The Eye Beach, Village + Urban Living in Oaxaca January, 2020 Issue 94 FREE

Year of the Rat

Marina Chahue, Huatulco Tel. 958 105 1671 Cel. 958 100 7339 “Everybody in America is so money-hungry. Closed Mondays It's like a rat race and even when you win you're still a freaking rat.” Mike Tyson

elcome to 2020! I hope that you have had a debaucherous holiday season filled with cocktails and friends, and that you are ready to settle into what is sure to be a much needed collective existential crisis.W You probably want to stop reading right now and order another margarita.

I was attempting to write something inspirational for my first editorial of this decade, but everything was coming out kind of dire and pessimistic. If you are a regular reader then you know our January issue's theme has Wednesday- Sunday followed the Chinese New Year for the past few seasons. Always met with a groan at first by our writers – 5pm- 6pm “Chickens? what can we say about chickens?” – a lot apparently, and this year's 'Rat' has been no different. 2x1 Cocktails Rats are easy to dislike, having come to mean traitors or snitches. Partly this is due to their bad reputation as www.cafejuanitamexico.com filthy and deadly creatures, and also because rats will flee sinking ships and collapsing houses, giving the impression of abandonment. My father was an animal behavior psychologist who often had to go to his university office on the weekends to feed the rats and run them through a maze because, while they are easy to Editor: Jane Bauer dislike, rats are the top choice for experimentation due to Copy Editor: Deborah Van Hoewyk their anatomical, physiological, and genetic similarity to humans. In fact, rats have a counterpart to every known Web Goddess: Erin Vig human gene associated with disease. A 2013 study also showed that rats – and not their mouse colleagues – were Writers: Susan Birkenshaw, Julie Etra, Jan capable of exhibiting the full range of Alzheimer's brain Chaiken, Marcia Chaiken, Caryl Delaney, changes. Brooke Gazer, Randy Jackson, Alvin Starkman, Kary Vannice As I write this, it was announced that the bad boy up north has been impeached, but one has to wonder if anything will change or if it will even stick. I am amazed Cover Image: Bonzami Emmanuelle at the number of business people I know who say he is all right and don't appear to have an issue with the erosion Photography/Art: of human rights as long as the economy is doing well. Various Artists Who are we and what are our values when, as a culture, we find justification for immigration detention camps Distribution: Renee Biernacki, Maggie Winter lining the border of one of our world's most powerful nations. Layout: Jane Bauer

Every day you make decisions that ultimately say Opinions and words are those of the authors and something about who you are, from your purchases, do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The your food choices, your comments on social media, even Eye. which media you choose to ingest. So who are you and what do your actions illustrate about your values? We welcome submissions and input. Let's be better than rats this year! To get involved send us an email. [email protected] See you next month, Visit Us Online Jane www.TheEyeHuatulco.com The Eye 3 In This Issue

A Rat Is Not “Just a Rat” By Julie Etra Page 6

It's Not a Rat! By Brooke Gazer Page 8

Blues on the Beach By Brooke Gazer Page 12

The Year of the Rat – from the Beginning By Susan Birkenshaw Page 16

A New Partner for Un Nuevo Amanecer By Brooke Gazer Page 18

La Rubia Negra: The Erotic Art of Gerardo Navarro By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D. Page 22

The Rat Pack in Mexico By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken Page 28

No Rats in Alberta? Pretty Much Nope! By Randy Jackson Page 30

Rupert, Resonance & Rats By Kary Vannice Page 34

3 Kings round the World By Caryl Delaney Page 38

EDITORIAL PAGE 3 UPCOMING EVENTS PAGE 26

www.TheEyeHuatulco.com

The Eye 4 Chiles&Chocolate Cooking Classes Huatulco, Oaxaca The best way to learn about a culture is through its food. www.HuatulcoCookingClasses.com

Morning Activities Evening Activities

TUESDAY- Seafood TUESDAY- Frida’s Favorites- -Seafood Fritter with Chipotle dishes inspired by Frida Kahlo -Shrimp Tostadas -Huauzontles in Green Sauce -Tomato and Jicama Salad -Corn Pudding with Chiles in Cream -Baked Fish in Hoja Santa leaf -Chicken in Pipian -Paloma Cocktail -Zucchini Salad -Frida Cocktail WEDNESDAY- Mama’s Kitchen -Black Mole- This is the most exquisite and complicated FRIDAY- Village to Table Dinner Mexican sauce. Our 8-course dinner using local ingredients is a culinary -Yellow Mole experience not to be missed! -served with Rice and Chicken *This is not a cooking class -Handmade Tortillas -Mezcal Margarita Chiles&Chocolate Cooking Classes offer delicious culinary and cultural experiences that THURSDAY- Pigs and Rum explore Mexican cuisine. Our hands-on classes -Cochinita Pibil ensure you will leave prepared to recreate the -Corn Cakes dishes when you get home. -Pickeled Onion and Habanero -Avocado Salsa · Hands-on -Nopal and Radish Salad · Instruction in English -Horchata · Recipe Manual · Free Gift Bag FRIDAY- Street Food · Food and Drinks Included -Red and Green Salsas Transportation Included -Pico de Gallo · Morning pick-up is 9am -Handmade Tortillas and Sopes Evening pick-up is 5pm -2 types of Taco Fillings -Huitlacoche Empanadas -Jamaica Margaritas Cost: $85 USD per person Activities are 3-4 hours Zimatan, Huatulco

Tel. 958 105 1671 Cel. 958 100 7339 [email protected] chileschocolatehuatulco www.HuatulcoCookingClasses.com A Rat Is Not “Just a Rat”

