Posted onWednesday, March 20, 2024|Comments Off on Day of the Dead 2024 Photo Workshop Instructor Featured in Elle Magazine
Elle Magazine Mexico features an interview with photographer Luvia Lazo from Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca. Luvia is leading a photography workshop here in October 2024, just before Day of the Dead.
The interview is in Spanish, but you can use Google translate or just get the gist of it by looking at her extraordinary photographs.
Luvia speaks English and the workshop will be taught in English.
The workshop is a combination of street and portrait photography. You’ll meander the village to capture ancient archeological sites, open air markets, shops, studios and galleries. We will also be setting up formal portrait sessions with some of the people here we know and love focusing on multi-generational images.
Together, we will review our work, offer supportive feedback, share meals and mezcal, take a step back in time by exploring this 8,000 year old Zapotec village located about forty-minutes outside of Oaxaca city.
Hone your photography skills and get an insider’s view of the culture.
Posted onThursday, January 25, 2024|Comments Off on People and Place: Photography Workshop with Luvia Lazo in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
Three Days — October 27, 28, 29, 2024, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Arrive just before Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, to explore the Zapotec village of Teotitlan del Valle as preparations begin for this grand celebration to honor the ancestors. We take you inside people’s homes and workshops where you might never have access on your own. We explore the 17th century church, ancient archeological sites, the local market, and wander cobblestone streets to find hidden treasures that you will capture with your camera. We arrange portrait sessions with local families where we take you on an insiders journey to document how locals live and work.
We welcome novice and experienced photographers who want to capture people and place. We focus on portrait and street photography, how to look for that great shot and compose it for greatest impact. We do NOT teach you how to use your camera. We teach you what to look for, how to frame a photograph, perspective, how to determine what to shoot close-up and from a distance. We will discuss editing techniques, too. We welcome all types of cameras from DSLRs to iPhones.
Our workshop day is from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will meet each morning as a group to discuss process and technique, show our work, give and receive feedback. Then, we will venture out into the village to explore.
Your instructor is Luvia Lazo. She is featured in The New Yorker magazine. You can read more about Luvia and see her work on her website. You can also do a Google search to see and read more!
Luvia is described this way: Photography is her way of portraying the worlds to which she belongs. Her work aims to capture reality from the perspective of the contemporary Zapotec woman, creating a constellation of images through time and spaces in Oaxaca, documenting the generational gaps and the transformation of identities across ages.
She is a recipient of the Jóvenes Creadores grant of the FONCA 2020 (National Fund for the Culture of the Arts, Mexico) and inaugural recipient of the Indigenous photo grant 2021 supported by Leica and Photoville.
Cost: $995 per person. This includes three workshop days, all instruction, three lunches, and one Grand Finale Dinner where we present our best work.
The cost does not include lodging, breakfast or transportation. We recommend several bed-and-breakfast inns where you can book your lodging directly with the innkeeper at your own expense, once you register for the workshop. These are Casa Elena, La Cupula, and Las Granadas.
The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. We will send you meeting location and other details in late September. We suggest you book your lodging to arrive October 26 and depart on October 30.
Photos by Luvia Lazo
How to Reserve Your Space — We are limiting participation to 10 people.
We request payment in full to reserve. Payment can be made with a Zelle transfer (we will send you a request for funds when you send us how your Zelle account is registered), or we can send you a Square invoice to pay with a credit card (4% service fee added). Please advise which payment method you prefer.
Cancellations. $500 of your $995 registration fee is non-refundable. If you cancel on or before August 15, 2024, we will refund 50% of your deposit received to date less the $500 non-refundable fee. After August 15, there are no refunds. You may consider purchasing international travel insurance that would allow you to file a claim in the event you are unable to attend.
If we cancel for whatever reason, we will offer a 100% refund of all amounts received to date, less the non-refundable deposit.
