Tonight, Stephen and I are going to hear a Witness for Peace (WFP) presentation at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Church in Chapel Hill (106 Purefoy St.) about their work in Oaxaca.
Tony Macias is one of four WFP team members in Oaxaca and former assistant director of North Carolina Student Action with Farmworkers. He and his co-worker Moravia de la O arranged for a local delegation — Sharon Mujica, Alan Young, Eduardo Lapetina and Jane Stein — to visit the region and they just returned. They will be sharing their experiences and points of view about the economic conditions, immigration issues, and community survival in Oaxaca.
Witness trips seek to equip both travelers and their audiences to press for sensible and humane economic and immigration policy.
This is important work! We see the impact of the severe international economic crisis on the streets of Oaxaca — there are fewer visitors than usual, and this is having a huge impact on the ability of crafts people and artists to sustain themselves.
My goal is to help bring affordable travel to Oaxaca and bring visitors in contact directly with artisans who create extraordinary work. We are all in this together! Abrazos fuerte. -Norma
This is the flyer I’ll be distributing tonight. Please pass the flyer!
Oaxaca Festivals: Parade of the Baskets, Teotitlan del Valle 2011
Janet Chavez Santiago with her cousins
Summer is a great time to travel to and explore Oaxaca, Mexico. The famed Parade of the Baskets, or Calenda de las Canastas, begins in the church courtyard on the late afternoon of July 5 and kicks off the five-day patron saint day celebration of Teotitlan del Valle. It is called Parade of the Canastas because of the heavy baskets the young women carry on their heads in processional throughout the village.
Cousins from Teotitlan del Valle and Arizona, USA
More than 100 young women gather in the church courtyard where the parade begins. The procession includes the young women, the band, the dancers who have made the three-year commitment for the Dance of the Feather, village leaders, and little boys who have been selected to carry festival banners.
El Danzante de la Pluma
Village band accompanies the procession
All will wind through the streets of the village for about an hour and a half so everyone has a chance to pay homage and tribute. Men who ignite firecrackers will signal the arrival of the procession along the way.
Procession leaders carry the baskets of patron saint: El Senor Jesucristo with white roses
Festival banners and bamboo poles wave high
The patron saint of Teotitlan del Valle is Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo — Church of Jesus Christ of the Precious Blood.
Carrying the basket requires balance and strength
The baskets are heavy. It is an honor and commitment for the young women who are selected to carry them. Frequent stops to rest help immensely!
On July 6, 7, and 9, the Dance of Feather will also take place in the church courtyard, marking the story of the fall of Moctezuma and the conquest of Mexico by Cortes.
Two jesters mock both Cortes and Moctezuma
For an unparalleled photography experience, see Day of the Dead Photography Expedition 2011. We are accepting registrations now.
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