Tag Archives: Radish Festival

Weekly Photo Challenge: Possibility

Posted on Saturday, October 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

Sunset at Las Cuevitas

New Year’s in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, is an extraordinary, momentous and reflective time when families gather to make wishes for the coming year. The celebration is on January 2 when the entire village makes a pilgrimage to the caves (las cuevitas) or grottoes in the hills outside the town. There, they make an offering to the Virgin of Guadalupe for the hopes, dreams and possibilities of the year to come. From the twigs, rocks and grasses, families will construct a symbolic house, adding a roof or a garden or barnyard or a new addition or a second floor. Everyone wants to create a home that holds children, grandchildren, grandparents, aunts and uncles. This is a sign of both satisfaction and wealth.

This photo captures the mystery of the Las Cuevitas annual ritual. As the sun sets and the people gather, the possibilities for the future are luminous.

Las Cuevitas Sparkler

The boy sits by the “house” made of rocks contemplating his future. A sparkler lights the space. Are the possibilities limitless for him? Oaxaca is the second poorest state in Mexico and many young people migrate to the cities or El Norte looking for work. Perhaps he will stay in the village and work construction or weave like his father or grandfather before him or plow his father’s fields and plant them with organic indigenous maize. Will he dream of going on to high school? Perhaps. And, then, what possibilities will open to him?

A family wishes for bright possibilities

Circle of Women, a not-for-profit advocacy organization, says, “Oaxaca, being a mainly indigenous state, has one of the lowest literacy rates in Mexico, and literacy among indigenous adult women is even lower. Historically there has been a major bias towards Spanish literacy in education, leaving indigenous languages marginalized. Migration to the US for jobs has also left women as heads of households. Illiteracy and discrimination has been a major barrier for women in trying to market their weaving products and create sustainable micro-businesses.”

See our Oaxaca arts workshops: Christmas and New Year’s photojournalism workshop, Day of the Dead documentary photography, creative writing, and more.

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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Photography, Teotitlan del Valle, Travel & Tourism

Tagged blogsherpa, las cuevitas, Mexico, Oaxaca, postaweek2011, Radish Festival, Teotitlan del Valle

Photojournalism Workshop in Oaxaca, Mexico–Las Cuevitas and Day of the Three Kings

Posted on Friday, June 17, 2011 | 1 Comment

Like a writer, a photojournalist captures and tells a story through the still photographs s/he takes that is accompanied by a short written narrative. Oaxaca, Mexico, during the extraordinary and magical Christmas season will be our workshop laboratory to discover and record the scenes of the season– Las Cuevitas and Day of the Three Kings (Epiphany).

Las Cuevitas–The Caves and Dia de los Tres Reyes–Day of the Three Kings, arrive December 31 and depart January 7

Plus add-on a Zapotec cooking class with Reyna Mendoza Ruiz on December 31 [arrive December 30] or on January 7 [depart January 8] – details below

Bring your digital camera (point-and-shoot or DSLRs welcome), your memory cards, your note pad and pen, your imagination and your sense of adventure. We will teach you the techniques for capturing and documenting the culture with your camera and writing about what you see to accompany your photos.

The Christmas holidays in Oaxaca are magical and mystical, vibrant and festive. They are filled with processions, special foods, merrymaking and solemnity. Together, we will discuss the region’s rich history and culture, the art and craft traditions, belief systems and relationships to nature and daily life. We will visit archeological sites and crafts villages. This will inform your photographic work that is anchored with diary entries.

Outline of Itinerary:

December 31 — Arrive in Oaxaca and travel from airport to Teotitlan del Valle, check in to bed and breakfast inn. (If you want to take a cooking class today, arrive on December 30.)

January 1 — Our workshop starts with a morning learning session followed by a day trip to the local Tlacolula regional tianguis (market) filled with food, aprons, household goods, crafts, everything and the kitchen sink. All day excursion on local bus includes lunch.

January 2 — Morning learning session followed by lunch with a famous weaving family and a procession to Las Cuevitas, the magical caves of Teotitlan del Valle (bring tripods for night photography if you wish)

January 3 — leave in early morning for a day in craft villages of Arrazola and Atzompa, with visit to renown Mesoamerican archeological site of Monte Alban. Following dinner in the city, return to Teotitlan del Valle.

January 4 — Morning learning session followed by weaving and natural dyeing demonstration with Master weaver Federico Chavez Sosa.