NOTE: Covid is still with us. Please bring one Covid test kit and a face mask to use in crowded spaces and inside homes where there is no air circulation. Local people do not have wide access to effective vaccines and are very vulnerable to Covid. We urge you to be up-to-date with all vaccines, including influenza and RSV.
Walking and Group Courtesy: We are at almost 6,000 feet altitude. Streets and sidewalks are cobblestones, and narrow. We will do a lot of walking. We will walk a lot — up to 10,000 steps per day at a moderate pace. We recommend you bring a walking stick and wear sturdy shoes.
NOTE: If you have mobility issues or health/breathing impediments, please consider that this may not be the program for you.
Traveling with a small group has its advantages, and also means that independent travelers will need to make accommodations to group needs and schedule. We include plenty of free time to go off on your own if you wish.
We had the pleasure of hosting Nancy Craft and Esprit Travel + Tours in Oaxaca for nine days beginning on January 3. Nancy brought a group of fifteen people and we took them to all our favorite places to meet some of the most outstanding artisans in Oaxaca. We spent an afternoon in San Antonino Castillo Velsasco with Don Jose Garcia Antonio and his wife Teresita. He is a sculptor who went blind twenty-years ago from advanced glaucoma. Don Jose works in life-size clay figures and is repeatedly invited to participate in the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. Teresita is his muse and his eyes. She does the finish work. A total collaboration.
We are happy to organize and host tours for private groups in addition to our public programs. We also offer consulting services to NGOs, as well as designers, wholesalers and retailers who want to connect with artisans to create relationships. Interested? Contact us!
I first met Luvia more than ten years ago in Teotitlan del Valle, where she was born and raised and where I have lived since 2005. She was a budding young photographer then who had heart, soul, an artistic eye, creative energy and poor equipment. I invited her to participate at no cost in our 2013 Day of the Dead Photography Workshopin exchange for helping me arrange personal visits into the homes of local artisans. We were focusing on portrait and street photography, so having Luvia’s help was invaluable. Our participants loved Luvia and we raised funds among us to buy her a good Nikon DSLR camera. From there, it was only a matter of time!
In the last week, Vogue magazine published an article about the traje or indigenous garments of the villages represented in the folkloric extravaganza of Oaxaca called Guelaguetza. Luvia did the photography! It is a beautiful rendering of indigenous textiles and their meaning.
And, in March 2022, The New Yorker magazine published a feature about Luvia and her work, highlighting her innovative camera style in a photo essay about the elderly in Teotitlan del Valle — a tribute to her grandmother whom I knew and who helped raise her.
I’m in awe of who she has become and the trajectory of her accomplishments. I met her grandmother, who was frail and elderly, just before she passed. I know and admire her parents who operate a butcher shop in our village and sell at the daily market. They are warm, generous and hard-working people who are supportive of their daughter’s talents.
I took these photos in 2013 and at the time used my wasband’s name, which I changed to Schafer in 2016.
To demonstrate Luvia’s talent and her potential, these are the photos she took in 2013, too.
Note: We have a few spaces open for 2022 Day of the Dead Culture Tour. A perfect time to photography this pre-Hispanic Oaxaca ritual of honoring loved ones who have transitioned to the beyond.
Preamble: Our Day of the Dead Cultural Study Tour ended on November 4. Everyone tested negative for Covid to exit Mexico and re-enter the USA. We were all very relieved AND we practiced all safety measures during our time in the city and in Teotitlan del Valle — masks in all public spaces (even outdoors), social distancing, hand-sanitizer. Every artisan we visited (except one) was double-vaccinated. We won’t be visiting that artisan again — they were not disclosing! In Oaxaca, vaccine roll-out is slow and no one under 30 has been able to get the vaccine yet. It is a problem of availability and distribution.
