Scott Roth on Rug Weaving Art History in Oaxaca, Mexico–Part 1
Scott Roth and I have been friends for about 15 years. I met him a few years after I first arrived in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, in 2005. Scott is a legend. He is one of the early adventurers who identified the weaving talent in the village, and intuited that blankets and rugs could be […]
Permanent Resident of Mexico: Green Card Equivalent
Today, after my third trip to Migracion in as many weeks, I picked up my official Residente Permanente card granted by the federal government of Mexico. I was surprised at myself: I couldn’t stop smiling. I’m thrilled, in fact, to now be an official part of this country I call home most of the year. […]
Happy Thanksgiving From Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico
I woke up early with the wind at my back, ready to get a jump on the Day of Giving Thanks. In Mexico we call it Dia de Accion de Gracias. It is a good day to take a walk and think about all the goodness of life. It was close to eight o’clock this morning […]
Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead: Talking With the Ancestors
The altar is complete. Dia de los Muertos — Day of the Dead– 2018 has passed. The difuntos, spirits of the ancestors, have returned to their resting places content that we have welcomed them back to earth for the day to celebrate their lives. Some of us talk to our parents, ask their advice, admonish […]
Day of the Dead — Dia de los Muertos — Is it Halloween?
Today is Halloween in El Norte, the northern part of North America aka USA. In southern North America aka Mexico, the celebration is very different. And, the border is more permeable so iconic images of carved pumpkins, witches on broomsticks, and the call of trick or treat are becoming part of the Mexican holiday landscape. Catholic […]
Oaxaca Rugs in Philadelphia, Pa.
Omar Chavez Santiago from Galeria Fe y Lola in Oaxaca is traveling with me to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the end of the week to start a series of rug exhibitions, sales and natural dye demonstrations. Events start on Saturday, October 27, 2018. We hope if you live in the region you can stop by. On […]
Day of the Dead 2019 Women’s Writing Retreat: How Memory Inspires Us
Arrive Wednesday, October 30 and leave Monday, November 4, 2019. The retreat can accommodate up to 10 women. We gather for Day of the Dead 2019 in the traditional Zapotec village of Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico to write with intention for five nights and four days. Day of the Dead inspires us to revisit our […]
Oaxaca Weaver in Raleigh-Durham, NC, October 17-21, 2018
Omar Chavez Santiago, a young talented weaver from Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, and Galeria Fe y Lola, will be in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina for a set of talks, cochineal dye demonstrations and textile sales from October 17 to October 21, 2018. Events are open to the public. Please attend and share widely! Thank […]
Oaxaca Cochineal Dye Workshop in Durham, North Carolina
Thanks to Wendy Sease at INDIO Durham, Omar Chavez Santiago is coming back to North Carolina in mid-October for a trunk show and natural cochineal dye workshop. He will also be demonstrating at Meredith College in a textile residency program. Cochineal is the insect that produces carminic acid (think Campari, lipstick, yogurt), that tantalizing RED […]
Oaxaca What-Nots and Rugs, Settling Into North Carolina
I’ve been in North Carolina for a week, arriving safely on the tail of Hurricane Florence. In some parts here, it is still treacherous, but not where I live when I’m here in Durham, NC. My two pieces of luggage each weighed in at 49 pounds and some ounces. Maximum is 50 pounds without penalty. […]
September 16: Viva Mexico, Independence Day from Spain
In villages and towns large and small, Independence Day is a big deal in Mexico. On September 16, 1810, the Grito, or Cry of Dolores was shouted by Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo in the Guanajuato town of Dolores (later renamed Dolores Hidalgo). On September 27, the revolutionaries, led by Augustin de Iturbide, marked into Mexico […]
Centro Cultural Communitario Teotitlan del Valle: Tribute to Cultural Heritage
It’s been a week since the new Community Cultural Center debuted on August 18, 2018 with a grand opening event. It was spectacular! What I love about the new Centro Cultural Communitario is it’s tri-lingual explanation of village life and values in Zapotec, Spanish and English. I also love the simplicity of PRODUCTORA’s architectural design that […]
Party for the Animals Fundraiser Report — Over the Goal
Thanks to everyone for your generosity! Yesterday’s fundraiser to support the Teotitlan del Valle Spay Neuter Clinic was a huge success. We raised over 8,000 pesos through local donations and 10,000 pesos from antique and collectible sales from Merry Foss’ bodega. Plus, I’m calculating that an added $485 USD came in via online donations through […]
Party for the Animals: Fundraiser for Teotitlan Spay-Neuter Clinic, Sunday, August 19, 2018
PLEASE SHARE. CAR POOL TO TEOTITLAN. GIVE. I will provide the famous Teotitlan del Valle mole amarillo con pollo tamales made by my neighbor Ernestina. She will also make delicious black bean tamales for the vegetarians among us. You bring the beverages. We want to raise 5,000 pesos. It costs 400 pesos total to spay […]
In Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca It’s Dance of the Feather with Basketball and HonkeyTonk Fair
There’s a lot going on this week in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, where I live part of the year. Next to the Church of Jesus Christ of the Precious Blood and the annual saint’s day celebrations honoring the church founding with the Dance of the Feather, there is a carnival fair with kiddie rides, a […]
Preview: Teotitlan del Valle Celebrates Village Life with Basket Parade