By Julie Etra

K, here is your primer on rats – perhaps more than As for whether Christopher Columbus brought rats to the you would ever like to know. There are a lot more Caribbean – he beached on both Hispaniola and Cuba on both rats than the rat with the deservedly “bad rat” rap, the first and second of his four voyages – we do not know. the Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus, hence the Documentation confirms that Columbus and his men went common name. It is also known as the brown rat, ashore in Bariay Bay on the northeast coast of Cuba when he tOhe sewer rat, the wharf rat, the Hanover rat, and the landed on October 28, 1492. There were no docks and it is Norwegian rat. (White lab rats are a product of selective unknown what, i.e., rats, may have accompanied them ashore. breeding of the Norway rat for the specific purpose of research.) The first voyage was relatively small with the three ships (La Niña, La Pinta, and La Santa María) and only 90 sailors. In The other common rat in temperate climates (including contrast, the second voyage included 17 ships and deserts) is various species of the woodrat, or pack rat, Neotoma. approximately 1500 sailors, making land in what is now Puerto There are well over a dozen species of this genus, considered a Rico; stowaways may have been more likely that time. We know “good” rat. that Cortés arrived with horses, as his expedition was one of conquest and colonization, which he and his men That Bad Rat accomplished with the help of horses. Over the 15th and 16th It is thought that the Norway rat centuries, the Spaniards brought pigs, chickens, and wheat, originated in China and Mongolia; it now among other goods (this trade was known as the Columbian enjoys worldwide distribution, with the Exchange, since goods went in both directions). exception of the Arctic, Antarctic, and the province of Alberta, Canada (see Urban Rats article elsewhere in this issue). From In Mexico City, according to exterminators, there are currently northern Asia, they most likely migrated between nine and 18 rats for each of the over 21 million people to southeast Asia, Siberia, and Japan. living in greater Mexico City. Even with the low estimate, that is They did not appear in Europe until the 1500s. a scary 189 million rats! New York City has suffered for three centuries from sewer rat populations that occasionally explode Norway rats are nocturnal and have almost hairless tails that – the New York Times recently reported a 38% increase in are shorter than their bodies; they have short ears. Females complaints, measured by 17,353 calls to the rat hotline in the have 12 nipples and they reproduce year around, ovulating first nine months of 2019. New York has tried rodent birth spontaneously. Females can be sexually active immediately control, dry ice and even a ban on eating in the subway, with after giving birth. Litters range from two to 22 offspring, with few noticeable results. The city is now trying a new “high tech” gestation between 21-24 days, and the young are weaned in rat trap: a bucket, vinegar, and drowning. The vinegar is about 28 days. In summary they reproduce like crazy. Adding supposed to prevent the rats from rotting too fast, and to keep to their adaptability and reproductive success, they are the bucket of dead rodents from stinking too much, according omnivorous and opportunistic eaters, consuming just about to its maker, Rap Trap Inc. “ICK” is all I have to say, and until everything. Although they can swim, they cannot climb out of a humans and their crumbs disappear, the Norway rats will bucket (see below). They are smart and have an acute sense of continue to live with us. smell, although poor vision.

The Norway rat is almost exclusively associated with human beings; how it evolved from a wild animal to ubiquitous pest associated with humans has been studied through relatively recent (2016) genetic investigations. In addition to being the notorious vector of the bubonic plague in Europe, they urinate and defecate where they eat, contaminating food supplies.

Perhaps even more problematic they eat insulation and chew through electrical cables. In fact, a few years ago, I met with several Mexican businessmen in Guadalajara who were working on a project with South Korean investors to grow habaneros for production of a concentrate to coat cables and prevent the sheath's consumption. Apparently, Norway rats to do not like the super picante habanero.

From Norway to Mexico As with many introduced species, the Norway rat most likely arrived in eastern North America (US) aboard ships around 1775, if not earlier, as stowaways, with wharfs and associated supplies being preferred habitat. Norway rats arrived in Mexico with the Spaniards during the beginning of the conquest, most probably with Hernán Cortés when he landed in Veracruz in 1519, bringing supplies from Cuba, although Cortés was preceded by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Juan de Grijalva. The Eye 6 B u t , Y e s , T h e r e A r e “Good” Rats A l l r a t s p r o v i d e s o m e ecological benefit, such as scavenging dead animal and plant material, and can Amazing Coffee serve as important prey Specialty Cocktails species for wildlife such as Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner owls, hawks, foxes, bobcats, Fresh Natural Ingredients mountain lions, etc. when Accommodate Dietary Requests they share the same habitat. Air Conditioning Outdoor Lounge One “good rat” is the pack rat. Pack rats are nest builders, and uses twigs and other scavenged material for construction. Although most people call the plural of the wood rat a “pack” Calle Mixteco that is technically called a “mischief.” (between Hotel Galería del Ángel and Chedraui) Pack rat nests can be complex with several chambers and are Open Daily: 7:00 am - 10:00 pm called middens. They resemble a pile of debris. Middens can be very old, and scientists have dated some as old as 50,000 years; their study can provide a window into past site conditions. Although diversity is greatest in the deserts of the US southwest and northern Mexico, they are also found in a wide range of habitats including rocky terrain and caves, but are unknown in the tropics. They are also opportunistic and known to nest in attics and garages, to which my husband and I can attest, as we discovered one living on our top shelf. They have bushy tails, feed on twigs, shoots, fruits and nuts. Babies are born naked and are raised in the middens. Females can have up to five litters per year with up to five babies per litter. Lifespan is usually short, 1-2 years.

Want to know more? Check this link. www.ratbehavior.org/history.htm It's Not a Rat! By Brooke Gazer

i n e t e e n y e a r s There are six sub-types of ago, when we t h e s e m a r s u p i a l moved into our mammals in Mexico. n e w v i l l a i n They are tough little R e s i d e n c i a l g u y s , r e s i s t a n t t o Conejos,N there were not many rattlesnake venom and residences. With fewer than a they eat all kinds of bugs, d o z e n h o m e s , t h e including scorpions. neighborhood had ample Unlike rodents they are forest for small wildlife to not known to carry i n h a b i t . M a n y o f o u r disease. construction workers had lived on site, and we later discovered that their habits of With five fingers on each leaving tortillas and other hand, their dexterity is food around encouraged equal to of humans. small visitors to drop by. A U n f o r t u n a t e l y , few families enjoyed the tlacuaches are slow abundant supply of nourishment so much that they moved movers with poor eyesight; when threatened they often go into right in. a coma-like state hoping to fool a predator into thinking they are dead.

Being from Alberta, which boasts of being a rat-free province, I had never encountered a rat before, and even today they make Apparently, tlacuaches have been in Mexico in their present me shiver. Once we took occupancy, evicting those disgusting forms for sixty million years. An adaptable species, these creatures became our number one priority, and within about a creatures eat almost anything, and they have adapted well to month we felt we had been successful in ridding ourselves of urban life. Currently. their biggest predators are humans the vermin. because it seems that I am not alone in confusing this animal with a rat. However, it would be a pity if they disappeared due to a misunderstanding regarding their identity. So, if you see One night we returned home and spotted what looked like the one try to ignore it. biggest scariest rat we'd ever seen. It was like a rat on steroids, or some mutation that had resisted various poisons. Dominating a planter in our common room, this fat little beast www.xataka.com.mx/ecologia-y-naturaleza/tlacuache-asi- was nearly two feet long and weighed well over ten pounds. es-el-pequeno-y-unico-marsupial-mexicano Seeing it frightened me so much that the scream froze in my throat. Normally we'd check the internet after being out for the Brooke Gazer operates Agua Azul la Villa, evening, but rather than cross the room to get to our office, we an ocean view B&B in Huatulco went upstairs to bed. Fortunately, we had no paying guests and hoped this one leave before the sun came up. (www.bbaguaazul.com).