I want to talk about how Day of the Dead has changed in Oaxaca and the villages. Years ago, when I first arrived in 2005 and for a decade after, when I went to the Teotitlan del Valle cemetery to participate in Day of the Dead, I was the only non-villager. I always went with local friends at sunset to be a part of the experience and I was mindful to keep as low a profile as possible, even though I knew I would stand out solely based on my skin color. I wore the traditional apron used by village women, came with offerings for the grave: flowers, oranges, chocolate, candles. Paid my respects by joining to sit quietly, mindful of my place as an outsider.
Then, and up until a few years ago, the grave sites of loved ones were surrounded by large gatherings of family members sitting, talking, taking sips of mezcal, placing last minute candles and flowers on the tomb mounds. It was a solemn and mystical time of tradition and respect. One that I hold close to my heart in meaning and symbolism for the circuity of life in pre-Hispanic culture here.
Last minute decorations. photo by Tiina Antiila
Now, it is different. Much different. I could see it coming even by 2016, when tour companies began to add the Teotitlan de Valle cemetery to its list of stops on their itineraries. Perhaps the mezcal culture has influenced this change, too, as drinking and enjoying Oaxaca cuisine has attracted the hedonists to experience an intense 5-day party weekend. I recall a National Geographic Photography Tour coming to the cemetery maybe in 2017 or 2018, huge cameras with impressive lenses in tow, not asking permission, setting up tripods and photos just a foot or two away. Now, with cell phone cameras, it is not as intrusive, but another phenomenon is happening.
Tomb with favorite foods, beverages of deceased
The atmosphere is more like Mardi Gras as face-painted revelers from the city embark from buses, vans and taxis. They are all foreigners, mostly from the USA. The cemetery is overwhelmed by them. I noticed that fewer locals were here this year.
Excavated tomb waiting for burial. Ancestor bones in bags will be reburied with corpse.
I asked my friend Natividad if she goes to the cemetery for Muertos. No, she said. It is like a fiesta. I don’t like it. I go another time, when it is quieter and I can sit without being disturbed. A widespread sentiment here, I think.
Sand painting carpet in chapel
As I sat with Norma Gutierrez and her daugher Lizet at her husband and father’s gravesite to remember Juvenal, age 52 who died of covid in a San Diego hospital, a face-painted woman approached to ask to take a photo (at least she asked). Remember Juvenal? We raised $3,000 to send his body home.
Norma nodded an okay. I looked at her and said, you can say no. (The circumstance felt invasive to me.) Her eyes said, Really? I can say no? So, she turned and said, No, and the woman walked away. This is a culture of being in agreement and it is a culture where women do not speak up as contrarians. So, when people do not object, it does not mean they are comfortable or in agreement.
If course you can take my photo, she says proudly
The flowers and graves were magnificent. A stark contrast to the predominantly Anglo dominance of the cemetery. I could not bring myself to photograph people sitting with their loved ones. I took photos of flowers and tomb altars. I wonder if I should continue to bring our small group of culturally sensitive travelers here in the future. Are we adding to the problem? Even as I prepared them with information about cultural meaning and cemetery protocol, it is difficult to not be a part of the cultural impact. We went to the cemetery accompanied by Ernestina and paid respects to her father Jose. I advised them to disperse and not walk around in intimidating groups larger than two or three people. We were all masked. It was 4:30 p.m. Still two hours of remaining daylight. Most of us left by 6:00 p.m.
Ernestina placing fruit on her father’s grave. Our group observes the tradition. The band plays on
In the cemetery chapel, the volunteer committee that oversees cemetery maintenance and religious traditions, chanted blessings in Zapotec and Spanish, kneeling before the altar. Outside, the village band started playing Sousa-like music. Visitors planted themselves on benches drinking beer and mezcal, while others began to dance vigorously. Some were picnicking on the grass, pulling out their mezcal bottles from backpacks.
I went to visit the grave of my friend Lupita, who died of breast cancer at age 48, four years ago. I was heartbroken and went home.
The village depends on tourism. Visitors keep weavers and restauranteurs in business. It is up to the village leadership to decide.
