The Eye Beach, Village + Urban Living in Oaxaca May, 2017 Issue 68 FREE
Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz -Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace. Benito Juarez
zaachila boats Bay Excursion and Sports Fishing
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. Desmond Tutu
O
ne of my biggest challenges is to watch the news and try to maintain my belief that people are inherently good. I know we all want to be good but we also want it to come easy. We live in a time where more information is available than ever before. Previous generations could blame their failing to act on the world’s injustices by claiming ignorance - news was reported after the fact. They could look back on history that happened in their lifetime and calmly bathe in the disbelief that this happened on their watch without having to do anything.
Enjoy the Pacific Coast with friends and family! Full and Half day excursions! Cel (228) 110 5605 marejadadefondo@outlook.com
The Eye is a monthly all-English magazine that is distributed throughout the state of Oaxaca. It can be found for FREE at hotels, restaurants and community hot spots. Should you wish to receive copies, advertise or submit some writing or photography please send us an email.
Today we have an abundance of information, a constant stream of images to remind us of how horribly people treat other people. We live in an age where we search for what to do with all this knowledge ... anything to make us feel less small. We share posts on social media, maybe even attend a march or protest to show our solidarity, but the truth is that these tactics seem to have very little effect.
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I agree with Desmond Tutu’s quote that if we choose neutrality we are siding with the oppressor. However, this makes it seem as if there are two sides to choose: the elephant or the mouse. We all want to be good. We will pick the mouse, maybe make a sign asking the elephant to move, scream at the elephant, even push the elephant. We will feel better about ourselves but I doubt we will have helped the mouse or the next mouse.
Editor: Jane Bauer Copy Editor: Deborah Van Hoewyk Web Goddess: Erin Vig
History is being made right now. Technology has taken away the luxury of learning of things after the fact - we are watching things in real time. We live in the age of ‘connectivity’ - the catch-phrase of big companies selling everything from cell phones to insurance. This ‘connectivity’ can’t exclusively be thought of as a happy multi-racial, multi-generational montage celebrating how different and yet connected we are. It needs to also mean that when we see history unveiling itself before us that we question our own connectivity to these events. Because the real question isn’t whose side are you on. The real question is which animal are you - the elephant or the mouse? Most of us are elephants. The elephant isn’t a tyrant. It’s just standing there, head turned to the sky, eating some leaves, completely unaware of the mouse. See you in July,
Jane
Writers: Frances Bauer, Jane Bauer, Jan Chaiken, Marcia Chaiken, Julie Etra, Brooke Gazer, Leigh Morrow, Carole Reedy, Alvin Starkman, Deborah Van Hoewyk, Kary Vannice Cover Photo: Diego Rivera Mural Photography/Art: Various Distribution: Renee Biernacki Layout: Jane Bauer Opinions and words are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Eye. We welcome submissions and input. To get involved send us an email. TheEyeHuatulco@gmail.com Visit Us Online www.TheEyeHuatulco.com
In This Issue Mexico's History, Past and Present, through Books By Carole Reedy Page 6 The Origin of the Names ‘Huatulco’ and ‘Santa Cruz’ By Brooke Gazer Page 8 Messed Up in a Good Cause! By Frances Bauer Page 9 The Delivery (La Entrega) of Guerrero By Jan Chaiken and Marcia Chaiken Page 10 Homes Are History By Leigh Morrow Page 11 Distillation and Mezcal History in Mexico: Indigenous or Foreign, Agave or Coconut By Alvin Starkman Page 12 Mexico's French Century A Whirlwind History of the French in Mexico: Architecture, Fashion, Cuisine By Deborah Van Hoewyk Page 14 Perfect your Spanish! Word of the Month: Pegar By Julie Etra Page 15 The Zapatista’s Rebellion Inspiring Global Action By Kary Vannice Page 16 Top 5 Historical Excursions! By Jane Bauer Page 17 EDITORIAL PAGE 3 EVENTS CALENDAR PAGE 18 In Oaxaca City, The Eye is now available at Amate Books.
www.TheEyeHuatulco.com The Eye 4
Mexico's History, Past and Present, through Books “History endures in Mexico. No one has died here, despite the killings and the executions. They are alive - Cuauhtémoc, Cortes, Maximilian, Don Porfirio, and all the conquerors and all the conquered. That is Mexico's special quality. The whole past is a pulsing present. It has not gone by, it has stopped in its tracks.” José Moreno Villa By Carole Reedy
D
espite the endless options for looking up information online, many of us still prefer to read books to gain a sense of history. In keeping with this issue's theme, I offer here with brief descriptions books that over the years have helped me understand our dear Mexico today. Many have been mentioned in this column over the past seven years because of the authors' keen insights and grasp of Mexico past and present. I've tried to mix up this list a bit with books about the far past to the very-present. Some are novels and some non-fiction. Whatever the subject matter, style, or structure, all are compelling, important, and written by the finest authors of our time. MEXICO: BIOGRAPHY OF POWER, A History of Modern Mexico 1810-1996, by Enrique Krauze Enrique Krauze is a household name in Mexico, a man who is a literary and historical author of more than 20 books and 300 programs and documentaries about the history of his country. This 800-page tome is well worth purchasing to have in your library, not only to slowly absorb the stories of the power of the country's leaders, but also to understand the church's dominance during the 19th and 20th centuries. The individual biographies, along with the history told through each life, will give you pause for reflection into that time and how it shaped the Mexico in which we now live. THE WIND THAT SWEPT MEXICO: THE HISTORY OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION OF 1910-1942, by Anita Brenner The Mexican Revolution is one of the most written-about events in Mexico. This rendition, penned in 1943, remains in print due to its spirited text, which is short and highly opinionated. Another reason for its success are the 184 photographs assembled by George Leighton (whose source is mainly photographs from newspapers) that cover the major events and people, rich and poor, who were part of this grand history of politics, corruption, and change. There is also a PBS video series of the book available on DVD from Amazon. One critic said, “It made me change my mind about who were the true Mexican heroes and who were the bandits.” FIRST STOP IN THE NEW WORLD: MEXICO CITY, THE CAPITAL OF THE 21ST CENTURY by David Lida Lida has been mentioned in this column many times over the past few years, but this guide to the unknown (even sleazy) side of Mexico is still a favorite. Lida has settled in a city even bigger than his native New York, and he takes to it like a fish to water. Each chapter reveals a unique section of the city that you probably haven't encountered before.
