#QuidateEnCasa: In Oaxaca, Stay Home Order Cancels Good Friday
Stay Safe at Home. Today, on Good Friday, I immediately think of the 1964 Simon & Garfunkel song, The Sounds of Silence, knowing that the traditional Semana Santa celebrations in Oaxaca and my town, Teotitlan del Valle, have been cancelled. For religion to be cancelled in Mexico, this is a very serious time! On April […]
Natural Dyes and Indigo Blue Easter Eggs
I’ve never seen dyed Easter eggs here in Oaxaca, but perhaps someone could correct me if I just haven’t noticed them. Yet, here we are in the world of natural dyes. My personal favorite is indigo blue. So, when this post from Improvised Life came to my inbox this morning, I felt compelled to share […]
Semana Santa–Easter Holy Week in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
As I write, someone is in the bell tower pulling the rope that rings the campana — a clarion call to gathering. Today is El Lunes Santo in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. You still have time to catch a taxi or colectivo from Oaxaca to arrive for the 9 a.m. mass in the Preciosa Sangre de […]
In Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Only Some Call It Carnaval
The Monday after Easter in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico, begins a five-day ritual practice about sustaining community. This is an ancient tradition that pre-dates the Spanish conquest of 1521. Some call it Carnaval (aka Mardi Gras) but it isn’t. It is called Baile de los Viejos or Dance of the Old Men, according to my […]
Easter Week Begins: Lunes Santo or Holy Monday in Oaxaca
Lunes Santo or Easter Monday is celebrated with reverence in the Oaxaca village of Teotitlan del Valle where I am living. This is a day of prayers and offerings, of procession and peace. The week before Easter, known as Semana Santa in Mexico, begins on Palm Sunday. After a 7:30 a.m. mass, the volunteer church […]
Carnival in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico
Carnival is a Catholic festival traditionally celebrated before Lent, six weeks before Easter. In Mexico it combines masquerade, dancing, music and mucho mezcal and is usually a two-day event that goes long into the night. Here in Teotitlan del Valle, the rug weaving village located about 15 miles outside of Oaxaca city in the Tlacolula […]
Portrait Photography Workshop in Oaxaca: Good Friday–Day Five
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 […]
Lunes Santos Procession Celebrates Easter Monday
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 […]