Monday, March 19, 2007
Last day!
Karen, Mariana and I went over to Marco Polo for our last breakfast. (Blair had bought pastries the night before from the panificadora Bamby for himself.) I took a picture of my huevos rancheros and bottomless coffee cup. Sigh. Parting was such sweet sorrow.
Eloy picked us up at the hotel at 9 a.m. for a drive over to Ocotlan. We wove through the mountains and passed a large image of Our Lady of Guadalupe made from colored rocks on the side of a hill. When we got to Ocotlan, we toured the church, which had been restored with funds from the Mexican painter Rodolfo Morales, a native of the village. The ceilings were gorgeous. Then, we walked through the gigantic market that takes place there every Friday. Mel was looking for some lucha libre (wrestling) characters for her and Abel's nephews, and she found some. A bag of six was 15 pesos, capes included! She bought three. Alas, she was not able to find a lucha libre mask for Abel. The search continues. We walked through the market, over a street, and back down a street that ended up being the fowl area. Tons of baby chicks, larger hens, roosters and turkeys were available for purchase. We didn't know how we'd pack those, so we left them behind.
We met up with the group back at our starting point so we could walk over to Rodolfo Morales' home together. Morales passed away in 2001, but his caretaker let us in for a walk around. Two dogs, a tiny chihuahua and a shaggy white terrier mix, greeted us at the door. The architecture of the artist's home is similiar to that of our hotel, which was also a home before its transformation. A large central courtyard filled with plants and birds gives visitors a lovely oasis away from the dust, gas fumes and noise of the city.
From Morales' home, we went back to our van to drive over to the Aguilar sisters' homes/workshops. Our first stop was Josefina's home. She was hard at work on a female clay sculpture that was about three feet tall. It was amazing to watch her at work. She kneels/sits on her legs all day long. On tables surrounding her work area were brightly colored figures of Frida, The Virgin of Guadalupe and prostitues. Quite a mix! We bought a purple cross with red hearts on it. I think everyone walked away with at least one item. Mary and Dan bought a precious female figure covered with all sorts of animals: pig, sheep, rooster, etc. Next door, Josefina's sister Guillermina has a workshop. She wasn't there, but family members were. We purchased a tiny calla lilly cross and a tiny mermaid. Next door to Guillermina, sister Irene has a workshop. I liked her giant nativity scene, but it was much too big to bring home. Across the street, the fourth and final sister, Concepcion, has as shop. Her figures' faces seemed to have the most pleasant smiles of the four. All the sisters' work was similar, yet they had their own distinct look.
Eloy wanted to take us to one more stop before heading back to Oaxaca. (We told him that we only wanted a half-day tour so that we could have some time to roam around Oaxaca some more.) He took us to San Tomas, a weaver's village and the place he'd like to retire. This village, unlike Teotilan, is the home of weavers who use backstrap looms. Two were at work in the tiny marketplace. Gail bought a beautiful belt for her husband.
We got back to Oaxaca around lunchtime, and I went to Los Cuiles to pick up "to go" sandwiches (queso, black bean, avocado) for me and Blair. We ate them in the back courtyard and polished off coco (coconut) paletas for dessert. Heaven! After a rest, Blair, Karen, Mariana and I walked over to the artisans' market, not far from the Benito Juarez Market. On the way there, we stopped in the Guelagetza Chocolate Factory. They featured a nativity made out of chocolate! Blair bought 200 grams of coco beans. You can peel off its shell, sort of like a peanut shell, and pop it into your mouth. Bitter, but you can definitely taste the chocolate. At the artisans' market, booths were filled with all of the typical Oaxacan fare: rugs, clothing, alebrijes (the painted wooden figures), tin mirrors, etc. As I said earlier, Oaxaca is a power shopping town. Beautiful items at extraordinarily reasonable prices. Good thing we brought an empty suitcase along.
The countdown to tamales (frijol, rajas, mole, dulce and chipil with salsa) was officially on. After spending some time packing, we showed up at exactly 7:30 p.m. with quite a group: Karen, Mariana, Gail, Mary, Daniel, Mel, Blair and me. (For those visiting Oaxaca, do not miss these tamales! You can find the tamale lady in the doorway of the Panificadora La Luna on Independencia, on the left-hand side going away from the zocalo, beyond the Pemex station.) A dash into the c-store next door for beverages completed our mission. We headed back to the hotel and set up two tables in the center of the back courtyard to enjoy our feast. Mariana kept saying, "These are the best!" I have to agree. Definitely a high point of our trip.
The week went by way too fast. The cab driver met us at the hotel at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, and off we went to the airport, loaded up with fond memories and goodies galore. I must say that this visit was everything we'd hoped for. I'd like to thank the Alamo Community College District's Office of International Education for making this return visit possible. I know that Oaxaca will always have a special place in our hearts. Muchisimas gracias!