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THE MAN WHO LOVED DOGS, by Leonardo Padura This popular novel (which I reviewed in last month's column) includes the history not only of Mexico, but of the Spanish Civil War and the Russian Revolution, with tidbits of other movements and countries included as well. The ominous beginning finds Trotsky in exile in Siberia, and the story finishes in the equally mysterious Cuba. The novel itself follows the lives of both Trotsky and his assassin Ramon Mercader. It's allencompassing and thrillingly full of detail, wrapped in a brilliant structure. THE LAST PRINCE OF THE MEXICAN EMPIRE, by C.M. Mayo This is one of several books written about Mexico by Mayo, who is also a translator and editor of contemporary Mexican literature. In this epic novel we learn about the short, tragic reign of the Emperor Maximilian, a fascinating part of Mexico's history. On your next visit to Mexico City, be sure to take an afternoon to visit Chapultepec Castle on Reforma Avenue, where the Emperor and Carlota lived, another place chock full of history. Mexico Connect, a popular website, says in its review of the book: “I have read a few sweeping historical novels that have remained inside of me forever. Tolstoy's War and Peace is one of those. Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities is another, Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago is another, and now The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire is another.” Now there's an achievement! WHERE THE AIR IS CLEAR, by Carlos Fuentes Upon the fairly recent death of Carlos Fuentes, Mexicans felt cheated, not only for the number of books he yet may have given us, but because he had not yet won The Nobel Prize for Literature, which everyone was certain he'd be awarded eventually. Fuentes had a diverse education and life as a diplomat before his writing career took off, and probably this contributed to his ability to discreetly relate our Mexico with the rest of the world. Where the Air is Clear is Fuentes' first novel, written in 1958. It was a huge success at the time and continues to this day to be one of his most popular books. This novel is made up of vignettes from Mexico City that show the inequality and corruption of this grandest of cities. Although the story revolves around the life of one man, a revolutionary-turned-financier, it is as much about the city itself as it is the main character. THE LABYRINTH OF SOLITUDE by Octavio Paz Paz did win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Labyrinth of Solitude is probably his most famous and popular book. Any foreigner living in Mexico should read it for its insights into the Mexican character, for it will help you grasp the source of the Mexican jokes and lifestyles, as well as the habits and idiosyncrasies of your neighbors.
THE INTERIOR CIRCUIT: A MEXICO CITY CHRONICLE, by Francisco Goldman Recently Goldman has been writing essays about Mexico for The New Yorker and other publications, specifically about Mexico City with the myriad problems a population of more than 20 million presents daily. Interior Circuit is the account of Goldman's attempt to conquer the streets and colonias of the megalopolis while learning to drive. Each day he sets out for a new location. While you're on the adventure with him, you'll get to know the intricacies of the city, including its nefarious politics. Definitely a compelling read.
PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN, by Jennifer Clement This is a heart-wrenching book, though not in a sentimental sense. Based on Clement's research, it relates the story of the women in a small, abandoned town an hour outside of glitzy Acapulco on the hillsides of the state of Guerrero. It's a town that leaves its women vulnerable because their men have gone north to work. It tells the tale of one woman and her daughter who struggle to live in poverty amongst the narcos. They are strong and determined, but the circumstances are grim and opportunities limited. Clement is a well-known author who is now the president of PEN International. DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE: A NOVEL, by Juan Pablo Villalobos This quite unusual short first novel was long-listed for The Guardian's First-Book Award. Its dark yet humorous story is told from the vantage point of a narco's son. Nicholas Lezar in The Guardian writes: “If you're going to have an imprisoned child narrate a novel, then not so much as a word should be out of place. There are no such slips in Juan Pablo Villalobos' debut novella. We have here a control over the material which is so tight it is almost claustrophobic. This is a novel about failing to understand the bigger picture, and in its absence we can see it more clearly.”
Marina Chahue, Huatulco Tel. 958 105 1671 Cel. 958 100 7339 Closed Mondays
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The Origin of the Names ‘Huatulco’ and ‘Santa Cruz’ By Brooke Gazer
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uatulco is known for its stunningly beautiful bays, but the region is also steeped in history and folklore. In fact, this is the stuff that epic movies are made of. Several places bear the name Santa Cruz, but the beach in Huatulco is the original one! For anyone unfamiliar with Spanish, the name translates to “Holy Cross”, but it does not refer to the Christian Son of God. Legend has it that long before the Spaniards arrived in the New World, a man with a flowing white beard floated on a cross onto this beach. The natives believed he was Quetzalcoatl, the ancient Winged Serpent God, who had promised to return to his people. No one knows what happened to the man, but the cross was erected on the beach in Santa Cruz. It is documented that pilgrims came from as far away as Peru to worship at this cross and to seek favors. The name “Huatulco” is an indigenous word meaning “The place where wood is worshipped.” When the conquistadors arrived, the people were already worshiping the symbol of a cross, paving the way to their Catholic conversion. The sheltered bay of Santa Cruz made a perfect port, so that goods such as spices, silk, gold, pearls, and precious gems were shipped here from Asia and South America. Purple dye, which was worth a hundred times its weight in gold, was harvested nearby from local sea snails and prepared here for transport. As the narrowest point in the new world, this was an obvious place for porters to carry goods over the mountains to Veracruz. From there they were shipped on to Spain. As time went on, Huatulco became a major commercial center for shipping and trade, putting the town in peril of attack by pirates. When the pirates raided, the natives helped the Spaniards drive them off; in retribution, the pirates sacked the town, burning it to the ground. The only thing left standing was the cross on the beach, which added to its legendary magical properties. Due to continuing pirate attacks, the townspeople petitioned to move the location inland and this is how Santa Maria Huatulco was founded.
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At this point, the story begins to resemble The Sword in the Stone, but the legend continues that the embittered pirates returned and tried unsuccessfully to chop the cross down with an axe. As the mystical powers of the cross increased, so did the numbers of pilgrims who came to worship. Some would slice tiny slivers from the cross as relics to take home. Although the tomb of St. Thomas rests in Madras, India, the Catholic priests insisted that St. Thomas traveled here, spreading the word of “the one true faith”. As the vehicle of St. Thomas, the cross became a sacred Christian relic and the priests were able to accomplish what the pirates could not. Fearing for its stability, the priests had the cross dismantled; a small piece of it is buried in the church in Santa María Huatulco, another in the cathedral of Santo Domingo in Oaxaca City, but the lion's share is housed somewhere in the bowels of the Vatican archives in Rome. You may be familiar with the pirates responsible for attacking Huatulco. Their names were Francis Drake and Thomas Cavendish. Hero or villain … it really depends on which side you are on. Brooke Gazer operates Agua Azul la Villa, an ocean view Bed and Breakfast in Huatulco.