No explanation needed
It is difficult for me to suspend judgment. I ask myself, Is this cultural appropriate or insensitivity? What does it mean to be authentic? Does authentic mean to keep things the way they have always been and to prevent change from happening? Change is inevitable and who am I to say that we are are experiencing cultural degradation? It is up to the people who live here to decide.
As we sat around breakfast the next morning, I asked our group about their impressions. Here is what they said:
I was offended by the dancing. It seemed so out of place.
I’m tired of the commercial creep in the USA. That’s why I came here, for something more meaningful.
The face painting was out of place.
So many visitors were not wearing masks. I tried not to be judging and I noticed that in myself.
I walked by families sobbing from their loss surrounded by revelers. It was a real disconnect.
I saw outsiders going to graves, laying down flowers to express their sympathy.
I was conflicted — I wanted to be there and found it very uncomfortable.
I was angry at the tourists. Then, I was angry at myself to being a tourist and I had to walk away.
It was more powerful for me because we had all the preparation leading up to the cemetery visit.
It’s creeping commercialization. Will the town speak up?
Most of the graves were decorated in advance earlier in the day, so I suppose that’s when most of the villagers were there.
It was mixed for me. It was a privilege to be there, but I felt like an invader to private, sacred time. This is an intimate, family time.
The city is packed with tourists looking for smaller venues.
We know the culture! We are locally owned and operated.
Eric Chavez Santiago is Zapotec, born and raised in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca.
Norma Schafer has been living in Oaxaca for almost 20 years.
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What is a Study Tour: Our programs are learning experiences, and as such we talk with makers about how and why they create, what is meaningful to them, the ancient history of patterning and design, use of color, tradition and innovation, values and cultural continuity, and the social context within which they work. First and foremost, we are educators. Norma worked in top US universities for over 35 years and Eric founded the education department at Oaxaca’s textile museum. We create connection.
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October 27, 28, 29: People and Place Photography Workshop in Teotitlán Del Valle with Luvia Lazo, featured in The New Yorker Magazine. Portraits and Street Photography, recipient of Leica Women Foto Project Award Winner 2024. This is an insider's Street and Portrait photography experience. We visit families in their homes to arrange photo sessions, we take you on the back streets where tourists rarely go.
October 30: Day of the Dead in Teotitlan del Valle--Altars and Studio Visits. A one-day immersion into culture, traditions, and meaning in Teotitlan del Valle. In this traditional village, where the native language is still spoken, we take you to meet local artisans who also explain their personal family traditions including who and what is on the altar and why. P.S. We know Teotitlan. We live here!
November 1: Day of the Dead Magic in Mitla--Visit the cemetery with our local host, understand the meaning of the pre-Hispanic altar, help honor the ancestors with offerings, enjoy a traditional meal of mole negro, a feast day speciality in Mitla. A one-day immersion experience.
January 11-19, Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour. Visit five remote weaving villages on the Costa Chica--Pacific Coast. See backstrap loom weaving, natural dyeing with rare purple snail dye, diverse language, culture, food. Discover Afro-Mestizo roots. This is one of our more Amazing study tours! We will not offer this tour in 2026! Don't miss it.
February 6-15:Guatemala Textile Study Tour: Cloth and Culture. Discover Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Panajachel, Chichicastenango Market, and visit Coban where they weave fine gauze cloth called pikbil. SOLD OUT
March 12-17: Deep Into the Mixteca Alta: Oaxaca Textile + Folk Art Study Tour 2025. This is cultural immersion at its best! Following the Dominican Route, we visit potteries, churches, Triqui weavers working in natural dyes, a cooperative in Tijaltepec that makes smocked blouses, the expansive Tlaxiaco Saturday Tianguis. Experience another side of Oaxaca.
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Dye Master Dolores Santiago Arrellanas with son Omar Chavez Santiago, weaver and dyer, Fey y Lola Rugs, Teotitlan del Valle