On the second day of our photography workshop in Teotitlan del Valle, our instructor, Luvia Lazo Gutierrez, made appointments with families to visit them in their homes. This was an incredible exercise to capture a more intimate view of village life and to understand the technical aspects of light, shadow, distance, and perspective. Luvia, whose work is featured in The New Yorker magazine, Vogue magazine, and represented in U.S. galleries, made suggestions for ways to best focus on portrait elements. In addition, we took turns photographing each other, which was very fun.
We visited two weaving families and a practice session for the new Dance of the Feathers group. Luvia asked us to look at subjects differently — to move close up with our feet rather than using the zoom feature, to focus on elements such as hands and feet or a particular section of the body. We challenged ourselves to be more conceptual rather than literal. It was an excellent learning experience.
Since it’s Halloween today, I want to make an important distinction between this tradition rooted in Catholicism, and Day of the Dead which is rooted in pre-Hispanic indigenous tradition. Day of the Dead is NOT Halloween. It is an important ritual to remember, respect, and honor those we love who have passed before us. It is quiet, reflective, introspective, and reverent. We sit at gravesites cleaned and decorated with fresh flowers, fruit, vegetables, drinks that loved ones preferred, talk to them, and feel their presence even though they are gone from us.
Visitors have brought the film Coco to Oaxaca, with face painting, revelry, and little understanding of indigenous culture. Day of the Dead is NOT this.
We gathered in photographer Luvia Lazo Gutierrez’s studio this morning at 9:30 a.m. to start our three-day photography workshop in Teotitlan del Valle. We are here to explore the Day of the Dead visual landscape of the village, gain creative insights and technical skills, and see the world through a more defined lens. I found myself noticing more details and finding the particularities of an object rather than stepping back to see the bigger picture.
This year, I sold a photograph to Scholastic Magazine and to a few others over the years. However, I’m not a professional. I always consider myself open to learning something new and to have my work (in whatever medium) evaluated with constructive feedback from others. That’s why I’m participating. Plus, it’s an inspiration and fun to walk around the village with Luvia, who was born and raised here. She has a lot of knowledge and is an excellent teacher. We trailed her like ducklings.
Apple flew Luvia to Cupertino recently to participate in the launch of the iPhone 16. They gave her a new phone (which behaves more like a point-and-shoot camera) plus a computer. At age 34, she is a success story. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker Magazine. She is recognized as an up-and-coming artist by Leica and Fujifilm, and she was selected for a five-month artist residency next year in New York. I’ve known Luvia since she was age 18, when she was first starting out in photography. She worked with me then to help organize Oaxaca programs taught by faculty from the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies. I’m proud to think I had a little something to do with getting her started.
Being part of a small group is very supportive and energizing. We also learn from each other, and while we notice the same things, we have different points of view. That can be very instructive as we share our work with each other.
After visiting the village market this morning and the cemetery this afternoon, we were asked to create a personal narrative through the photographs we will take over these three days. Luvia encourages us to tell a story to honor someone we love who has passed since we are here for Day of the Dead. She describes using photos to write a letter to a loved one rather than words. This could include images of favorite food and drink, flowers, colors. She says that when you learn to tell a story you have a tool for photography. With photography, your subconscious is always working.
Luvia also asks us not to be attached to every photograph we take and experiment. She suggests that we get closer, change angles, and choose a different perspective by photographing from below or above a subject. Photography can be conceptual rather than literal. She showed us photos of cactus leaves, for example, that looked like sculpture because they were close-ups and the eye saw the smooth skin of a corner of a plant rather than the whole.
If we want to take a photo of a person, Luvia reminded us to ask permission first: Puedo a tomar su foto?
Tomorrow, we plan to be at the market very early to capture the morning light, and then visit families where we will take portraits.
Here are a few of my favorite shots from today. I am using my iPhone. Others are using DSLR and mirrorless cameras.
For the black-and-white photos, I use an App called TinType. I like it because it plays with depth of field and shadows.
On Monday, despite bumping around a bit in the sky atop the last remnants of a tropical storm that painted a picturesque landscape of layered clouds as we came in for a landing, I arrived in Oaxaca. Re-entry was easy. I’m always grateful to pick up my luggage from the conveyor belt after passing through immigration, and then hit the button for customs. Hit a green button and you are waived through. Hit a red button and you are pulled aside to have your luggage inspected. It’s the luck of the draw.
We walked to dinner at Sur a Norte, an always reliable favorite cafe bar that serves up very good food at a fair price. You can almost reach out and touch Santo Domingo church, located just across the cobblestone road. We recommend the tacos (any flavor will do).
