Tootling Around the Villages in Oaxaca
We weren’t exactly going off on a tangent, getting sidetracked, or wandering aimlessly. We had a plan. I spent Thursday and Friday last week taking friends to visit artisans down MEX 190 — the Panamerican Highway — to visit makers I have known for years. Oh, and did I say it’s 80 degrees Fahrenheit here […]
Traditional Cooks: Eating in Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca
We know the Sunday market (tianguis) in Tlacolula is amazing. When you visit Oaxaca, this is a don’t miss it moment! (Order a map from us to find your way around.) And, if you want the real deal in Oaxaca food, you want to try out one of the off-the-beaten-path traditional cocina de humo comedors […]
Encore: Visiting the Tlacolula Market and Mitla Archeological Site
My friend Chris is visiting from Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Guadalajara within a few days after my son and daughter-in-law returned to New Mexico. And, I’m returning to the USA on March 27, just a few days after Chris goes back home to Guad. So, its a whirlwind of getting ready to leave and sightseeing with […]
Humble Apron Elevates to Fashion Statement and Identity in Oaxaca, Mexico
Here in the Tlacolula Valley, and most villages surrounding the city of Oaxaca, the apron is more than a utilitarian article of clothing used to protect the wearer’s garment from getting soiled. It is a statement of identity, style, and social class. Walk around the Tlacolula Market on Sunday, or any day for that matter, […]
Red Pottery of San Marcos Tlapazola, Tlacolula, Oaxaca
My dad was a potter and I grew up with a potter’s wheel and an electric kiln in our garage. Tools were piled on the table, where also sat clay forms drying to the leather hard before he put them into the oven. This is where he would go to work when he came home from […]
Another Tlacolula Market Sunday, Fiesta of Our Lady of the Rosary
The festival of Our Lady of the Rosary — Fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario — is a big deal in Tlacolula de Matamoros, the county seat for the Tlacolula valley part of the Valles Centrales de Oaxaca.To give you a sense of it, I’ve changed the blog header once again. Last Sunday huge crowds […]
Another Tlacolula Market Sunday: Guajolote Shopping
We didn’t set out to buy two cute, baby guajolotes. It just happened. An impulse purchase, you might say. My impulses tend to center around clothes, jewelry, or maybe a larger than necessary size ice cream cone. My Zapotec neighbors, on the other hand, covet what they can add to their barnyard. Where I live […]
Christmas in Oaxaca: Three Wise Men and Rosca de Reyes
It feels like springtime here in Oaxaca, although we are still celebrating Christmas. Yesterday was downright warm, with temperatures rising to the low 80’s, though nights can be a chilly 45 or 50 degrees. Christmas here is an elaborate and lengthy celebration, starting on December 12 to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe and officially ending […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Comfort
One of life’s simple pleasures is to put up our hammock, curl up with a book, and look out at the Oaxaca mountain peaks that surround us. Most days are like this! Comfortable. There are two or three weavers of handmade cotton hammocks at the Tlacolula market now. They display their craft on Sundays — […]
Zapotec Fashionistas Know — It’s All in the Apron
What does the stylish Zapotec woman wear? Why, an apron, of course! Aprons with ruffles, embroidery, scalloped detailing, lace, deep pockets and a secure button closure with waist tie are the ubiquitous fashion statement in the Tlacolula valley of Oaxaca. The center of apron fashionistas is the Sunday Tlacolula Market. There, an entire aisle is […]
Oaxaca: Tlacolula Market & Hammock Shopping
Our quest for this Sunday’s Tlacolula market was to buy two handwoven cotton hammocks for the casita, a table for our bedroom, and a lot of fresh fruit for munching on. The entire family piled into two cars, and with shopping bags and baskets in hand, we set off for this famous tianguis that has […]