The next morning it was gone but our terror remained. Where did it go? When might it reappear? Would it attack if we surprised it? Were there others? When Rick mentioned our unwelcome guest to a Mexican friend, Ernesto laughed. “That's not a rat, it's a tlacuache. They're harmless. They eat worms and bugs. And they aren't even rodents.” It turns out these really are harmless and they are rather interesting little critters. Tlacuaches are gentle nocturnal animals who live a Dental Lab solitary life except when mating. In English they are referred to as possums. Services Broken Dentures? 30 min. repairs What is really fascinating about them is that they are New Dentures Available marsupials, like kangaroos. They have a pouch for their undeveloped infants, who start out the size of honeybees. For Urgent Needs: 24 hrs. finish their first two months the babies remain inside the pouch, attached to the mother's breast. Then they climb onto her back Francisco Adrian Barron and begin to experience the world. Most marsupials live in Dental Technician with over 20 years of experience Australia, and there are several in South America, but this Cel.: 553 148 8840 species is special since it is the only marsupial found in North Carrizal Edificio B-8, Apt. 2 America. Beta Centauro, La Crucecita, Huatulco The Eye 8 12 Exclusive Designer Homes Starting at 240 USD -24 hour security -HOA only 125 USD -Large swimming pool -BBQ area -Palapa Area -Shade and very pristine gardens -Gated and private entry -close to all stores and downtown

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Starting Pre-sale Pricing [email protected] Cel: 958 174 2212 Blues on the Beach

By Brooke Gazer

ince its premiere in 2012, the Blues on the Beach concerts have grown so popular that some Huatulco visitors arrange their vacation to coincide with one or both annual events. Mark two Saturdays – January 18 and February 22 – on your 2020 calendarS because you won't want to miss either of these two fun-filled extravaganzas. The concerts will be held at The Sea Soul Beach Club in the Chahue area of Bahías de Huatulco. The lineup for January includes Guy Bélanger on harmonica, blues/soul singer Annika Chambers, and Paul Deslauriers, one of Canada's elite guitarists.

Quebecer harmonica artist and composer Guy Bélanger, influenced by blues greats Bob Walsh and Dutch Mason of Canada, as well as Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, James Cotton, and Big Mama Thornton, has been touring Europe and North America for over four decades. He started releasing his own albums in 2008; his sixth and latest, Eldorado, came out in October 2019. Bélanger has received two Canada-wide Maple Blues Awards, and 14 of Quebec's Lys Blues Awards.

American Annika Chambers grew up singing gospel music in church, but her exceptional gift became apparent through her military service. An invitation to sing the national anthem led to a tour of Kosovo and Iraq, boosting morale for her fellow soldiers. After two tours of duty, Annika returned to Houston where she formed her own band and launched her professional career. In 2015 Chambers and the band (The Houston All- Stars) were nominated for the Best New Artist Album at the Blues Music Awards; in 2019, she won the BMA's Soul Blues Female Artist award.

Paul DesLauriers fronts one of Canada's greatest blues bands. He was awarded Entertainer of the Year and Electric Act of the Year in both 2016 and 2017 at the Maple Blues Awards. In 2016 his band took 2nd place at the 32nd International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, renowned as the world's largest gathering of blues artists. The group's latest album, Bounce, premiered in June 2019.

It is worth noting that, with the exception of the entertainers, everyone involved in making Blues on the Beach so successful is a volunteer, and 100% of the proceeds go to a worthy nonprofit organization. Un Nuevo Amanecer provides therapy and education for nearly a hundred local children who suffer from a broad spectrum of disabilities. Their mandate is to help these kids develop to their maximum potential and live as independently possible. Most of these kids come from poor families and without UNA, they would have little or no hope of becoming self-sufficient. The government provides very little support, but the people in Huatulco have demonstrated overwhelming generosity in keeping this commendable cause afloat.

Tickets are $400 pesos and can be purchased at Resort Real Estate Services, Giordana's Trattoria, Café Juanita, Restaurant Viena and Aventura Mundo.

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Contact us to reserve your spot: [email protected] cel: 958 174 2212 The Year of the Rat – from the Beginning

By Susan Birkenshaw

s I grew up, one of my The rat and the cat were not great not-so-secret pleasures swimmers, but they were both very was to read my daily intelligent. They decided that the horoscope. I often best and fastest way to cross the would have my tea river was to hop on the back of the leavesA read or go to the card reader ox. The ox, being kindhearted and at the fall fair, and I even tried to naïve, had no objections. Just as figure out what the Chinese Zodiac the ox reached the shore of the might mean to me. I remember river, the rat shoved the cat into that I was often surprised about the water, leapt off the head of the just how “close and similar” the ox, and rushed up to the Jade results seemed to be. As a kid, I Emperor. The rat was named as would try to live my life (for maybe a the first animal of the zodiac couple of days) based on the calendar, the ox had to accept results of each event. Ultimately, second place, and the cat never not a sensible path! placed at all.

Over the years I also spent many busy, noisy and controversial The tiger came in third. Even though he was strong and dinners with my family. At its largest, the dinner table sat – 3 powerful, he explained to the Jade Emperor that the river Dragons (me), 3 Tigers, one each of Rabbit, Dog, Sheep, currents had slowed him down. Rooster and Horse. With no rats at my dinner table, at the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Rat, I wonder who and Next, “thump, thump,” and from the distance the rabbit came where they were?! bounding up. He explained that he started crossing by jumping from one stone to another, but he slipped about Over time, I “learned” to enjoy the entertainment value and halfway through. A floating log passed by and the rabbit move on. While that didn't mean I simply ignored the potential jumped aboard. The log was rushing downstream but impact, over time I started to wonder just how these mysteriously dropped the rabbit on the shore in just the right “teachings” had such a history and such a major impact on the place. Thus did the rabbit become the fourth animal in the lives of so many people around the world. Zodiac cycle.

