop

Lunes Santos Procession Celebrates Easter Monday

Posted on Monday, April 2, 2012 | 2 Comments

Lunes Santos, also known as Holy Monday or Easter Monday, is part of the Semana Santa week celebration in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. The procession is a village pilgrimage, complete with horse in dazzling livery with youthful rider, children dressed as Roman soldiers and babies in white adorned with glittering wings and floral crowns. It is a photographic feast.

The procession winds through the streets of the village after beginning at the Iglesia de Preciosa Sangre de Cristo (Church of the Precious Blood) at nine in the morning. They stop at altars sheltered with tapetes (handwoven rugs) set up along the way for refreshment and rest, a reenactment of the Twelve Stations of the Cross. This is my first Semana Santa in Oaxaca — tomorrow begins our portrait photography workshop that will delve into the personal images of Semana Santa. I set my alarm for seven o’clock this morning so I would not miss this solemn village event. (Next photo workshop based in Teotitlan is during Dance of the Feather.)

Our first stop was at the corner of Av. Benito Juarez and 2 de Abril where the figures of Jesus and Mary were placed under the altar and adorned with fresh orchids. The priest said a blessing. People came to the altar to make a prayer and leave an offering.

The women had been up early preparing tejate with masa and cacao that had been ground by hand on the metate. Then men came through the crowd with handpainted gourds filled to the brim and handed one to me. It was delicioso and muy rico! We were thirsty and tired pilgrims.

I asked Josefina about the significance of the babies dressed in white with wings. They symbolize purity and innocence, she said, adding that this was an important part of the celebration. I extrapolate that it is connected to being reborn and ressurrected which is the essential meaning of Easter.

In my own faith tradition, I would interpret this to mean that each year we each have an opportunity to start afresh with new hope and opportunity to do better in the world.

At our next lengthier stop at the corner of Independencia and Hidalgo, we were served a homemade nieves (ice cream refreshment.) The priest led the assembly in prayer and the band played solemnly.

The procession wends its way through the village, stopping in each of the five sections, for villagers to give and receive blessings, picking up pilgrims along the way as was the tradition centuries ago. I am reminded of when I visited Jerusalem and encountered the pilgrims from many nations: Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. I saw them walking the Via Dolorosa to recreate history and affirm their belief. Today was no different.

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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Photography, Teotitlan del Valle, Travel & Tourism, Workshops and Retreats

Tagged blogsherpa, class, course, Easter, Holy Monday, Mexico, Oaxaca, photography, Semana Santa, Teotitlan del Valle, workshop

Rhythms of Making Mole Rojo with Josefina Ruiz Vazquez

Posted on Friday, March 30, 2012 | 3 Comments

We are in the garden at Las Granadas Bed and Breakfast in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. A huge pomegranate (las granadas) tree is laden with ripening fruit. The fruit is suspended and hanging like Christmas ornaments, their color varying in shade from deep red to lime green, depending upon their maturity.

Grandmother Magdalena is at the comal, the outdoor cooking stove that is fueled with wood. This is her favorite spot in the entire family compound. It is where she prepares the fire for making fresh tortillas and today she is stoking it to fuel the embers that will cook the mole rojo. I have watched her preparing food at this comal for seven years and each time is a new experience.

Magdalena’s granddaughter and Josefina’s daughter Eloisa is trained at the culinary school in Oaxaca. She says she likes this mole rojo recipe because the flavor is very special and part of her family’s tradition. We smell the sesame seeds as Josefina kneels at the metate and incorporates the seeds into the chile paste. The paste is the a rich color of deep purple.

We take our turns at the metate, mano de metate in hand. Pushing the mano de metate requires rhythm, strength and endurance. In the background, Eloisa’s husband Taurino is at the loom weaving a large floor rug. We hear the clapping rhythm of the harness and his weight on the two pedals, back and forth, back and forth. The loom beats to the rhythm of Ranchero music.

Zapotec is spoken between the three women. We are kneeling, trying to learn the rhythm of the ancient metate, used to “se muele”, to mash, crush, grind.

The technique is not easy. Eloisa kneels beside me. Puts her hands on mine to guide the movement of wrists. She is twenty years old and experienced in these things. I push with my upper arms and body, leaning over the metate as I rotate my wrists in a small, rhythmic rocking motion. I feel the work of women over the centuries and know that the women I am with today are strong and will endure. They work beside each other, three generations, in harmony.

Smell the smokiness, I note to myself. Absorb this moment. The chiles are smokey. The wood fire gives off the scent of earthy smoke. Feel the chile paste like clay. Josefina puts her finger to her mouth to taste the paste. Muy rico, she says. See Eloisa making bread crumbs on the metate. See Josefina’s hands red orange from the chile paste.

Hear the grind of the metate stone, stone of the river, piedra del rio. Josefina tells me it is not a commercial stone, but an ancient river stone, natural and shaped by an ancestor’s hand. Watch Magda position the cazuela (casserole) on the comal. I yield to the tradition of making mole rojo and honor the women who feed the generations.