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Discover Peace and Traquility
Messed Up in a Good Cause! By Frances Bauer
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hen I planned my visit to Huatulco I had no idea that I'd have an opportunity to become a parrot feeder. But on Easter Sunday my granddaughter and I accompanied our friend Maggie to the Iguanario in Copalita, a village outside of Huatulco. Maggie and her husband moved from Alberta to Huatulco after they retired. She's been feeding the parrots at the Iguanario several mornings a week for a while now. The Iguanario's mission is the protection and breeding of iguanas but when a poacher was apprehended in midMarch with 500 baby parrots the Iguanario agreed to care for them until they were mature enough to release back into the wild. The 500 birds in the care of the Iguanario are from three species: white-fronted amazon, lilac-crowned parrot, and orange-fronted parakeet. The latter were taken as nestlings; the other two species were probably captured in mist nets. Until a few years ago, bird trapping was legal in Mexico. Parrots were trapped in the 70's and 80's primarily for the American market. After 9/11, borders were more strictly monitored and now 90% of trapped birds are sold in Mexico: many households have pet parrots. Between the illegal bird trade and habitat loss, bird populations are in decline, and it is parrots that are most at risk. We arrived at the Iguanario about 9 in the morning. “First, wash your hands,” Maggie said, shaking blue washing powder into our waiting palms. Next was the finding of clean plastic cups and spoons. Young people were busy, carrying boxes, mixing feed, chopping fruit for the more mature birds, and welcoming new arrivals. It was clear they knew Maggie and trusted her to explain things to us, her two new recruits. We entered a palapa where long narrow tables were arranged in a Ushape along with assorted chairs. Maggie found clean cloth mats – placemats and towelling that had seen better days – and spread them on the tables. White rags were provided – “for wiping the birds when they spatter and dribble.” She explained that the young people were all volunteers who slept rough at night in the very palapa where the birds were fed.
Some (Angel, Guillermo, Antonio, Mar and others whose names we failed to note) work as vet techs with veterinarians Ernesto and Christian, who also volunteer their time. “A great bunch of young people, devoted 24/7 to this!” said Maggie. The entire parrot rescue operation is dependent not only on volunteers, but on donations to cover the costs of food for both parrots and volunteers. I peeked in a cardboard box and saw three sickly nestlings, one almost completely featherless. “Sick?” I said to one of the workers, a fellow wearing a T shirt with the words Too Old to Die Young emblazoned on it. He nodded. Being captured is stressful and some birds don't survive. Another box appeared, this one full of noisy orangefronted nestlings, bawling for food. A worker poured a cafe-au-lait coloured mixture in our plastic cups and brought us some nestlings from the box. “One woman was feeding eight at once the other day,” Maggie said, as I struggled to feed two, then three, then four as some flew up from the cardboard box to the table. My birds went back and forth between the two spoons, sometimes tugging like puppies with a toy. The clean table mat was soon spattered with feed, and so were we! We did our best to wipe nestlings' faces, breasts and feet and occasionally ourselves. Maggie was calm through it all and, as time went on, I became more skilled: if my spoon was too full, birds put their beaks deep in the feed, then shook and spattered everywhere. As they fed, their little crops ballooned out and they were put in another cardboard box – the box for fed birds. Eventually we gave up our seats to some newly-arrived volunteers. I walked around the Iguanario, admiring the two types of iguanas as well as the other parrot species, already much more mature than our orange-fronted nestlings. The white fronted amazons and the lilac-crowned amazons were in big cages where they could practice flying and feed on generous helpings of mixed fruit. About 70 of the 500 captured birds have already been released back into the wild. The birds will be cared for until they are all big enough to be released. For some it may be several months. Donations of fruit, bananas, mangos, melon, papaya and apples or funds to purchase bird "kibble" for the younger birds would be greatly appreciated. Contact Info: Maggie Winter, magwinter48@gmail.com Lynn Holdridge, l.d.holdridge@gmail.com They will make sure your donation is used where most needed.
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The Delivery (La Entrega) of Guerrero By Jan Chaiken and Marcia Chaiken
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ince the Mexican War of Independence ended in 1821, Mexico has had over 100 heads of state. Many are barely remembered. Some are notable for rare reasons. For example, Pedro Paredes holds the world record for the shortest presidency, one hour on February 19, 1913. But others are larger than life and have left a highly visible legacy around Mexico. One unforgettable president is Vicente Guerrero. Even when traveling for purposes having nothing to do with learning about Mexico's past, tourists are likely to stumble on Guerrero history. At the end of February, we joined a tour group that visited some of the artisan villages to the southwest of the city of Oaxaca. After a ride of about 30 minutes through mostly unpopulated areas of the Oaxaca valley, we arrived for lunch at Restaurante Hacienda Cuilápam, located in the town of Cuilápam de Guerrero. Yes, the town is named after Vicente Guerrero. Through Guerrero, a tawdry bit of Mexican history ties Cuilápam to Huatulco, specifically one of its beaches. Guerrero was a leading general in the war of independence that gained Mexico its freedom from Spain in 1821. The English translation of his name is “warrior,” which is very apt. He is known as the father of Mexico for his successful leadership in battle and because he was also the second president of the new Republic of Mexico in 1829. But his presidency did not go well. He achieved the presidency after a hotly contested election at the end of the four-year term of the first president. However Guerrero did not win the election! He came in second, behind General Pedraza, with Anastasio Bustamante third. Before Pedraza could take office, another famous general of the war of independence, Santa Anna, led an armed revolt with the goal of making his comrade Guerrero president. After fighting reached the capital Mexico City, the president-elect resigned and fled to England. Guerrero became president by virtue of a mutiny and a lack of will at the top of the legitimate government, and he selected Bustamante as his vicepresident. Guerrero, as a person of Afro-Mestizo and Filipino heritage, championed liberal causes as president, going so far as to free the slaves. This did not go over well in Texas, then part of Mexico. Also he was resisted by elite conservatives in Mexico City, many of whom had been royalists supporting governance by Spain. Bustamante, his vice president, joined forces with the conservatives to start an armed rebellion, stating his concern that Guerrero might claim descent from the Aztecs and become an imperial ruler with support from the indigenous populations.
