Honoring the Life, Marking the Death of Francisco Toledo
News came in this morning that Francisco Toledo died last night at age 79, a number I no longer consider to be relevant. He was an iconic figure in Oaxaca and Mexico. Maestro Toledo was a champion for human rights and righteousness, for all the goodness in people, for the aesthetic beauty of our city […]
Oaxaca Art Glass Studio Tour: Recycled Beauty Makeover
It’s definitely ugly out there at the industrial park in Magdalena Apasco Etla, Oaxaca, where the experimental glass studio Xaquixe is located. A mound of empty bottles — clear, brown and green — sits at the far end of the property, waiting to be broken up, melted and shaped. There’s a two-story metal silo where […]
Oaxaca’s Ethnobotanical Garden: Rooted in Cultural History
Rather than give you another review of Oaxaca’s Ethnobotanical Garden, I thought I would share this excellent article recently published in Garden Design Magazine. It has lots of photos of this remarkable space. Thanks to Mary Ann Walsh who follows this blog and shared the link with me. Check the Garden for availability of guided […]
Oaxaca and Family Travel
A reader just wrote to me with the following questions: Is Oaxaca safe for families? and What do we do once we get there? I think you will find Oaxaca a very welcoming place for families. A friend, her husband and two pre-teens lived in Oaxaca for a year “on sabbatical” to have a different […]
Francisco Toledo’s Kites
Kites, left to right: Francisco Toledo’s handmade paper kite; kite back; Eric Chavez Santiago’s Zapotec greca kite; kite back; Norma with kites. Up in the hills in San Augustin Etla, about 30 minutes north of Oaxaca city, is the paper making workshop of Francisco Toledo. Artists and apprentices first make the handmade paper, decorate the […]