In particular, the Chinese Zodiac has been an important factor In fifth place came the flying dragon, but the Jade Emperor in most Chinese culture for over 2,000 Years. Twelve animals, queried the dragon as to why, if he was so swift and never had 12 days and finally down to 12 hours times 2 – this originally to enter the river, he did not come in first. The dragon led to a simple way of telling time and identifying important explained that he had had to stop at a drought-plagued village times in history. Now, it is often the basis of relationships, and bring rain to the the people. Then, right near the finish, he baby creation times and business decisions. Many believe that saw the rabbit clinging to the log, so the dragon puffed a bit so while the fables are simple and consistent, the basics remain the log brought the poor rabbit to shore. The Jade Emperor constant and must have some basis in history and reality. was surprised and pleased by the dragon's good nature, and named him the fifth animal. There are twelve members of the Chinese Zodiac. Eleven of these are from the animal kingdom and one is a fantasy Next, from afar they heard a galloping sound, and the horse creature (dragon). While not all possible animals are came into view. But coiled around the front leg of the horse represented, the most enduring myth or fable about the origin was the snake, which leaped out across the finish line, of the official Chinese Zodiac originates around the time of the startling the horse. The horse fell back and the snake came in Han Dynasty (206 BC – 9 AD). It tells us why some seem to be sixth while the horse placed seventh. missing. A bit later, the goat, the monkey, and the rooster arrived at The fable most often told begins with the Jade Emperor. He the Heavenly Gate. They had worked together to cross the wanted to invite 12 animals to be his new sentries. After river. The rooster found a raft, and the monkey and the goat sending his invitations far and wide to any member of the tugged and pulled all the river weeds out of the way. Of course, Animal Kingdom, a great race began. It was established that they had to run from the shore up to the Heavenly Gate, so the the first across the finish line would be first in rank and so on goat was number eight, followed by the monkey and then the throughout his new corps of 12 guardians. Oddly, enough, 12 rooster. The Jade Emperor was much pleased by their contestants showed up at the start line. The race would finish teamwork. on the far side of a great river before the heavenly gate of the Jade emperor's abode. The dog was the eleventh animal placed in the zodiac cycle. Although his swimming and running skills were excellent, the dog (not surprisingly, spent his time playing in the water. He explained to the Jade Emperor that he needed a good bath before arriving at the finish line, and that was why he was late. The Eye 16 Just when the Jade Emperor was going to call the race, even with only eleven finishers, an "oink" sound was heard, and there came the pig. The pig had, of course, felt hungry in the middle of the race, so he stopped, ate something, and then fell asleep. He woke up and continued on, finishing the race in twelfth place, becoming final animal in the cycle.

Knowing the origin of the Zodiac Cycle, we can dig a little deeper to learn that each of the Zodiac animals has five separate elements: wood, water, earth, fire, and metal (or gold). However, this takes us into mathematical calculations that many of us may choose to take to the experts. There are many charts and outlines to follow or mathematical equations that will help you identify your own element. Marina Park Plaza Open daily 11am- 11pm Following one of these charts, I determined that I am Water Chahue, Huatulco Tel. 958 117 4502 Dragon. Apparently, this means that I have the ability to be more reflective, calm and intuitive than my more "out there" dragon sisters (when necessary). All of this to say, the Chinese Zodiac is a tool for life planning that can be considered when creating something new or planning a new adventure.

It is not as slavishly adhered to as it once was; in the times of the early emperors, marriages, other relationships, birth months and even good times for war were determined by auspicious times as decreed by the Zodiac. With its long history and cultural impact today, this tool is nothing to be laughed at. Simply another approach to your life pondering.

Here are two simple and useful sites for you to consider in you first forays into the Chinese Zodiac: www.yourchineseastrology.com or www.astrologyk.com

The Eye 17 A New Partner for Un Nuevo Amanecer By Brooke Gazer

he parents and staff at UNA are exceedingly grateful for the help that Huatulco provides, through both Blues on the Beach and from personal and corporate Tdonations. But the need is ever increasing. Since 1997, UNA has had the use of therapy rooms free of charge above the Ferrealianza hardware store at the corner of Calles Jazmin and Plumbago in La Crucecita. For children with severe physical disabilities, a second-floor facility is hardly ideal, but staff and parents carry children and wheelchairs up the steep iron staircase. In September of 2017, an 8.2 earthquake in the Gulf of Tehuantepec reached Huatulco, causing structural damage to the building. In the event of another tremor, evacuation of healthy children might be challenging, but the logistics with physically disabled kids is a nightmare that no one wants to contemplate.

Land has been donated and some money for a new building fund set aside, but the amount is far below what is necessary to reach the goal. UNA needs about $2,000,000 pesos to begin construction on the new facility and an additional $2,000,000 to complete the project. The good news for Canadians is that this year, due to a partnership with Amistad Canada, donations can be tax deductible.

This organization was created in 2009 to help Canadians contribute to worthy non-profit agencies in Mexico. It was (958) 581 0265 registered under the Canadian Income Tax Act and is able to [email protected] provide donation receipts for Canadians who contribute to any of the twelve Amistad partner organizations; UNA is the newest www.bbaguaazul.com member and the only one in southern Mexico. Any donation made through the Amistad Canada website can obtain a receipt to support a charitable tax deduction. To donate online go to the Amistad website and click on the “DONATE/ DONAR” tab on the top. Then click the “FUND” button in the left column and select “UN NUEVO AMANECER.” (www.amistadcanada.org/donate/), Donations may also be made by Interac e-Transfer or by check.

For Americans and Mexicans, donations can be made directly to UNA either in cash or through UNA's PayPal account. As a registered Mexican charity, UNA can issue receipts for tax deductions in Mexico.

The Blues on the Beach event hopes that Amistad Canada's involvement will allow the concert proceeds to be devoted exclusively to construction of a new home for UNA, rather than being used for operating expenses.

Brooke Gazer operates Agua Azul la Villa, an ocean-view B&B in Huatulco (www.bbaguaazul.com). The Eye 18 Plaza and Hotel Laramar 14 commercial spaces Center of Santa Cruz Pre-construction prices available Custom design to meet your business’ needs

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Starting Pre-sale Pricing [email protected] Cel: 958 106 9122 La Rubia Negra: The Erotic Art of Gerardo Navarro

By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.

rtist Gerardo Navarro Gómez lives in a lush, tranquil setting with his mother and three sisters. One would not expect to encounter art ranging from the mildly erotic to pieces that test the sensibilities of the most liberal amongst us. But, yes, accompanyingA paintings that express religious imagery and childlike carefree scenes are those of quite another theme, carefully hidden from view.