January 5 — After morning learning session, enjoy a demonstration with artisans who work in natural dyes and handspun and woven silk. Spend the afternoon with a family celebrating Dia de Los Tres Reyes.

January 6 — After morning learning session, spend the day on your own to explore, shop or prepare for the evening final presentation and best of week show.

January 7 — Depart or stay an extra day for a cooking class in traditional Oaxacan foods including how to prepare mole [also available on December 31 before the workshop begins]

June Finfer, photographer, filmmaker, playwright

June Finfer, Chicago playwright, documentarian, and photographer will lead you in this learning adventure where you will enter into the world of the Mixtec and Zapotec people. June will share her tips on using your camera to capture the decisive moment, and her writing experience on how to keep a diary of your experience. You will in effect be a photojournalist.

Use what you learn to become a photojournalist

The Internet has created many opportunities for amateurs to contribute to the art of photojournalism. Small, portable cameras give each of us the personal power to create stories through images that are publishable on blogs, podcasts and online news magazines.

Even traditional media outlets welcome photographs from amateurs who capture an important event with fair and accurate representation.

We will discuss ethical approaches to objectivity, the role of the citizen journalist, what to shoot, how to frame, and how to edit.

You can focus in-depth on a subject or a wide survey. You will build a portfolio of photographs and narration based on these important rituals that combine pre-Hispanic and Catholic traditions. Using the techniques of photojournalism, you will be able to record the visual elements of the celebrations while learning about their significance.

About Your Workshop Leader June Finfer

JUNE FINFER is an award-winning playwright, photographer, and a producer of documentaries. She studied photography at Illinois Institute of Technology with Aaron Siskind and her films about the architecture of Mies van der Rohe have been broadcast on A&E and PBS. Her play, The Glass House, was produced off-Broadway in New York in 2010. She adapted an unfinished novel by Shirley Jackson, directed by Joanne Woodward for American Playhouse, nationally broadcast by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

June’s films include Greentowns USA: A New Deal, Earthshapers, Creating Community: Lafayette Park, and The Tugendhat House: Mies van der Rohe’s Czech Masterpiece. Awards and Grants include: American Film Festival, first prize CINE Goethe-Institute Graham Foundation for Advanced Study in the Fine Arts, Illinois Arts Council, Illinois Humanities Council, Maryland Humanities Council, Ohio Humanities Council, TELLY U.S. International Film and Video Festival. See details at www.lostandfoundproductions.org

Lodging and Costs:

We will be based in the Zapotec weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle. To keep this program affordable, we have selected clean and basic accommodations at a woman-operated bed and breakfast inn that is part of their family compound. Josefina, along with her mother-in-law Magdalena and daughter Eloisa, prepare delicious meals from scratch. (If you desire luxury travel, please consider a different experience.)

Base Cost: $1195 per person double occupancy with shared bath facilities. 6 nights, 7 days.

[ ] Option 1: I will share a room, double occupancy with shared bath, $1195 per person.

[ ] Option 2: I prefer a single room with shared bath for a total of $1,295 per person.

[ ] Option 3: I will share a room, double occupancy, with private bath for a total of $1,295 per person.

[ ] Option 4: I prefer a single room with private bath for a total of $1,495.

[ ] Option 5: Add-on a 5-hour Zapotec cooking class, includes local market shopping tour and lunch, on December 31 (arrive on December 30) or January 7 (depart on January 8). Add $110 for cooking class and additional night lodging.

If you want to arrive earlier or stay later, we can arrange additional nights lodging in Teotitlan del Valle at $55 per night and additional nights lodging in Oaxaca city at $125 per night (each includes breakfast).

Most travel workshops of this type and length cost more than twice as much!

The trip does NOT include airfare, taxes, gratuities, travel insurance, liquor or alcoholic beverages, some meals, and local transportation to and from Oaxaca city.

We reserve the right to substitute instructors and alter the program as needed.

Register Today! Use the Registration Form on the banner.

Full payment is due to register you for the program. We prefer Payment with PayPal.

Please see our cancellation policy in the “Register Today” section of the home page. We strongly recommend that you take out trip cancellation, baggage, emergency evacuation and medical insurance before you begin your trip, since unforeseen circumstances are possible.

To get your questions answered and to register, contact: normahawthorne@mac.com or call (919) 274-6194. Thank you.

This program is produced by Norma Hawthorne, Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC.