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Guerrero left Mexico City to go south to Acapulco, in the area now known as the state of Guerrero, to fight the rebels. An enterprising Italian merchant met with the conservatives and proposed a deal in which he would be paid a very large sum to trick Guerrero into being captured. He received his payment and invited Guerrero and some aides to dinner on his boat in the port of Acapulco. Guerrero and his men were forced to stay on board until the ship reached Huatulco, where they were delivered to federal troops. The beach in Huatulco where he was turned over was almost immediately called La Entrega (The Delivery), as it is to this day. In 2013, a memorial statue of Guerrero was installed at the entrance to Playa La Entrega. The plaque on the monument praises Guerrero's prowess as a general and cites his motto “La Patria es Primero,” but does not say anything about why the memorial is located on this particular beach. Local tradition has it that Guerrero spent a night chained to the trunk of a ceiba tree which had fallen on the beach some years earlier. His opponents welcomed his capture but not all wanted him executed. Bustamante, however, had him taken to Cuilápam where he was summarily tried and executed by firing squad on February 14, 1831. In Cuilápam you can see another monument in honor of Guerrero, and if you visit the tourist attraction Ex-Convento de Santiago Apóstol you can view the cell where he was held pending execution. The execution of Guerrero became an international scandal. The merchant who was paid to capture Guerrero was sentenced to death in his home country of Italy. The soldiers who participated in the trial and execution were expelled from the military. Bustamante and his key supporters were ultimately expelled from Mexico. Bustamante may have extinguished Guerrero but he helped distinguish his rival’s name and fame. As well as a state, there are 18 cities named Vicente Guerrero. Countless Guerrero statues look out over many cities. A commemorative Vicente Guerrero stamp and five peso coin were issued for the bicentenary 2010 celebration. If you decide to visit La Entrega to snorkel or have a fish dinner or are in Cuilápam on an artisan tour, consider spending a minute or two paying homage to this famous warrior for the people. [Note: Many current maps and historical articles spell the name of the town Cuilapan, but as we were just there personally and saw the local street signs, we're sticking with the spelling Cuilápam.]
Homes Are History By Leigh Morrow
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omes hold more than dishes and dresses, they hold our history. Within the space of the last three months, I have found myself dismantling three intimately special and distinctly different family homes. Our home of 18 years, my parents’ home of 53 years and my husband’s family home. Completing the dismantling of just one home would have been seen as a serious accomplishment, but three, in three months, well, the word monumental comes to mind. My mother-in-law’s home The amount of accumulated stuff was staggering. Children of the depression, of which both my mother-in- law and my mom were, have a very hard time letting go, even if the article has lived beyond its useful years. Every room, cupboard, drawer and closet were filled. Every plastic bag, twist tie, elastic band, had been saved for future use. Every broken goblet or chipped tea cup, carefully wrapped and put aside for the repair that never happened. The greatest accumulation was clothes. I stopped counting at 67 pairs of shoes. Many were missing a heel. My husband remembers watching TV upstairs, while company filled the living room. Or coming home from school to find those big Woodward’s department store gift boxes of Christmas hams and cheeses waiting to be unwrapped. He knows the sound of the furnace or how the shaded front yard used to be grass and sunshine. This home is the origin of his life with a single parent and a dog named Natasha. My parents’ home In another city, in another province, also filled to the rafters, but with different things. My mom, who worked at the Birks jewelry store, squirrelled away every blue Birks box that ever came into the house. Mom saved every card she had received right back to her 21st birthday, and all the correspondence from all her friends and family, near and far, in the 65 years that followed. That house was afloat in paper, blue boxes, dishes and pictures. Binders and albums of photos from Barcelona to Banff, Montreal to Morocco, reels of home movies and stacks of slides of our early years, and even my parents’ first dates and one-week honeymoon to Florida. She even saved my baby hair. Like flipping through a photo album, I can recall Christmas mornings as a kid, standing in the now empty living room, the silver tree exactly positioned year after year, in the same corner, me wishing it was real and not artificial. I can hear the steady sound of Dad's clippers from the quiet backyard, audible in the kitchen, as he gave the hedge a haircut. The sound of the piano chords is particularly strong. My Dad always tinkling out a song, and that melody would float upstairs to my bedroom, just like the smell of Mom's signature Yorkshire pudding Sunday dinners. Homes hold our history, they represent who we are and what we value. They hold the cocktail shakers and the crystal stemware, and they reveal how we spend our leisure time, and our hard earned money. Homes, really, are the entrusted repository of our lives.
