Tag Archives: Juchitan

Oaxaca Earthquake Damage Extensive: Urgent Support Needed

Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 | 19 comments

I’m putting out another donation call to help the Oaxaca earthquake victims. The situation is dire along Oaxaca’s southern coast and particularly in the city of Juchitan de Zaragoza.

click here to watch BBC video of earthquake devastation

There are two ways to donate that I know your gifts will go directly to the people in need. They are trusted to know where the funds can be used.

To Francisco Toledo Foundation Francisco Toledo’s Foundation IAGO (Instituto Artes Graficas de Oaxaca) https://www.paypal.me/donativoistmo
To anthropologist Denise Lechner who is working in the field https://www.paypal.me/deniselechner

Francisco Toledo is a renown Oaxaca artist-activist who was born and raised in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, that suffered the most severed earthquake damage.

Denise Lechner is a personal friend who has worked with artisan communities along the coast of Oaxaca for years. Go to her Facebook page to see photos of the affected areas.

Report From Barbara Cleaver, Hotel Santa Fe, Puerto Escondido

Our hotel in Puerto has been one of the gathering places for donations: Denise Lechner has been on top of encouraging donations, and then driving them to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

We too have donated, both in money and in supplies, and will do more.
So much damage! In Tehuantepec, Chiapa de Corzo, up in Mixe country….but Juchitan de Zaragoza is a disaster zone.

I encourage everyone that can give anything, to do so. Please.
Thank you.

Friends, if everyone who reads this sends something ( 5$/ 20$/ more if you can afford it), it would make a huge difference.

Some places have even lost access to water, as wells have collapsed or been buried by rubble. This is the largest earthquake to hit Mexico in 100 years…please help if you possibly can.

The news of the extent of the damage of this earthquake is overshadowed by the drama of the terrible hurricanes … but Mexico needs help.

Something on the order of 1,000 houses have been damaged in Juchitan, along with public buildings.

Bad damage ( and slow help ), with many houses down, in San Mateo del Mar (an important weaving village on the coast — near Laguna Superior on the map). I have not yet heard from San Francisco del Mar.

Houses rendered uninhabitable in Tehuantepec; I don’t know how many because it is still hard to get through to anyone, but we were able to talk to one friend. Her wonderful old house is probably beyond repair and she says others, too.

Power out/ many ( but not all) phones out.

Chiapa de Corzo, the wonderful old fountain from the 1500’s, and some houses; again, I don’t know how much.

So many places!

The more I hear, the worse it gets…

We sent supplies with Denise and now we are going to send money so she can buy what she sees is needed.

You can tell your people to have full confidence in Denise..I certainly do.

Hijole…

It was a huge long quake, and there have been so many aftershocks, off Chiapas and off Salina Cruz.

Thank you for putting the information out there, Norma!

19 Comments

Posted in Cultural Commentary

Tagged donation, earthquake, gifts, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Juchitan, Mexico, Oaxaca, support

Juchitan, Oaxaca Endangered Language (Zapotec) and Poetry Project

Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 | Comments Off

This video is about helping to keep an ancient language — Zapotec — alive. This project is based in Juchitan, Oaxaca, in the Isthmus at the southernmost end of the state and is about preserving Isthmus-spoken Zapotec. It combines poetry, art, and film making. Thanks to reader Mary Ann Walsh for sending it our way! Zapotec has many different spoken variations or dialects. Villagers in the Oaxaca valley may not even completely understand each other because of linguistic differences. One thing is for certain, young people, as they migrate to cities for jobs or want to assume more “modern” ways, are giving up the language of their forebearers. Centro Cultural y Academico San Pablo in Oaxaca is also committed to language and culture preservation.

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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged blogsherpa, Juchitan, language, linguistics, Mexico, Oaxaca, preservation, Zapotec

Muxes of Juchitan, Oaxaca

Posted on Monday, December 8, 2008 | Comments Off

There is an innate cultural acceptance — nay, welcoming — of homosexuality in Oaxaca that is integral to the Zapotec community. Indigenous families throughout the Oaxaca state believe that boys who choose female identity and attributes have special powers. I have met many lesbian women, especially expatriates living in Oaxaca who find great comfort and acceptance for their lifestyle. It is no big deal — just part of life. Much has been written by anthropologists and sociologists about Zapotec sexual identity and I am not an expert. So, I would refer you to other sources if you’d like to know more. Meanwhile, the link above takes you to a NY Times story published on December 7, 2009 that has a bit of explanation. The Muxes of Juchitan, Oaxaca

Juchitan is at the apex of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, six hours south of Oaxaca city by bus through a treacherous mountain highway on the way to Chiapas and Guatemala. Zapotec rulers came here to build a stronghold against and to escape the Aztecs and it was the center of political life. From Juchitan it is easy to get to the coast — to Huatulco, Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido. The fabulous embroidered huipiles resplendant with huge floral patterns are the hallmark of Juchitan women, who are famous for their strength and independence and beauty.