Eloy picked us up at the hotel at 9 a.m. for a drive over to Ocotlan. We wove through the mountains and passed a large image of Our Lady of Guadalupe made from colored rocks on the side of a hill. When we got to Ocotlan, we toured the church, which had been restored with funds from the Mexican painter Rodolfo Morales, a native of the village. The ceilings were gorgeous. Then, we walked through the gigantic market that takes place there every Friday. Mel was looking for some lucha libre (wrestling) characters for her and Abel's nephews, and she found some. A bag of six was 15 pesos, capes included! She bought three. Alas, she was not able to find a lucha libre mask for Abel. The search continues. We walked through the market, over a street, and back down a street that ended up being the fowl area. Tons of baby chicks, larger hens, roosters and turkeys were available for purchase. We didn't know how we'd pack those, so we left them behind.
We met up with the group back at our starting point so we could walk over to Rodolfo Morales' home together. Morales passed away in 2001, but his caretaker let us in for a walk around. Two dogs, a tiny chihuahua and a shaggy white terrier mix, greeted us at the door. The architecture of the artist's home is similiar to that of our hotel, which was also a home before its transformation. A large central courtyard filled with plants and birds gives visitors a lovely oasis away from the dust, gas fumes and noise of the city.
From Morales' home, we went back to our van to drive over to the Aguilar sisters' homes/workshops. Our first stop was Josefina's home. She was hard at work on a female clay sculpture that was about three feet tall. It was amazing to watch her at work. She kneels/sits on her legs all day long. On tables surrounding her work area were brightly colored figures of Frida, The Virgin of Guadalupe and prostitues. Quite a mix! We bought a purple cross with red hearts on it. I think everyone walked away with at least one item. Mary and Dan bought a precious female figure covered with all sorts of animals: pig, sheep, rooster, etc. Next door, Josefina's sister Guillermina has a workshop. She wasn't there, but family members were. We purchased a tiny calla lilly cross and a tiny mermaid. Next door to Guillermina, sister Irene has a workshop. I liked her giant nativity scene, but it was much too big to bring home. Across the street, the fourth and final sister, Concepcion, has as shop. Her figures' faces seemed to have the most pleasant smiles of the four. All the sisters' work was similar, yet they had their own distinct look.
Eloy wanted to take us to one more stop before heading back to Oaxaca. (We told him that we only wanted a half-day tour so that we could have some time to roam around Oaxaca some more.) He took us to San Tomas, a weaver's village and the place he'd like to retire. This village, unlike Teotilan, is the home of weavers who use backstrap looms. Two were at work in the tiny marketplace. Gail bought a beautiful belt for her husband.
We got back to Oaxaca around lunchtime, and I went to Los Cuiles to pick up "to go" sandwiches (queso, black bean, avocado) for me and Blair. We ate them in the back courtyard and polished off coco (coconut) paletas for dessert. Heaven! After a rest, Blair, Karen, Mariana and I walked over to the artisans' market, not far from the Benito Juarez Market. On the way there, we stopped in the Guelagetza Chocolate Factory. They featured a nativity made out of chocolate! Blair bought 200 grams of coco beans. You can peel off its shell, sort of like a peanut shell, and pop it into your mouth. Bitter, but you can definitely taste the chocolate. At the artisans' market, booths were filled with all of the typical Oaxacan fare: rugs, clothing, alebrijes (the painted wooden figures), tin mirrors, etc. As I said earlier, Oaxaca is a power shopping town. Beautiful items at extraordinarily reasonable prices. Good thing we brought an empty suitcase along.
The countdown to tamales (frijol, rajas, mole, dulce and chipil with salsa) was officially on. After spending some time packing, we showed up at exactly 7:30 p.m. with quite a group: Karen, Mariana, Gail, Mary, Daniel, Mel, Blair and me. (For those visiting Oaxaca, do not miss these tamales! You can find the tamale lady in the doorway of the Panificadora La Luna on Independencia, on the left-hand side going away from the zocalo, beyond the Pemex station.) A dash into the c-store next door for beverages completed our mission. We headed back to the hotel and set up two tables in the center of the back courtyard to enjoy our feast. Mariana kept saying, "These are the best!" I have to agree. Definitely a high point of our trip.
The week went by way too fast. The cab driver met us at the hotel at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, and off we went to the airport, loaded up with fond memories and goodies galore. I must say that this visit was everything we'd hoped for. I'd like to thank the Alamo Community College District's Office of International Education for making this return visit possible. I know that Oaxaca will always have a special place in our hearts. Muchisimas gracias!
Labels: chocolate, Ocotlan, Rudolfo Morales, tamales
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Mexican wrestler masks are available in the north end of the 20th of Noviembre market in downtown Oaxaca. have bought many for nephews there.
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: Tue Mar 20, 12:25:00 AM CDT
: Tue Mar 20, 12:25:00 AM CDT << Home