The women in the Navarro Gómez family weave cotton textiles on their backstrap looms, while Gerardo is busy painting all manner of contorted body parts, at times spewing the lifeblood of humankind. They all, matriarch included, lightly laugh, joke and slough it off in response to my pointed and arguably embarrassing questions. No subject is taboo, nor provokes shame. Perhaps the Eden-like environment is the key to the harmony between such different forms of creativity in one family. The family lives in the Catholic rural world of Santo Tomás Jalieza, about 40 minutes south Oaxaca City.

Residents have been weaving cotton textiles for umpteen generations, more recently primarily for the tourist trade – table runners and placemats, napkins, purses, leather- In January 1994, he left for California, intent on a new life: “I trimmed belts, change purses, eyeglass cases and more. In the wanted to leave behind everything from my past, so I even case of the Navarro Gómez family, the trade dates back only a burned all of my little writings from those afternoons in the couple of generations. Inhabitants remain to a large extent fields.” He returned in May, having found the Los Angeles self-sufficient through ranching and agriculture, relying if not lifestyle even worse; people were always rushing around and on sheep, goats or cows, then certainly upon chickens and seemed to be under an undue amount of pressure. turkeys – and subsistence crops such as corn, beans and squash. The vagaries of Oaxacan tourism require it. Within three months of Navarro's return, his life had indeed changed, dramatically. His mother Mariana and sisters Navarro grew up rejecting formal education: “I never did finish Margarita, Inés and Crispina, had developed a reputation for public school. I didn't think I was learning anything, and in fashioning textiles of extremely high quality, setting them fact spent about four years languishing in first grade. Finally, apart from most other townspeople. Crispina in particular when I was 14, I packed it in for good.” But one teacher did found herself a niche, weaving fine thread into the most impact his future. “She was the only one who saw something intricate of designs. Her notoriety spread to such an extent in me different from the others. She gave me crayons and a that she began to receive praise from craft aficionados outside drawing book, and left me to work. I never asked her why she Mexico. She's been in the company of four Mexican centered me out, and she never offered an explanation. She presidents, and even visited former President Vicente Fox at just left me alone most of the time, to draw.” his ranch. The family had become accustomed to hosting dignitaries at their modest, yet spacious and immaculately After school Navarro would tend his father's goats, while kept, home. Frequently artists would attend to buy sometimes doing a bit of leatherwork, and regularly jotting handicrafts, and to just chat. And who wouldn't be so drawn to down his thoughts, even making little verses. Twice the the family, residing in one of the most welcoming environments government sent instructors to the village, initially to teach imaginable. about working with animal skins, and then to show the townspeople how to combine textiles and leather to make The late Juan Alcázar, acclaimed Oaxacan artist, and his wife purses and belts. Gerardo became proficient at making Justina Fuentes, a talented painter in her own right, were one leather belts decorated with narrow strips of cotton textile such couple. Of course, Navarro knew nothing of them at the produced by his sisters and mother on their looms. time, other than that they were city folk who appreciated quality textiles. One day in early August 1994, a visitor of But once again, he rejected convention. “I didn't like doing that German extraction, Helmut Kohl, came by to admire Crispina's kind of work. I always felt under pressure and like I wasn't artistry. He noted Navarro's fine leatherwork, and suggested really creating anything. I had no freedom. For someone to that he might want to consider taking art classes with a friend, say, 'I need 20 belts just like this in two weeks,' just reinforced Juan Alcázar. that I had to do something else and remove myself from the lifestyle of those around me.” Over the next several years, daily from nine to six, Navarro would visit the Alcázar / Fuentes workshop, initially working with pencil, then ink, and eventually watercolors. While others were in groups taking courses while learning to be The Eye 22 artists, Gerardo would be off in a corner, his back to them, working away independently. “Don't even look at art books until you've been painting for ten years,” Alcázar counseled; no matter, since Navarro had not previously cracked a book, and never had any intention of doing so. In fact to this day, he has never looked in an art book, nor read about theory or technique, and is oblivious to the art of Chagall and Picasso – aside from the fact that some of his patrons have likened his work to theirs.

Navarro first exhibited in 1995, after Kohl had advised him that he wanted to display his work in a gallery in Ajijic. Gerardo had no idea what to expect. When he accompanied Kohl to the framer the day before the exhibit's inauguration, he was taken aback at how different his work then looked. But Kohl kept him grounded: “If you sell one piece you'll be lucky; with two sales consider yourself a master; and never expect to sell three.” He learned that a gold star beside a piece meant it was sold. By 6 pm that first evening of the show, 15 of 16 pieces had gold stars.

None of those initial works was erotica, though from the outset Navarro had been creating art with sexual content. He's always feared exhibiting such pieces, even at home: “I still keep it apart from the rest of my work, in a separate plastic sleeve, face down. I won't show them unless people ask; and besides, sometimes children come to our home, so I have to be careful. Even my larger works are on the floor facing inward.” He points to a large framed painting hidden behind another.

Narvarro has recently been painting more erotica. But he never decides “I'm going to do erotica starting today.” He doesn't start out with a particular idea – the brush just takes him where it wants to go. “My mind seems to flow like a river; and so I just follow it, and if it keeps flowing after I'm finished with a piece, then a sequence of pieces will emerge.” In Navarro's lighthearted La rubia negra (the black blonde, Many of Navarro's works include prose or poetry relating to the 2006), the message is clearly conveyed without the use of image represented. Sometimes words come to him when he prose: a lover's teary upset and her boyfriend's rejecting begins a piece, thereby inspiring content, and other times what dismay upon his realization that she's not a natural blonde. he writes comes about once a work has been completed. He The title's double entendre alone is sufficient poetic rhyme; acknowledges with embarrassment, “I know that because I'm another translation is “the gloomy blonde.” The imagery not educated, there are always errors in spelling and dispenses with the need for written explanation. grammar.” Such works remind the viewer of the Mexican votive painting tradition (often referred to as ex voto, to reflect In 1996, Fuentes told Navarro it was time to try working with thanks and devotion for a divine favor or benefit). oils. She gave him a canvas and told him to buy a couple of tubes of paint. After he sold his first oil, he went out and spent 1,000 pesos on as many tubes of paint as the money would buy. Everyone laughed, never having heard of anyone spending all their money on so much paint. But he was filled with excitement and ambition, so much so that within the next four months he had created 18 oils, exhibiting them for the first time in 1997. Oils are amongst the erotica tucked away in his workshop.

“You never know what people's reactions will be, or how receptive they'll be to that kind of art. A while ago a woman from the city bought one of my eroticas, a mermaid having oral sex with a mortal. She took it home and her husband wouldn't let her hang it in their house. So they came back together, and exchanged it for a painting of a couple making love, with a crucifix on the wall above them, and an angel passing over, covering Jesus' eyes.”