My Home My house contained a plethora of our daughter’s firsts. Every cursive exercise, every hand scribble, every picture from school, every nursery book and stuffed dog, was saved. We moved into this home six days after our daughter’s 3rd birthday. It was our first twostory, with a curved staircase and light-green carpet from top to bottom. The entire home had been wallpapered and I spent much of the first year painstakingly stripping it off. It wasn't my dream home but it was an ideal location to raise a child. As I walk through my own empty house now, the last in my trio of assignments, memories come fast and I can hear our voices calling one another from different rooms. "Hailey ,we have to go soon." “Turn on the oven, please.” "Is the kettle boiling?" I remember painting in preparation for my parents’ once-ayear visits. I recall hanging balloons and streamers from the family room ceiling to celebrate birthdays and digging little graves in the backyard for family pets who went. I know every curve of the staircase in the dark of night and every creak of the stairs. Noises that used to wake me became familiar and comforting. I know every view, especially from the hallway window as I wait for someone who is delayed. Each spring the tulips closest to the sunny back fence bloom first. My fingers touch the inside of the closet door in our daughter’s bedroom, her height milestones penciled for historical record. Out her window the same crows and hummingbirds sit watching. I'll miss them all, especially the woodpecker that greeted us with his ra-ta-ta-tat each spring looking for a mate. I'll remember how the sunshine dappled the wall where I painstakingly typed out my first book and the way the washing machine always bumped on the spin cycle and rattled the floorboards. My husband will remember the ocean that peaked out on the deck each morning. He would rise and stand and stare out as if expecting it to have disappeared over night. The upstairs wave my vacationing Dad would give me, enjoying a summertime beer on the deck, as I pulled into the driveway after a long commute. Dad died in October, his final wave to me was in this house. That image is crisp and clear. As we lock the front door one last time, my husband quizzically looks at me and asks, "Are you crying?" Surprised at my attachment, I simply nod. Women make homes that mirror their hearts. This house, In fact these 3 houses, generously stored our entire family history and if these walls could talk, they would be telling the most wonderful stories. Leigh Morrow is a Vancouver writer and co-author of Just Push Play-on Midlife. Leigh owns and operates Casa Mihale, a vacation rental in the quaint ocean front community of San Agustinillo, Mexico. Her house can be viewed and rented at www.gosanagustinillo.com
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Distillation and Mezcal History in Mexico: Indigenous or Foreign, Agave or Coconut By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
P
erhaps the story of distillation and mezcal in Mexico begins with the arrival of the Spanish during The Conquest in the first quarter of the 1500s. Or with Filipino seamen in the Manila galleon trade who reached the country's western shores that same century. Or with Olmec or other indigenous cultures some 2,500 years ago. What we know for sure is that fermenting was practiced in Mexico dating to several thousand years ago with the extraction of aguamiel (honey water) from certain species of the majestic agave succulent, which when left to ferment becomes pulque. And that agave itself has a history of being used as a source of nutrition going back roughly 10,000 years. But there's a big difference between (1) allowing fruit, agave nectar or anything else to ferment, inhibiting its decomposition and enabling its imbibers to become inebriated, and (2) deliberate advance planning and the use certain tools, resulting in distillation. We also know with a reasonable degree of certainty many specifics about the global history of distillation and styles of still manufacture, all of which aids us in our conjecture. But it must be kept in mind that most is scientific speculation often based on inference, regardless of how adamant our historians, geographers, chemists, biologists and anthropologists might be in their discourse (or me in mine). The Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula about 711 AD. We have them to thank for the introduction of many food products including rice and saffron, integral in the preparation of Spanish paella. Despite their Islamic beliefs together with a prohibition against imbibing spirits, Moorish influence in Spain is connected with the distillation of mezcal. During or about the 9th century, the modern alembic, or still, made with a serpentine condenser alongside, arrived in what is now Spain as a consequence of the invention by Arab alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan. Non-Muslims who were already fermenting grapes quickly realized that distillation, for whatever purpose initially intended, could result in production of a high alcohol content spirit extremely agreeable to the palate. And so when The Conquest began, the Spanish armed with this knowledge came across indigenous populations which were already drinking pulque, and likely baked sweet agave piñas (pineapples, or rather the hearts of the carbohydrate-rich agaves) which had been fermented. The gap had been bridged. It is this style of still, the two sided alembic, which is frequently used in mezcal production today. It has been suggested however, that the technology had its first application in the distillation of sugar cane which the Spanish imported for rum production.
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But throughout various parts of Mexico, there is a different type of still being employed to make agave spirits, including mezcal. It is a single unit comprised of two or more pieces stacked on top of one another, made primarily of wood, metal and/or clay. It is frequently encountered in Oaxaca, Michoacán, and elsewhere throughout Mexico, including tequila country (i.e., Jalisco and thereabouts). It has been suggested that this type of still was introduced to what are now Colima, Guerrero and/or Jalisco during the 16th century by immigrants from the Philippines and the Solomon Islands who established a community for the purpose of developing coconut plantations. Local materials used in their homelands for fashioning small yet effective equipment for making their coconut distillate, principally clay (and likely reed), were available in this new North American environment. In fact, to this day the term “tuba”, the fermented coconut liquid which was thereafter distilled, is used in some parts of Mexico to describe fermented agave, despite its Filipino origin. Various sources confirm that the beginnings of and motivation for the prohibition era in Mexico (yes, we also had prohibition) were to protect the interests of Spanish brandy importers and rum producers, and to ensure tax revenue. Banning production, sale and consumption of pulque, tuba and coconut distillate started the movement, which eventually led to full-scale prohibition. But it was the portability of these small single-unit and easily fashioned, predominantly clay stills that (together with below ground ovens and stone fermentation chambers) made detection of distillation, including the production of mezcal, all but impossible by the “revenuers.”
Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca TM/MR While in the state capital, learn about this century's most coveted spirit by spending a day with recognized authority Alvin Starkman. Visit rural artisanal distilleries (palenques) using both ancestral clay pot and traditional copper stills. For novices and aficionados alike. Sample throughout your excursion with no obligation to buy.
www.mezcaleducationaltours.com mezcaleducationaltours@hotmail.com
Epilogue Last year's publication of El Mezcal, Una Bebida Prehispánica at minimum makes us rethink our understanding of the origins of agave distillation in Mexico. Authors Mari Carmen Serra Puche and Jesús Carlos Lazcano Arce, together with their associates from various disciplines, spent in excess of a decade researching in Oaxaca and Tlaxcala. They have purportedly debunked all previous theories, having uncovered ovens containing burned stones with runoff stains they concluded after analysis had been created by baked agave piñas. But has literally hundreds of years of research and umpteen publications been thrown to the wind? Certainly not. The foregoing finding in and of itself is not determinative, since it suggests nothing more than converting carbohydrates to sugars, and a reasonable likelihood of fermentation thereafter. It's the unearthing of preHispanic pottery fragments they identified as parts of stills that is most significant, suggesting pre-Hispanic distillation dating to perhaps 2,500 years ago. Others have previously proposed similar theories, but that of Serra Puche and Lazcano Arce is the most comprehensive and convincing to date.