Over the next two days in the city, I walked ten to twelve thousand steps each day. I covered a lot of territory. What I noticed was the proliferation of mezcal bars and tasting rooms. There is, it seems, one on every street corner, plus another one or two mid-block. No one has to leave Oaxaca thirsty. After all, we are billed as the mezcal capital of the world. Most don’t open until late afternoon, but that won’t stop a serious drinker from finding an open watering hole.
My first destination on Tuesday morning, after breakfast with Carol, Elsa and Eric at Yegole in Jalatlaco (more about this later), I headed to my favorite haberdashery, Alberle Hats on Calle Armenta y Lopez, southeast of the Zocalo. This time, instead of my usual beaver felted hat (half the cost of any in the USA), I wanted a handwoven straw hat from Michoacan. It’s still warm and sunny here, despite the fact that Taos, New Mexico, weather is cooling down to what my body calls almost frigid. Nightime lows there are thirty-six degrees. Brrrr.
The breakfast at Yegole was so delicious and satisfying — a gluten-free house-made toasted bagel slathered in bacon, cheese, grilled onions, and avocado — that I wanted another opportunity the following morning to indulge in chilaquiles with green salsa with an over-easy egg and well-cooked bacon on the side. Oh, I forgot to mention that on both days I ordered a banana-chocolate smoothie that was like eating dessert. Why not?
We managed to snag a lunch table later in the afternoon at Los Danzantes, by far my favorite Oaxaca restaurant. It is almost impossible to get in now, and I don’t think I’ve dined there in over two years. Don’t miss the coconut coated giant shrimp. I had two vegetable dishes, one a roasted cauliflower and the other roasted carrots floating on a beet puree. The best dessert is the goat cheese flan and we indulged.
While I’m not shopping for much, I did a loop through Miniso. This is a Chinese-Japanese owned variety store that features an excellent assortment of household items, cosmetics, toys, tech gizmos, stationery, and doo-dads. There is always something there that I need and want!
Then, it was off to Xiguela organic food store in Jalatlaco to stock up on lettuce (pre-washed and sanitized), zucchini, tomatoes, Manchego cheese, and avocados. Here in Oaxaca, the avocados are about ten cents each. We eat a lot of them. They were out of miso soup, so I’m going to need to go scouting.
It’s a week before Dia de los Muertos. The city is beginning to decorate and the state-sponsored tianguis — the outdoor shopping mall housed under tents near Santo Domingo Church — are being erected. The decor continues to be over the top exciting and each year there is a surprise that hangs over the main walking street, Andador Macedonio Alcala.
We can fit one more person into our October 30, Day of the Dead Tour, and we can take two more in our Teotitlan photography workshop from October 27 to 29 with Luvia Lazo. If you are in Oaxaca now, consider joining us.
Day of the Dead in Oaxaca is a magical experience, especially if you spend it in the villages. This December will mark my twentieth year of being there. I’m thinking about how to celebrate and involve you in the celebration! All ideas and suggestions are welcome. In 2007 i began writing this blog, so another celebration will come up in two years. We need to consider many ways we can celebrate this year as contentious politics feel so overwhelming. (I voted today, BTW).
It’s always hard getting ready to leave and figure out what to pack. I packed and repacked my luggage several times today. I imagine I will continue to edit it so I can carry one medium-size suitcase. I leave Taos on Saturday and will spend two nights with my son and daughter-in-law in Albuquerque before flying south on Monday. It’s not too soon. A cold front came in yesterday, the skies are cloudy and overcast and rain is coming that could turn to snow flurries. This is what happens here in mid-October. It’s Mother Nature helping us get ready for winter. An extra bag is filled with winter outerwear; I’ll leave it behind to have it when I get back in mid-November in time for the holidays.
This year Muertos will be extra-special. My photographer friend Luvia Lazo will be leading a three-day workshop photo experience in Teotitlan del Valle from October 27 to October 29. I’m going to participate. Luvia explains that each of us will create a small photography project with a narrative — telling a story through photographs. We will cover basic technical concepts like ISO, aperture and shutter speed, adapting the session to those of us who use iPhones. We will practice taking portraits, do field photography practice by visiting the homes of local people, and iconic sites around the village. Luvia will focus on capturing light and shadow, as well as surreal environments. Each day, participants will present their photographs and receive constructive feedback.
If this is something that interests you, please send me an email. We have space for two more people!
The following day, Eric Chavez Santiago is leading a group of 15 people (we have room for one more person) to explore Dia de los Muertos through the eyes of artisans. For this Day of the Dead Bucket List Tour, the group will visit the market, make an altar, participate in an indigo dye workshop, have a traditional lunch with a local family, and better understand how a traditional Oaxaca village celebrates the memory of her ancestors through conversation and a unique experience.