Navarro doesn't perceive inconsistency between being Catholic and producing erotica, but then again he attends church infrequently. “I have my faith, and I believe in Jesus.” He continues, “What initially turned me off going to galleries to see other art or even my own, occurred once when there was an exhibit of my work in one room, and religious art in another. The crowds were looking at my display, and hardly anyone was staying to look at the religious art. Someone came up to me and said 'you're the devil.' My response was simple; at night we all lie down and spread our legs, so what's wrong with that kind of portrayal in my art.” Continued on page 24 The Eye 23 For his oils and watercolors Navarro works in the most brilliant of colors. And with his ink drawings he uses sepia tones. Curiously, it's more in his pieces done in shades of blacks and Luxury in browns where he lets loose and enables bizarre sexual San Agustinillo metaphors to predominate. A private romantic “I'm not interested in exhibiting in other countries,” Navarro suite with unbeatable states. “People come from far away to see me, not just my art. ocean views. So what happens if I'm not here? It's not fair to those who admire what I do, if they come by or contact me to make sure I'll 2500 pesos per night. be around, and I'm away.” The sisters echo that sentiment. They infrequently travel out of the country to exhibit. And for 2200 pesos for stays of local fiestas and family obligations, generally one family more than four nights. member remains at home. Being available for those who Cell: 958 109 7638 appreciate their work is a priority. [email protected]

The division of labor in the Navarro Gómez household is consistent with Gerardo's personal worldview as represented in his art. Each family member has morning household tasks; sweeping the exterior hardened earth or the interior concrete floors, making tortillas, cooking meals, tending the animals. Most are subject to weekly rotation. Gerardo begins his artistic day only after everything else has been completed. And so equality between the sexes in the household spills over to his erotica – one sex does not dominate the other, and women appear to be just as active participants as men in the eroticism portrayed.

Much of Gerardo Navarro's erotica speaks to his personal philosophy regarding monogamy. He has not been in a long- term relationship since beginning his career as an artist some Salt Available 25 years ago. He sees marriage as a compromise he's not prepared to make. “Marriage is like a grave,” he maintains, at Café Juanita then continues, “It kills love. In the world I know, the men in Marina Chahue aren't around all that much. They're off in the US under the guise of earning for their families, the women and children left at home to fend for themselves. What do the women do?” Silence ensues, leading one to imagine what actually transpires behind closed doors in Santo Tomás Jalieza. Gerardo Navarro Gómez then returns to painting one of his favorite themes – the apple tree in the Book of Genesis, with Eve firmly in control.

One of Gerardo's non-erotic oils graces the cover of Alvin's book, Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market: Unrivalled Complexity, Innumerable Nuances (www.mezcaleducationaltours.com).

A big bowl of Birria Mezcal (Mexican stew) Educational Excursions of Oaxaca TM/MR While in the state capital, learn about this century's is the ultimate most coveted spirit by spending a day with recognized comfort food. authority Alvin Starkman. Visit rural artisanal distilleries (palenques) using both ancestral clay pot Palo Verde & Bugambilia and traditional copper stills. For novices and La Crucecita, Huatulco aficionados alike. Sample throughout your excursion Delivery with no obligation to buy. Cel: 958 116 2932 www.mezcaleducationaltours.com [email protected] tionachosbirria The Eye 24 Located at Salchi Beach • 12 House Units Casa Club: 45 minutes from Huatulco Airport • 19 Cabin Units -Reception Area • Lots of 350 m2 and 560 m2 -2 swimming pools • Three hectares -Children’s pool • 15 amenities -Terrace with Bar • More than 6,000 m2 of green areas. -Sunbathing Area • One entry and exit access -Gym • Security and 24/7 surveillance -2 Jacuzzis

-Games Room Exterior Amenities -Air-Conditioned Event Room • 725 m jogging route -Restaurant • Park -SPA Cell: 958 174 2212 • Childish games [email protected] • Parking for 32 cars Huatulco’s Upcoming Events Huatulco Recurring Events: Frozen Yogurt English AA, Huatulco Wednesdays, Joe and Charlie Step Study, 7:15 pm Thursdays, meeting, 11:30 am Saturdays, meeting, 7:15 pm Gardenia Street Plaza Oaxaca, Calle Flamboyant 310 La Crucecita 2nd floor, La Crucecita, (2 blocks from the church) Info: Becky Wiles, [email protected] Open 3pm-10pm Closed Mondays Weekly Markets Pochutla Market- Every Monday

Huatulco’s Organic Market Santa Cruz 8 am - 2 pm First and third Saturdays of the month

Encuentro de Cocineros - Local cooks gather with sample dishes to raise money for local charities. Santa Cruz Park, 150 pesos Last Sunday of the month at 2 pm

Huatulco Special Events: Plaza Coyula Local 4 January 18, Blues on the Beach, Sea Soul Beach Santa Cruz, Huatulco Club on Chahue Beach 8 – 11 PM (behind Banamex) Tel: 958 100 9998 January 25, The Bacaanda Foundation's Dream Fesitval, Guelaguetza Park, on the west side of Marina Park Plaza, 5 – 10 PM

Oaxaca City Recurring Events: Open AA Meetings (English) Members of all 12-step programs welcome Mondays and Thursdays, 7 pm Saturdays, 9 am 303B Rayon near corner of Fiallo

Al-Anon (English) Tuesdays, 10:30 am 303B Rayon near corner of Fiallo

Religious Services Holy Trinity Anglican Episcopal Church Sundays 10:30 am Crespo 211 (between Morelos and Matamoros) Liturgy followed by coffee hour. Information 951- 514-3799

Oaxaca Quaker Friends Saturdays, 10 am, Free. All are welcome. For more information and location, contact [email protected].