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

Tagged blogsherpa, Camera, Christmas, class, course, documentary, Mexico, Oaxaca, photography, photojournalism, Posadas, postaweek2011, Radish Festival, school, workshop

December Holidays in Oaxaca

Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 | Leave a comment

Winter holidays – during the Christmas season and through the New Year – are a perfect time to visit Oaxaca (Wah-Ha-Kah). The daytime sun is warming and the evening chill is perfect for strolling wrapped in a hand woven robozo (shawl). Festive, brightly colored cut paper flags hang from the tops of buildings and drape across narrow cobblestone streets. Glorious deep cardinal red Buena Noche (red poinsettia) are planted like a carpet throughout the beds of the Zocalo and adorn the arched entry doors of village houses. Doorways are draped in ribbon and twinkle with electric lights.

December 12: Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe

This annual celebration is held throughout Mexico, but in Teotitlan The Dance of the Feather is performed during this day in the church courtyard to celebrate Guadalupe´s anniversary.

December 15-23: Posadas in Teotitlan del Valle

In Teotitlan de Valle, the faithful join daily evening posadas that wend their way through the narrow streets and alleyways of villages, following a band that plays Sousa-like marching music and church elders who carry the Virgin, swinging copal incense and select men and women balancing hand-rolled beeswax candles to light the way. Each year nine families are chosen to host the Virgin Mary on each of the nights before Christmas eve. Each night represents the nine months of Guadalupe’s pregnancy. The processionals are led by the hosting family carrying sculptures of Jose (Joseph) and Maria (Mary) through the main streets of the village before delivering them to the next posada house. Each host family invites relatives and friends to celebrate the honor with them, and the revelry continues through the night with songs, prayer, music, food and drink. On the last night, the Ultimate Posada (La Posada Ultima) is the most special for the chosen family because they become godparents to the birth of Jesus, who appears in the creche that night to join Joseph and Mary.

December 23: La Noche de los Rabanos (Night of the Radishes)

These are giant red horseradishes grown on farms in the Ocotlan region of Oaxaca, carved into dioramas depicting religious and village life – imagine it and there will be a radish carved to look like it. The lines start to form around the Zocalo at around 4 p.m. and can extend for 12 square blocks. People come from throughout the state of Oaxaca and tourists descend from around the world. The outdoor cafes surrounding the Zocalo are packed and it is difficult to find a seat – squatters arrive early and never get up. People are careful to eat and drink very slowly. There is a raised platform walkway that funnels viewers around the periphery of the staging and display area. Throughout the night, the radish carvers wield big squirt bottles of water to freshen their displays to prevent wilting. The Grand Prize is $10,000 USD!

We like to get there early, around mid to late afternoon, when there are fewer people so we are there as the final carving is being done and the finishing touches are put on – a hat placed on a radish head, a hoe fixed with a toothpick into the hand of a radish farmer, a cross tilted to just the right angle in the arm of a radish priest. Last year, we got to the Zocalo too late, and found snaking lines that had no end, so we crossed through the line and entered into the center of the plaza, able to see a rear view of what was going on, craning our necks to get a glimpse of the radish scenes before us. It was fun to talk to the farmers this way.

December 24: Christmas Eve in Templo Santo Domingo

The gold altar of Santo Domingo Church is never more resplendent than it is on Christmas Eve. If you are going to midnight mass, be certain to arrive and get a seat by 10:30 p.m. otherwise it is standing room only in the back of the church. Overflow is outside the church doors in the chill December air. The entire service is in Spanish and it is punctuated with responsive reading and choral music.

Christmas eve is celebrated in Teotitlan just like everywhere else in Mexico.

December 25: Parade of the Buses

Yes, this is a day off for the bus drivers, who bring their families with them to the city to ride in the parade. Bus drivers own their own buses, and they come from all the surrounding villages to participate. The buses are festooned with flowers, crepe paper, and all sorts of holiday decorations. Family members smile and wave – they remind me of the floats in the Rose Parade. A posada of buses. A sight to behold.

No one works on Christmas day; it is a time to visit with family.

December 31: Las Cuevitas– Pedimento

Teotitlan villagers walk up to the “pedimento” which they call cuevitas because there are several little caves around this hill. Folklore has it that an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was found here and it is considered a sacred place. People stay overnight to receive the new year here and believe that if you ask for anything you want on January 1st, it will come true during the year.

In Oaxaca City on December 31, families usually have a big dinner together to receive the new year. At midnight, 12:00 a.m., they eat 12 grapes and ask for 12 wishes.