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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Food & Recipes, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Teotitlan del Valle, Travel & Tourism

Tagged blogsherpa, chile, cooking, food, Mexico, mole rojo, Oaxaca, sauce

Recipe: Making Authentic Mole Rojo in Teotitlan del Valle

Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2012 | 1 Comment

My Australian friend Tracey Ponting came back through Oaxaca this week on her way from San Cristobal de las Casas to Distrito Federal and on to England to visit her parents. Tracey and I met on the bus to San Cris in January when we stayed at the same posada. From there we traveled together to Palenque. I convinced her to spend a couple of days in Teotitlan del Valle for rest and relaxation before starting the next leg of her journey. In April she will begin a seven-week pilgrimage on the Camino Frances part of the Camino Santiago de Compostela in Spain before going back to Perth.

What better way to relax than to settle in at Las Granadas Bed and Breakfast and get instruction from some of the best cooks in the village, the magic trio of Josefina, Magdalena and Eloisa? Tracey asked for Oaxacan Mole Rojo, which is her favorite of Oaxaca’s seven moles. I participated with her and I’m happy to share this incredible recipe (receta) with you!

Josefina Ruiz Vazquez’ Family Recipe for Mole Rojo

75 grams (2.6 ounces) ancho chiles
26 grams (0.91 ounces) pasilla chiles
55 grams (2 ounces) guajillo chiles
50 grams (1.75 ounces) sesame seeds
75 grams (2.6 ounces) raisins
25 grams (.88 ounces) almonds
4 to 5 medium sized fresh red tomatoes
150 grams (5.25 ounces) tomatillos
100 grams (3.5 ounces) cooking chocolate, semi-sweet (preferably Oaxacan chocolate, which includes cinnamon, almonds, sugar)
6 cloves
2 pieces of dried ginger
6 black peppercorns
5 grams (0.18 ounces) cinnamon sticks
1 small onion, halved
20 grams (.70 ounces) garlic (or one small head)
1 T. dried thyme (can use 2 T. fresh)
1 T. fresh oregano
2 slices toasted white or wheat bread or 1 toasted medium dinner roll
1/2 C. olive oil
4-6 chicken thighs and legs

Toast the chiles over high heat on the comal, over a gas flame or in a shallow frying pan until charred and soft. Remove seeds and stem. De-vein. Take about 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of the chile seeds and toast them. Set chiles and seeds aside in a bowl.
On the comal, toast together the onion, garlic (with peel), sesame seeds, raisins and almonds until browned. Add the herbs and spices to this mix. Stir and toast.
Cook the tomatoes and tomatillos together in 1 C. water for 10 minutes. Reserve liquid.
Peel the garlic after it is toasted.
Soak the chiles in the tomato water until soft.
On the metate (or in a machine) combine the raisins, thyme, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, peppers, raisins. Once the paste is fine and all the ingredients are indistinguishable, add all the roasted sesame seeds. Continue mashing until seeds are pulverized into paste. You are looking for the consistency of clay. Remove paste to a small bowl.
In a 6 quart pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil with 1 T. salt, 3 cloves of garlic and 1/2 onion. Add the raw chicken parts. Bring water to a simmer, cover and cook for 30-45 minutes until chicken is tender. (Do not use breast meat, warns Josefina. It does not have enough flavor. You can substitute turkey, but it will take 1 to 1-1/2 hours to cook.) When finished cooking, remove chicken and reserve stock.
Add onions, chile and garlic to the metate and crush.
Grind bread into a fine crumb.
Put olive oil into a large sautee pan or casserole over medium heat. Add 1/2 C. of mashed tomatoes and mole paste to oil. Sautee the paste for 2 minutes until oil is absorbed. Strain the chile juice into the tomatoes and add this to the cooking paste.
At this point, you can keep the past for 2 months in the refrigerator, but if you add all the tomatoes as follows, you will need to use immediately.
Add a third of the mashed tomatoes and 2 C. of the chicken stock to the mole paste. Continue adding the tomatoes in thirds, stirring until liquid is reduced.
Break the chocolate into pieces and add to the casserole. Stir until dissolved. (Magdalena roasts her own cacao beans and makes her own chocolate.)
Add 1/2 the breadcrumbs, stir and correct for thickness. The mixture should be like a very thick sauce that sticks to a wooden spoon.
Correct the seasonings. Taste. You may need to add a little more salt, more chocolate or a tad of sugar according to taste.
Toast 3 avocado leaves and add them to the casserole and stir. If needed, add the remaining breadcrumbs.
Serve with rice, tortillas and steamed fresh vegetables such as choyote squash, carrots, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower.

Serves 4-6.

Josefina attributes this recipe to her grandmother Rufina Gabriel and her mother Marina Vasquez Gabriel. She knows her grandmother learned it from her mother and the mothers before her. It is made completely by hand using the stone metate and mano de metate. Less ambitious and weaker cooks will want to pull out a food processor or blender. Just beware that the texture of the paste will be different, says Josefina.

She also notes that different families use different quantities and types of ingredients. Some mole rojos are sweeter, some more picante, some don’t use organic vegetables. Josefina prides herself on the face that she grows her own tomillo (thyme), oregano, tomatoes and onions. Mole rojo is reserved for special occasions like Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and Fiesta de Julio Sangre de Cristo (the village saint day) since it takes about three or four hours to shop for and prepare the ingredients.