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Starting Pre-sale Pricing [email protected] Cel: 958 174 2212 The Rat Pack in Mexico

By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken

he original Rat Pack entertainers were primarily A number of films made by known for their individual accomplishments and individual Rat Pack members were their group antics in shows in Las Vegas and films in shaped by their Mexican retreats. Hollywood, but they also owed homage to Mexico for Bogart might be best known for contributing to their fame. They included iconic Casablanca, but film critics agree AmericanT figures Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Sammy that one of his best performances Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. While Peter Lawford and Joey was in Treasure of the Sierra Bishop may not be much recognized among the younger Madre. This film, which has generations, they too were part of the Rat Pack. definitely withstood the test of time, was shot in the state of Durango and the city of Tampico. The name Rat Pack was One of the first Hollywood productions to be shot outside the b e s t o w e d o n t h e m b y US, the film was selected to be preserved by the US Library of Bogart's wife Lauren Bacall, Congress. w h o , a f t e r s e e i n g t h e disheveled group after a A far less critically acclaimed movie, night of heavy drinking, said, Marriage on the Rocks, starring “You look like a pack of rats.” Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in T h e y w e r e f a m o u s f o r non-singing roles, also was set in partying, and one place Mexico. The comedy involved fast where they could party without being mobbed by adoring US divorces, faster marriages, and fans was Acapulco. They helped contribute to the reputation of remarriages in a Mexican beach Acapulco in the 1950s and 1960s as a glamorous place for rest resort. The concept of Mexico and recreation. According to Sammy Davis Jr., who frequently a i d i n g a n d a b e t t i n g s e r i a l faced major discrimination in the US, they were warmly marriages so offended the Mexican welcomed in return by the Mexican people. So warmly, that government that they banned the film and all other Sinatra Davis was invited to provide inaugural entertainment in films. In addition, Sinatra himself was banned from entering Acapulco in 1977 by the newly elected President José López the country. When asked about the ban, the official response Portillo. was, “The government is empowered to bar anyone from entry without giving any reason.” A n o t h e r s o o n - t o - b e president, Jack Kennedy, Perhaps the worst quasi-Mexican movie made by a member of was an honorary member of the Rat Pack was The Ambushers, a spoof on the James Bond the Rat Pack during the films, starring Dean Martin. Martin, as the spy Matt Helm, is time his sister, Pat, was off to Mexico to track down a stolen flying saucer. Although the married to Peter Lawford. film featured a bra that shoots bullets and a device that makes H e a l s o s h a r e d t h e i r men's pants fall down, it was not banned in Mexico but simply attachment to Acapulco, ignored. where Jack and Jackie had honeymooned. The group was redubbed the Jack Pack during Although they spent many weeks partying and on location in the times he hung out with them. However, the relationship Mexico, the selection of songs by Rat Pack members just barely did not go well once Jack reached the White House, due to reflected their attachment to the country. South of the Border Sinatra's alleged connections with the mob. Ironically, was a hit recording made separately by Sinatra and Martin. Lawford and Pat divorced soon after Jack was assassinated. Martin introduced an English version of La Paloma to fans who Lawford married Mary Ann Rowan in Puerto Vallarta. The lived north of the border, but the Spanish version did not make ceremony was performed by Luis Fabela Icaza, deputy mayor of it into his repertoire. Even Sammy Davis Jr., who was of Cuban Puerto Vallarta. descent, largely eschewed Spanish in his performances for standing-room-only crowd in Acapulco – ending with one word The Rat Pack's fame and fortune – “gracias”. overlapped with the Golden Age of Cinema in Mexico, so it is not All the members of the Rat Pack are surprising that Mexican superstars now gone. The former glamour of and the Rat Pack were involved in Acapulco has faded. But if you some of the same films. The revered w o u l d l i k e t o s p e n d t i m e Mexican comedian, Cantinflas, was remembering the good old days, the leading actor in the film, Pepe. have a drink at an old rat-pack Bit parts by Rat Pack members haunt, the now refurbished and re- playing themselves included Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, glamorized Madeiras restaurant in Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin. Acapulco. Or watch the original 1960 Ocean's Eleven featuring the whole pack. It's in English of course, but you can probably find a copy with Spanish subtitles. The Eye 28 Hair Cutting Coloring Perms Straightening Barber Services Facials Waxing Manicure/ Pedicure Gel Dipping Powder Brows Lash Lifting Micro blading Keratin Treatment

Located beside Coppel [email protected] Appointments: 958 688 2173 No Rats in Alberta? Pretty Much Nope!

By Randy Jackson

he Chinese zodiac year of That's not to say every rat from the rat in 2020 coincides 1950 onward was stopped with the 70th anniversary dead on the Saskatchewan of having no rats in the border. It took a while for Province of Alberta. NO Alberta to establish effective rTa t s i s o n l y a v e r y s l i g h t tools and procedures of exaggeration. About a dozen rats a e r a d i c a t i o n . A l b e r t a year are found wandering into the g o v e r n m e n t d a t a s h o w s province or inadvertently carried in confirmed rat infestations (2 by vehicles from elsewhere. or more rats in one place) in O b v i o u s l y , t h o s e u n h a p p y 1 9 5 9 t o b e 6 0 0 . T h e wandering rats don't survive. e r a d i c a t i o n o f t h e s e Alberta is the largest rat-free infestations began with populated area in the world. calculated placement of various toxins, including “Populated” is a key word in this statement, as the Brown or arsenic, strychnine alkaloid, Norway rat has evolved to live with people; they don't survive and various other compounds, including the brand-new without our crops, our waste, and our structures. Besides anticoagulant Warfarin. Alberta, there are no rats in the Arctic, in Antarctica, or on a smattering of islands here and there. So to have such a large By 1990 Alberta had reduced the number of rat infestations to area (Alberta is 661,848 square kilometers, about the size of 10, and by 2003 there were zero confirmed rat infestations in France) without rats is astounding. This all came about Alberta. because Alberta is uniquely situated historically and geographically to keep rats out. The benefit of the rat control program to Alberta represents a huge cost savings for the province compared to losses and It took quite a while after European ships arrived in North damages from rats experienced throughout all other parts of America for the rats to reach Alberta. According to an online the world where people live and crops are grown. The source, The History of Rat Control in Alberta, it is thought that Ecological Society of America reports that 15% of food crops in rats were first established along the eastern shores of the Asia are lost to pests (principally rats), representing food that continent in 1775. It wasn't until 1950 that the first Norway rat could feed 200 million people a year. Statistics from Africa are was discovered in Alberta near the Saskatchewan border. After similar. The estimated cost from rats to the United States 175 years of migration, along with settlements and farms economy is $19 billion/year from loss of foodstuff, structural moving westward across the prairies, the first rats came up damage, and fires from rats chewing electrical wires. In India, against the Alberta Agriculture Control Act of 1942. most automobile fires in Mumbai are caused by rats. Pablo Escobar's brother Roberto, who served Escobar's Medellin Alberta has some big geographical help as well. The natural cartel as an accounted, estimated that rats ate 10% of Pablo barriers Alberta has against rats are the mountains to the Escobar's cash stores, amounting to US $2.1 billion a year west, the boreal forest to the north and the mountains and arid (that would be over US $4 million a week). plains of Montana to the south. The only way into Alberta for rats is over the Saskatchewan border to the east. Along with its natural barriers to rats, Alberta has a 28-kilometer- wide rat control zone along the S a s k a t c h e w a n b o r d e r t h a t stretches 600 kilometers north from Montana. There is an ongoing rat control program with a staff of 6 people. The rat control work i n c l u d e s i n s p e c t i o n a n d monitoring as well as an education program for farmers and others, mostly teaching people what a rat actually looks like. There is a rat hotline (310-RATS) for reporting of rat sightings, although the Cell: 222 101 7123 majority of reports turn out to be Tel: 958 688 5444 other animals. One reported sighting of a large rat in a woman's gardening and landscaping [email protected] basement turned out to be a small beaver. Sightings are rare enough that when a rat is occasionally discovered in Calgary or wwww.parquesincluyentes.com Edmonton the story is often covered by the mainstream media.