Since the book's publication there has been a considerable amount of chest beating, a renewed or additional sense of pride that the indigenous peoples of Mexico did not need the Spanish nor the Filipinos to distill mezcal. Of course there is academic significance to the most recent work. But regardless of origins, one can never take away from our Mexican brethren of predominantly pre-Hispanic heritage the fact that mezcal, the pre-eminent agave spirit, owes its recent and exponentially growing popularity to not foreign interests, but rather to its dedicated artisanal producers, beginning with subsistence growers, and concluding with expert distillers. Agave is Mexican. It has been of such importance over millennia that it warranted its own goddess, Mayahuel. Her husband, Patecatl, was the god of pulque. Yet curiously there is no pre-Hispanic deity for an agave distillate. Food for thought. Alvin Starkman operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca www.mezcaleducationaltours.com
Mexico's French Century A Whirlwind History of the French in Mexico: Architecture, Fashion, Cuisine Not to mention independence and revolution! By Deborah Van Hoewyk
V
ery, very early on the morning of September 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the well-read priest of Dolores, Guanajuato, stood on a balcony in the dark and delivered his impassioned El grito de Dolores (the Cry of Dolores) for independence from the gachupines (Spanish-born oppressors). Hidalgo's declaration of independence was steeped in the thinking of the French political philosophers Jean Jacques Rousseau (171278) and Voltaire (nom de plume of François-Marie Arouet, 1694-1778). While the American Revolution (1775-83) was philosophically based on Enlightenment ideas, they were largely expressed in English terms; it was the cries of “liberty, equality, fraternity” in the French Revolution (1789-99) that gave life to the Mexican War of Independence (1810-21). Remember that Napoleon had invaded Spain in 1808 and occupied it until 1813, so, courtesy of the French, 1810 looked like a good time to confront Spain. Fighting dragged on for over a decade, but when it was all over, Mexico was an independent constitutional monarchy with Agustín de Iturbide serving as “emperor”; since that was not the outcome most people had been working for, de Iturbide was overthrown a year or so later by Antonio López de Santa Anna, who set up the Republic of Mexico. The French aura surrounding the War of Independence led to some serious immigration from France (before that, Spanish rulers had prohibited immigration from countries other than Spain). In the 1830s, France tried to set up a couple of colonies in Veracruz; they weren't all that successful, but a good number of French people settled permanently in Mexico. By 1849, the French were the second-largest immigrant group, after the Spanish themselves. French entrepreneurship in Mexico brought on the First Franco-Mexican War—also known as “The Pastry War” (Guerre de Pâtisseries). In 1838-39, King Louis-Phillipe sent some ships to blockade the port of Veracruz, cutting off all Mexican trade with Europe. The goal was to impress on Mexico the idea that they needed to cut down on post-war unrest (there were 20 different presidents in the first 20 years of the Republic). All that chaos had led to the looting of a Mexico City pastry shop (an interesting story in itself), and Louis-Phillipe decided it was time France collected for all losses suffered by all French businesses in Mexico, along with some war debts stemming from French aid during wars in what is now Texas. Basically, Mexico lost, Britain negotiated a treaty, and Mexico paid France.
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With some detours through a dictatorial presidency by Santa Anna and territory-grabbing by the U.S., Mexico ended up in debt to France again, which, who knows why they would, had once again come to Mexico's assistance. However, thenpresident Benito Juárez declared a moratorium on paying foreign debts; France, Spain, and Britain invaded; Spain and Britain dropped out when they learned France was hell-bent to take over the whole country, which they did in 1862. Before they did, though, they suffered a defeat—en route from Veracruz to Mexico City, they were met with resistance. Led by Ignacio Zaragoza, Mexican forces occupied fortifications in Puebla. The French were unsuccessful in their attack, and were routed into complete retreat on May 5 by a young cavalry officer named José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori. Although the battle provided only a temporary halt to France's victory over Mexico, it became known as “Cinco de Mayo,” and like the battle itself, isn't a very big deal in Mexico. Porfirio Díaz, however, was a big deal, and more about him later. By 1864, the French had installed Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, an Austrian archduke from the Habsburg monarchy, as Emperor Maximilian I of the Second Mexican Empire (Iturbide's brief rule was the First Mexican Empire). Some stories have it that his wife, the Belgian princess Charlotte/Carlota, pressured him to take the job, which he didn't want. If so, Maximilian's instincts were right; in 1867, he was executed by a Mexican firing squad as Benito Juárez led the uprising that liberated Mexico from foreign rule.
Juárez remained as president, defeating Porfirio Díaz in the 1871 election, until he dropped dead at his desk in 1872. Díaz began making moves to return to power. In 1876, he succeeded, and embarked on what was effectively a dictatorship (the “Porfiriato”) until 1911, with a little break from 1880-84 to give the semblance of presidential elections. He managed to maintain office by catering to the conservative wealthy and, not incidentally, the French tastes they developed courtesy of Maximilian. When he was finally overthrown in the Mexican Revolution, Díaz fled to Paris; he died in 1915, and is buried in Montparnasse Cemetery. Despite their ignominious ends, Maximilian, Carlota, and Porfirio Díaz are responsible for lasting French influences in Mexico.
French Architecture Maximilian brought 19th-century French urban design to Mexico City. Paseo de la Reforma connects the National Palace with Chapultepec Park, and could have been designed by Baron Haussmann, who laid out the Avenue des Champs Élysées in Paris. Remember the neoclassical Beaux Arts movement? That would be the Palacio de Bellas Artes. In Mérida, the Palacio Cantón was built during the Porfiriato and now houses the Regional Museum of Anthropology and History. In Orizaba, none other than Gustav Eiffel designed the Palacio de Hierro, a Neoclassical/Art Nouveau ironwork structure that was to serve as the municipal palace (today it houses offices and a series of small museums—soccer, beer, flags, ex-presidents, the “Roots of Orizaba,” the geography of Orizaba, and a planetarium). Eiffel also made it over to Baja California Sur to the small city of Santa Rosalia, to design the cast-iron Iglesia de Santa Bárbara, mostly notable for its interior barrel-vault ceiling. Throughout Mexico, you can also see stunning examples of Art Nouveau architecture, courtesy of France, and the immediately succeeding Art Deco, courtesy of any number of countries, including the U.S. French cuisine Mexico's first classic cookbook, El Cocinero Mexicano, was published in 1831 and is planted firmly in the tradition of classic French cuisine—despite its claims to serving up the best of Mexican food. (No one was going to publish a cookbook for indigenous food—that was for the lower classes and cookbooks were hardly necessary.) The continuous state dinners prepared for Maximilian, Carlota, and guests, would have been indistinguishable from over-indulgent 19th-century French banquets. Today, huitlacoche crepes, various mousses, cream soups (carrot with cilantro, perhaps mushroom with epazote, anyone?), and of course, those pastries and some desserts remind us of the French presence in Mexico.