January 1: New Year in Teotitlan del Valle

The entire village goes by foot or car or tuk-tuk (moto-taxi) to the holy area just outside the village in the foothills that is dotted with caves. There is a grotto there to make an offering of prayers for a healthy and happy new year. The tradition is to bring a picnic and gather up stones from the landscape, build a dream house, make a wish, and the dreams will come true. The first year that we went, we were the only non-indigenous participants. In recent years, we have seen more visitors participating with local Zapotec community members in the ancient celebration.

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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Oaxaca travel, Teotitlan del Valle

Tagged Christmas in Oaxaca, holidays, La Noche de los Rabanos, las cuevitas, New Year in Oaxaca, Posadas, Radish Festival, Santo Domingo church, Teotitlan del Valle, winter in Oaxaca

La Noche de los Rabanos

Posted on Monday, December 24, 2007 | 1 Comment

The Zocalo is filled with light, people from throughout Mexico and around the world, balloons, itinerant vendors, strolling musicians. The atmosphere is festive, celebratory, one of relief, for this is a different year than last and people are thankful. Tourists are returning, the Zocalo is alive, a 30 foot Christmas tree is studded with white lights, there are noche buena (poinsettias) everywhere, and ringing the Zocalo is the display that attracts crowds who stand in line for 5 and 6 blocks ringing the area to see ancient tradition of carving radishes. They are sliced, shredded, carved in stars and circles as if a chef were preparing a totally radish dinner.

They are stuck together with toothpicks and wire to create nativity scenes, farmers plowing fields atop oxen driven carts or mechanical plows, dancers at the Guelaguetza, musicians plucking guitars and blowing horns and beating drums. The radish carvers, mostly from the campo (the country) near Ocotlan, stand sentry making sure that no one disturbs their creations, frequently spraying water from pump bottles to keep wilting leaves and red radish skin fresh and shiny. The winner of the best carved scene will win $10,000 USD, a princely sum. We are sitting up above the crowd on the second floor in the white table clothed El Asador Vasco, twelve of us, Zapotecs and gringos, when the winner is announced. An immediate shower of white firecrackers cascade like a waterfall from the top floor of the government building to herald our attention that there is a winner; it is a solid wall of twinkling light that goes on for about 5 full minutes, or so it seems. Everyone runs to the edge of the wrought iron railing to take photos, to ooh and ahhh, and to experience the glorious celebration. Then, near the Castillo (which is what everyone calls the Cathedral) another round of firecrackers goes off into the sky. It is about 10:30 p.m. and there is still a long cue waiting to circle the display of radishes that surround the Zocolo. The line won’t diminish until about 2 or 3 a.m. My sister says she was there at 11 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. when the crowds were few, there was no wait, and she could see the people doing the carving and setting up. By 7 p.m. the line began the snake and the wait was at least 2-3 hours. One trick is go into the Zocalo from behind the display to avoid the wait, which is what I did. I didn’t get to see the full view, but could get a good sense of the carvings and some of the detail. Along one end of the U-shaped promenade is where people fashion corn husks into flowers, dioramas of the nativity, and a multitude of fanciful decorations that one can buy to take home. It’s much easier to see and buy from the “back” than from the promenade side of the display.

The food and ambience at El Asador Vasco, which is above El Jardin, is great and reasonably price. We had a seafood soup from the Isthmus, house wine, entrees, dessert and beverages for 12 people and the total bill including tip was a tad over $200 USD. The meal was leisurely over almost three hours, and we were entertained by a group of strolling Mexican minstrels with guitaron, mandolin, twelve-string guitar, six-string guitar, tamborine, and pandero (a percussion instrument). Their voices were clear, strong and beautiful. The group leader knew Federico from when Fede was on the school committee in Teotitlan and the leader taught school there.It was after midnight when we got back to the pueblo and we didn’t wake up until 10 a.m. on December 24. Tonight, we are celebrating with a big dinner for 12 at home hosted by Dolores and Federico. The table is decorated with succulents from Benito Juarez that we got at the village market this morning, corn husk flowers that I bought at La Noche de los Rabanos last night, and small votives. Our meal will include green corn sweet tamales fresh made in the village, a potato salad mixed with pineapple chunks, onions, green and red peppers and mushrooms, ponche (punch made with guava, raisins, manzanitas–little apples, sugar cane, canela-cinnamon, panela–sweet Oaxaca chocolate, and pastel de chocolate with mocha, champagne y vino y cerveza Noche Buena and Modelo Negro y Claro. The guests are arriving.