Then, after Muertos is over, I’ll be taking the dogs for a walk in the campo, catching up with friends, and talking with rug designer/importer Scott Roth about writing his memoir about Oaxaca life in the 1970s when he first came as a young man from Southern California. Scott was one of the first people to transform woven textiles known as serapes and blankets into floor rugs to meet the demand for Santa Fe Style. By the way, I’m recovering from spinal fusion surgery very well and intend to do a lot of walking (with the aid of two hiking poles).
I hope you continue to read the blog and think about when you will come to Oaxaca to experience the richness of culture — and if you hve been before, think about when you will return.
I’m smitten with indigo. I first fell in love with it years ago in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I discovered it is grown along the tropical, humid southern coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The type of indigo grown in Oaxaca is a different strain. The botanical name for the Oaxaca indigo plant is Indigofera suffruticosa, also known as Añil. This species is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, including southern Mexico. It is different from that grown in Asia or Africa, and yields a different intensity of blue. To go deeper into Oaxaca indigo, please read this piece I published in 2012.
Japanese Indigo, Persicaria tinctoria or Polygonum tinctoria (also known as Tadeai) is a frost-tender member of the knotweed family. Originally thought to be introduced from India and China via the silk trade, it likes to grow in warm, moist climates, often as a waterside plant. This plant thrives in the more temperate climate of Japan.
It was only natural that on this second trip to Japan (my first was in 2019), I would again pursue indigo. I took an indigo dye workshop and sought out a sashiko embroiderer who dyes her threads with indigo and stitches on naturally dyed indigo cloth. I should call this Japanese heaven. I was in my element!
Known in Japan as ‘aizome’, indigo dye is so integrated into Japanese society that this deepest, entrancing shade is often referred to as “Japan blue.” Evidence suggests that indigo production began in Japan as early as the 6th and 7th centuries. Because it was so difficult to produce, indigo was reserved for the wealthiest and most important members of society, particularly aristocrats and royalty. It was discovered, too, that Japanese indigo dyed fabric has many medicinal properties; its insect repelling and anti-bacterial qualities made it a popular choice for Samurai soldiers charging out into bloody battles.
Historically, it was also used to color workers’ garments and textiles for daily use. The traditional methods of fermentation and oxidization are used to achieve the various shades of blue. Color intensity is also controlled by the number of dips a yarn or textile is submerged into the dye pot. The indigo in Japan can yield a much stronger blue on plant fibers such as cotton or linen, than in Oaxaca. Yet, the color of Oaxaca indigo on wool is spectacular.
In Oaxaca, indigo dyeing has a long history, dating back to pre-Hispanic times. Indigenous Oaxaca Zapotec and Mixtec weavers used this amazing blue for traditional ceremonial textiles as well as for clothing worn by royalty. The dyeing process is deeply tied to local crafts and cultural heritage here, too.
When Annie and I returned to Tokyo for a week after visiting Kyoto and Takayama, we took an indigo dye workshop in a neighborhood on the city’s outskirts. It took us about a half-hour train ride to get there. We took the workshop organized by Aikuma Japanese Dyes–Japanese Dyeing Workshops. The owner is Yuta Yasuda, and his family has owned the company that supplies dyers since the late 1800’s. Yuta speaks excellent English and arranged for his colleage, dye master Morito, to lead the workshop. Yuta translated, but it was easy to pick up the techniques just by watching.
We used a rice paste resist and stencils made with Japanese washi paper. To make the rice paste Morito used three parts of rice bran to two parts of rice flour. Rice bran is a by-product of sake production, so nothing is wasted! The labor to harvest rice and indigo crops immigrate from Vietnam, Kurdistan, Turkey and China. Farms need lower cost labor, just as we do in the United State of America.
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Eric Chavez Santiago is tri-lingual --Spanish, English, Zapotec.
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What is a Study Tour: Our programs are learning experiences, and as such we talk with makers about how and why they create, what is meaningful to them, the ancient history of patterning and design, use of color, tradition and innovation, values and cultural continuity, and the social context within which they work. First and foremost, we are educators. Norma worked in top US universities for over 35 years and Eric founded the education department at Oaxaca’s textile museum. We create connection.
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December 6-14: Oaxaca Textile Tour and Workshopsincluding dye and weaving workshops, Tlacolula market, spinning village visits, plus lots more. With Fiber Circle Studio, Petaluma, California. Registration open!
January 11-17, Deep Dive Into Oaxaca: Cooking, Culture + Craft.Take a cooking class and printmaking workshop, visit artisan studios, weavers, and potteries, eat street tacos, taste artisanal mezcal, shop at markets, and explore the depths. SOLD OUT
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