French Fashion Even before the arrival of Maximilian and Carlota, French fashion made inroads on Mexican taste. Starting as Las Fábricas de Francia in the 1850s (not the same as the current Fábricas de Francia, which is part of Liverpool), Frenchman Victor Gassier began building the fashion emporium that finally opened as El Palacio de Hierro in 1891. Although that building was destroyed by fire, and the store had problems during the Revolution, it reopened as the Palacio de Hierro in 1920 in a new Art Nouveau building (French architect, of course) in Polanco, complete with two stained-glass ceilings done to match ones in Nancy, France (a center of Art Nouveau architecture). That building reopened in 2016, boasting a $300 million (USD) renovation and another 594,000 square feet of floor space. As you could during the Porfiriato, you can spend big bucks on the latest fashion from France: Chanel, Hermés, Louis Vuitton.
Perfect your Spanish! Word of the Month: By Julie Etra
Pegar- verb To stick, to paste or to hit. But this applies to a wide variety of sticking, including placing a poster on a wall (Puedo pegarlo aqui? Can I place it here?). Por fin la trepadora ha pegado. Finally the vine is attaching), or to a plant taking root Las plantulas han pegado. The seedlings have rooted, are well rooted). Pegar oj. Inability to sleep, as in: Juan ha perdido la cuenta de las noches que ha pasado en vela, sin poder pegar ojo. Juan had lost count of the nights he laid awake, unable to sleep. Pegar un tiro. Shoot. As in: Amo pegar un tiro a los ratas. I love to shoot rats. Le pegó a la pelota de béisbol. He hit the baseball. Pablo me ha pegado. Pablo hit me. Copia ese texto y pégalo en este documento. Copy that text and paste it into this document.
“If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree. ” Michael Crichton The Eye 15
The Zapatista’s Rebellion Inspiring Global Action By Kary Vannice
W
ould you believe me if I told you that a small group of indigenous corn farmers from southern Mexico are responsible, at least in part, for movements like Occupy Wall Street in the United States, Spain's Indignados, and Direct Democracy Now in Greece? Wondering what could possibly connect corn farmers in Mexico with unemployed urban youth in Madrid? Well, to find the answer, you'll have to turn back the clock 25 years and revisit the Zapatista uprising in the state of Chiapas. January 1, 1994, was the day humble corn farmers took up arms and said “Basta!” (“Enough!”). These rural “campesinos” had had enough of feeling ignored, slighted, robbed from and, in their own words, “dispossessed” by the Mexican government. They officially declared war. Thousands of “faceless” (masked in balaclavas) indigenous men and women carrying automatic weapons took control of dozens of towns and cities in southern Chiapas, including San Cristóbal de Las Casas, the capital city. The impetuses for this call to arms were many, but the biggest was the recently signed NAFTA treaty between the countries of North America. Opening up the borders for free trade, to the Zapatistas anyway, meant the rich were going to get richer and the poor, poorer. These high mountain communities in southern Chiapas could not afford to get any poorer. They were already suffering. In February 1994, a representative of the Zapatistas wrote (translated from Spanish) We do not take up arms for the pleasure of killing and dying … For our sons and daughters, there are no schools or medicines; there are no clothes or food, there is no decent roof above their heads. For our children, there is only work, ignorance, and death. The land we have is useless … We, their fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, didn't want to carry the guilt of doing nothing for our children. We searched for peace and ways to obtain justice, but we found only death; we found pain and sorrow, every time. And then, we had to turn to the way of war, because what we asked for with our voices was not heard. In their declaration of war, the Zapatistas' demands were simple; land, food, a home, health, and education. The most basic of human rights. They went on to outline more demands, not only on behalf of their own population, but on behalf of all Mexican people - democracy, freedom, and justice, as well as basic human rights that they demanded be extended to all peoples regardless of race, class, or ethnic origin. Compare those demands from 25 years ago to more recent issues raised by participants in movements like Occupy Wall Street and Direct Democracy Now and you'll see striking similarities. They almost all focus on economic inequality, employment, housing, government policies that favor the rich and overall poor economic conditions.
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Issues aren't the only thing these movements have in common. They also have one other huge factor in common with the Zapatistas, organization. Almost every one of these modern social movements has modeled its grassroots organization and mobilization after the uprising in 1994. Today, some may say that the Zapatista movement has been largely unsuccessful. But, while their efforts did not change the face of Mexico at large, they have radically changed the sociopolitical face of the land the Zapatistas now govern autonomously, independent of the Mexican government. While never declaring outright independence from Mexico, the Zapatistas did demand autonomy in the forms of land access and use of natural resources, effectively taking back their livelihoods. Today, about 60,000 Zapatistas now live in these autonomous municipalities, called caracoles. The concept of autonomy is central to Zapatista communities. The Mexico Solidarity Network put it this way… “(Here) autonomy is understood as building a world in which all worlds have a place. It means respect for traditions and customs with decentralization of power to the community level.” Within each caracol there is a system of self-governance that is bottom-up instead of top-down, in alignment with one of their overarching edicts, "the people give the orders, and the government obeys." And really, that's what is at the heart of all modern day liberal movements: more “say” in how decisions are made and policies are handed down, and giving the power back to the people.
According to Rebecca Manski of Occupy Wall Street, who visited the Zapatistas in Oventic, Chiapas, “Many of the principles, language, themes and ways of organising Occupy Wall Street had been taken straight from Zapatista philosophy.” In this 2014 interview with Al Jazeera, Manski continued by noting that beyond the “romantic imagery” of the Zapatista rebellion, “their most 'powerful contribution' to global politics has been the example … democratic society.” But, for all their freedom and autonomy, are the Zapatista people better off than they were 25 years ago? Well, in addition to their own system of democracy, they have a highly organized system of community mutual aid that contributes to the running of their own schools, health care clinics, and agro-ecological networks. They promote gender equality with a Women's Revolutionary Law, and anyone over the age of 12 can, and does, contribute to communal decisionmaking and oversight. Community works are decided on and implemented by everyone. If any member is negligent in his or her duties or is in disagreement with the collective decision, they simply say: “Well, my friend, this is not the place for you …” Then, I assume, they are kindly shown the way out of Zapatista territory. Also, recognizing the destructive powers of drugs and alcohol, these substances are banned. Signs in Zapatista territory read, "No alcohol or drugs, only peace and maize." They keep to themselves, high in the mountains of Chiapas, reject any assistance from the Mexican government and still wear their signature balaclavas when outsiders are around. Even 25 years later, they remain the “faceless,” surrendering individual identity in favor of the greater good - the whole. While the Zapatistas may not be thriving in the way they had hoped, at least they are no longer suffering under the government control they rebelled against 25 years ago. They won the right to determine for themselves how best to thrive, and they put that power firmly in the hands of the people. It remains to be seen if today's social-political movements will bring about a change in modern society and governmental rule, but there is no denying that the Zapatistas' rebellion against the system and successful creation of an independent way of life continues to inspire many to action, a quarter of a century later
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Top 5 Historial Excursions!