The fiesta in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, is an annual event, always celebrated the first week in July. This year it continues through July 9. I’m posting the schedule below for those of you in Oaxaca. This is a festival that honors the village church, Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Senor Jesucristo. This is a religious […]
Long Day, Soft Landing to Oaxaca, Mexico — City Mouse, Country Mouse
Life is bimodal. I’m a city mouse in Durham, North Carolina, and a country mouse in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. Federico says I’m an honorary Zapoteca although I can only say hello and raise a toast in his native language. For the time being, I travel back and forth, with roots in both places with […]
Women’s Writing Retreat in Oaxaca, Mexico: Take a Discount and Express Yourself
This is our 8th year to offer the Oaxaca Women’s Creative Writing and Gentle Yoga Retreat from June 22-29, 2018. We want a full-house and are offering a 10% discount off the already high-value, low price of $895 for a shared room and $1195 for a single room. It’s not too late to get on […]
Omar’s Discovery Tour: A First Visit to the USA
Omar Chavez Santiago is twenty-four years old. He is a weaver and natural dyer from Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico. Last year, he graduated with a degree in industrial engineering after studying for four years at Anahuac University in Oaxaca. He is at a cross-roads. Does he pursue a professional engineering career and move to […]
Mexico Trunk Show Going to Asheville, Last Day in Durham, North Carolina
INDIO Durham — Final Day Today, 1-5 pm We have had a successful show at INDIO Durham, thanks to owner Wendy Sease and our many NC friends. This is our last day, so if you live around the NC Triangle please stop by to say hello. We have many beautiful things to show you. We […]
North Carolina Hosts Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Weaver with Two Trunk Shows
Omar Chavez Santiago is a fifth generation weaver from Teotitlan del Valle who works in natural dyes. His family operates Galeria Fe y Lola in Oaxaca city. I asked my Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) to alert the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City that Omar was coming on March 1, 2018, for his visa interview. Few […]
Mexico in Durham, North Carolina: Art & Textiles Trunk Show
INDIO owner Wendy Sease recently traveled with me to Chiapas. She bought up beautiful treasures for her shop. I’ve just returned to my apartment in Durham, North Carolina, for a couple of months with three suitcases filled with textiles and jewelry. We decided to collaborate. YOU ARE INVITED. Bring a friend. Plus, the BIG news […]
Leftover Rosca de Reyes Bread Pudding Recipe
After about a day, Rosca de Reyes becomes more like dry cake, good for dunking into coffee or hot chocolate, but not so tasty for eating plain. What to do? Make bread pudding, of course. I got a little carried away in the Teotitlan del Valle market and bought three Roscas. They are so pretty. […]
Rosca de Reyes and Three Kings Day in Oaxaca
Here in Oaxaca the tradition is to celebrate Three Kings Day, Dia de los Reyes, January 6, with gift-giving to the children. Godparents visit the homes of godchildren, godchildren come to the homes of godparents. They will present a Rosca de Reyes, that translates to wreath of the kings. They sit down to a cup of […]
Sunset at Las Cuevitas 2018: The Sacred Caves of Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
Beyond the town’s paved roads, back into the hills far from the village center, is the sacred site Teotitecos call Las Cuevitas. It is the third night, January 2, of a weeklong New Year’s observance practiced here in Teotitlan del Valle long before the Spanish Conquest. For the ancients, the moon set the calendar. A […]
Happy New Year — Feliz Año Nuevo — Let’s Celebrate with Pozole
I decided to have a very small New Year’s Eve birthday celebration, invite a few Zapotec friends and the family I live with to lunch, and prepare pozole. I made this in North Carolina for Dia de los Muertos, but adapted the recipe for ingredients I could find there. Here, in the Teotitlan del Valle […]
Feliz Fiestas and Happy Holidays from Oaxaca, Mexico
It’s a warm, sunny day here in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico. Temps are in the mid-70’s Fahrenheit and there’s a breeze. It will get down to 52 degrees tonight. A perfect day to welcome Baby Jesus to the world here in the southern part of North America. There’s a band playing at the December […]
Christmas Posadas in Teotitlan del Valle, Nine Days of Awe
Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico celebrates the winter holiday with a posada on nine nights before Christmas Day, starting on December 15. Starting yesterday afternoon and going into the night, I participated with a small group of visitors from the USA, Canada and Ireland interested in joining me to explore the history, culture and traditions […]
Dance of the Feather Tribute to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
Teotitlan del Valle‘s Los Danzantes are famous throughout the Valles Centrales de Oaxaca. They make a commitment to the church four years before they actually begin their three-year term to perform La Danza de la Pluma — The Dance of the Feather — at all village festivals. Honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe, Queen of Mexico, […]
Queen of Mexico: Celebrating the Virgin of Guadalupe in Teotitlan del Valle
The three-day celebration in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico, leading up to December 12 to honor Mexico’s favorite saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe, started on December 10 with a 5 p.m. calenda (procession) that began in the church courtyard. But, I arrived early, at 1 p..m., to find a couple celebrating a wedding in the […]