By Jane Bauer 1. Monte Alban Monte Alban was once the ancient capital of the Zapotec people. Overlooking the Valley of Oaxaca, Monte Alban is one of the top archeological sites in Mexico. There are spectacular views over the valley! 2. National Museum of Anthropology The Museo Nacional de Antropología is both the largest and most visited museum in all of Mexico. Located in Mexico City’s Chapultepec Park, the museum boasts an enormous collection of artifacts and exhibits relating to the pre-Columbian heritage of the country. This includes Mayan and Aztec pieces, such as the famed Stone of the Sun, which is the original Aztec calendar stone. 3. Copper Canyon The Copper Canyon network of canyons is several times larger than the Grand Canyon. In the 1600s, the Spanish enslaved some of the indigenous Tarahumanas to extract precious minerals, but the Copper Canyon is better known for its scenic glories. The path of the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railway includes 37 bridges, 86 tunnels, and spectacular views from as high as 2400 meters (nearly 8000 feet). 4. Museo de la Memoria y Tolerancia In addition to explaining how Mexico City's Jewish population burgeoned during the mid-20th century, and memorializing the Holocaust, the museum features permanent exhibits documenting genocides that have occurred elsewhere, including Latin America and Africa. 5. Route of the Monasteries In the 16th century, the Augustinians, Franciscans, and Domincans built fourteen monasteries on the slopes of the Popocatépetl volcano in central Mexico. The goal was to evangelize the indigenous groups living in the areas south and east of Popocatépetl; the monasteries are open to visitors.
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Calendar May 1st Labor Day Mexico
May 5th
May 10th Mother’s Day Mexico
On the Coast Recurring Events: AA Meetings: English AA 6pm, Puerto Escondido Cafecito Rinconada, Every Thursday English Al-Anon 4:30pm, Puerto Escondido Cafecito Rinconada, Every Saturday Weekly Markets Pochutla Market- Every Monday May Saturday, May 6th Huatulco’s Organic Market Santa Cruz 8am-2pm Saturday, May 20th Huatulco’s Organic Market Santa Cruz 8am-2pm Sunday, May 28th Encuentro de Cocineros - Local cooks gather with sample dishes to raise money for local charities. 2pm Santa Cruz 100 pesos
June Saturday, June 3rd Huatulco’s Organic Market Santa Cruz 8am-2pm Saturday, June 17th Huatulco’s Organic Market Santa Cruz 8am-2pm Sunday, June 25th Encuentro de Cocineros - Local cooks gather with sample dishes to raise money for local charities. 2pm Santa Cruz 100 pesos
May 14th Mother’s Day Canada/USA
June 18th Father’s Day
June 21st Summer Solstice
Oaxaca City Recurring Events: AA Meetings (English) Daily - Monday and Thursday - 7 pm Also Saturday at 1 pm - All 12 step groups welcome. 518 Colon Religious Services Holy Trinity Anglican Episcopal Church Sundays 11 am Crespo 211 (between Morelos and Matamoros) Liturgy followed by coffee hour. Information 951-5143799 Religious Society of Quaker Friends Meeting, Saturdays 10 am Free. All are welcome. For more information and location, contact: janynelyons@hotmail.com Weekly Markets Etla Market, Every Wednesday Tlacolula Market, Every Sunday Biking Oaxaca is More Beautiful on a Bicycle, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday - 9 to 10:30 pm Free, Meet in front of Santo Domingo Church Rental bicycles available at Mundo Ceiba, Quintana Roo 2011 You must bring a passport or Oaxacan credentials. They have tandems, too! Ethnobotanical Garden Tours in English Weekly - Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - 11 am $100 pesos. Entrance Reforma and Constitutión. Bridge Tuesday Bridge Game at Oaxaca Lending Library, Pino Suarez 519, $20 pesos, no partner necessary, starting at 1:00PM Garden Club Monthly - 1st Wednesday Free The Oaxaca Garden Club is dedicated to: learning, sharing and education about gardening, agriculture and nature, primarily in Oaxaca. To receive the monthly notices of a c t i v i t i e s , s e n d a n e m a i l t o oaxaca.garden.club@gmail.com Hiking Weekly - Tuesday & Friday 9 am - November thru March Minimal cost for transportation. Hoofing It In Oaxaca (http://www.hoofingitinoaxaca.com/) is a program of weekly hikes for adventurous gringos who hanker to explore this part of Mexico on foot. Reservations required.
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Tour to Teotitlán del Valle Weekly - Thursday and Saturday - 9 to 5 pm $750 pesos Instituto Cultural Oaxaca, Av. Benito Juárez 909 Travel, Learn, Fight Poverty. Fundación En Via (www.envia.org/)
Chiles&Chocolate Cooking Classes Huatulco, Oaxaca
The best way to learn about a culture is through its food. CLASS DESCRIPTIONS TUESDAY- By the Sea -Ceviche -Oven Roasted Shrimp Seasoned -Baja-style Fish Tacos -Shrimp Mousse -Michelada with Clamato WEDNESDAY- Mama’s Kitchen -Black Mole- This is the most exquisite and complicated Mexican salsa. -Yellow Mole -served with Rice and Chicken -Mezcal Margarita THURSDAY-Fiesta- Perfect recipes for your next party! -Poblano and Nopales Emapanadas - Jicama Salad -Beef Tamales in Corn Husk -Rum Horchata
Chiles&Chocolate Cooking Classes offer a delicious culinary and cultural experience that explore a variety of Southern Mexican cuisine. Our hands-on classes ensure you will leave prepared to recreate the dishes when you get home. · · · · · · · ·
Small Groups Hands-on Instruction in English Recipe Manual Free Gift Bag Lunch and Drinks Included All classes start at 9:30am Transportation Included
Cost: $85 USD per person Cooking Classes are 3-4 hours Zimatan, Huatulco
Tel. 958 105 1671
Cel. 958 100 7339
chiles.chocolate@yahoo.com www.huatulco-catering.com
FRIDAY- Street Food- A great intro to Mexican Food. -Salsas -Handmade Tortillas -2 types of soft tacos fillings -Sopes -Tlayudas -Jamaica Margaritas