www.espaciosverdes.mx So even with the upcoming Year of the Rat in the Chinese Zodiac, I'm pretty sure there won't be any special welcome for The Eye 30 rats in Alberta.

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By Kary Vannice

o matter what your political, moral or To prove that out, the same experiment was spiritual stand on using animals for conducted again in Australia using rats that had no experimentation, it's undeniable that connection to those used in previous experiments. rats have contributed a lot to These experiments, too, showed the same results. In understanding the nature of biology, each, the first set of rats to try the maze seemed to psychology,N genetics and many other areas of start out with a failure/learning rate similar to science. Rats also been instrumental in helping where the last set had left off, even though they were s c i e n t i s t s q u a n t i f y t h e n e b u l o u s a n d on another continent and had no genetic connection unquantifiable. to the other rats.

One such theory is that of “morphic resonance,” All of these experiments ended in 1954 with proposed by Rupert Sheldrake in the late 1960s. hardcore scientists scratching their heads, unable Sheldrake proposed that organisms inherit to refute the results, but also unable to explain memory, such as learned behaviors, and not just them. Sheldrake's morphic field theory, proposed biological material from their forebears. Or, put 10 years later, pointed to a possible explanation, but another way, individuals inherit a collective was met with plenty of skepticism. memory from past members of the species. Do the rat results prove there is some sort of But how does one begin to prove something as nebulous as morphic field that we all have access to? It's a question that morphic resonance? Enter the rats. researchers in many areas of science have been asking and trying to prove for centuries. One experiment that Sheldrake used to support his theory began at Harvard University in the 1920s. A scientist named If you've ever heard of “The 100th Monkey Effect,” it's the same William McDougall devised an experiment where lab rats were premise. Carl Jung theorized there was a collective to escape from a specially designed tank of water by swimming unconscious at work in his psychology patients. Likewise, down one of two pathways that led out of the water. The Freud spoke of archaic remnants, which he described as “wrong”' pathway was brightly lit, while the “right” gangway “mental forms whose presence cannot be explained by was not. If the rat left by the illuminated pathway it received an anything in the individual's own life and which seem to be electric shock. Which path was illuminated changed from trial innate and inherited shapes of the human mind.” to trial, so the rats had to learn that the key to success was the darkness and not the left or right gangway. While scientists are still trying to find definitive proof that this collective memory bank exists, it's hard to deny that there is When the experiment began, some rats required more than something in the “field” when so many researchers from 150 shocks to learn to exit the experiment via the non-lighted various disciplines are coming up with the same idea. If it does path. Once the rats had learned the key to successfully exiting exist, what would you put into the collective field for future the experiment without receiving a shock, they were bred. generations to pick up on? Their offspring were then subjected to the same exact experiment, without the benefit of watching the parent rat, so no learned behavior could take place. Any improved rate of success would have to have been “passed down” and not learned. Marina Chahue By the thirtieth generation only 20 shocks were needed to learn Huatulco the key to successfully exiting the experiment. The findings seemed to prove the theory that this learned knowledge was 958 105 1671 somehow being passed from generation to generation. But here's where it gets really interesting. To test the theory, the exact same experiment was set up in London using rats that were not genetically linked to the rats used in the Harvard experiment. Shockingly, from the very first experiment the new Join Us for Brunch! rats needed only 25 shocks to learn the key to success, suggesting that the knowledge of how to avoid the lighted pathway was not being passed from parent to offspring, but Sundays 9am- 3pm was instead was universally available on some sort of energetic level.

The Eye 34 The Dream Festival- Have Fun for a Good Cause! Open Daily 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm If you're in Huatulco in the last couple of weeks of January, you get a chance to spend some pesos to have a good time, Located beside eat fun food, see Mexican dancing and giant puppets, splash a couple of popular locals into the dunk tank – lots of music, La Papaya in Chahue lots of prizes, and you'll be supporting education in the rural villages surrounding Huatulco.

The Bacaanda Foundation (El Sueño Zapateco, or Zapotec Dream) is holding its fifth annual Dream Festival on Saturday, January 25, at Guelaguetza Park, next to Marina Park Plaza, from 5 – 10 PM. Bacaanda has been upgrading and building new schools, teachers' quarters, and sports facilities for over five years; it is now working to install the Internet at those schools.

The goal of the Foundation's latest project, Intelligent Rural Schools, is to use point-to-point wireless technology to bring Patio Time at Frida’s the internet – now a fundamental educational tool – to the rural communities where schools are located. The project includes Giant Margaritas, Jugs of Sangria teacher training on classroom technologies and equipping classrooms with iPad tablets loaded with offline and online and the best caesars in town! educational content and smart TVs. Variety of Burgers, Tacos and Pitas Fried Cheese, fresh shrimp cocktails

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The Eye 35 Tipping By Señorita Manners ost of us have worked at one time or another in If you get a server with a poor attitude a small tip, would the food service industry, maybe it was a definitely send him or her a message. By the same token, a lemonade stand in grade school or as a waiter in server who is happy, smiles a lot, and seems to thoroughly college. But when travelling no one wants to be enjoy waiting on you, should definitely get 20% or 25% for the chump and many of us are wary and making your evening even more pleasant. guardedM for fear of being taken advantage of. A little quiz for those of you who have never waited tables: Tipping is a subject of much discussion on travel message boards; when and how much is appropriate? Please do not 1.What is the average hourly wage of a server? confuse tipping with charity. It is as insulting to tip with used 2. How much should you tip your server? clothing or school supplies in Mexico as it would be at The Keg. 3. Is it OK to verbally abuse, throw your food, your drink, even Tipping your server has been a long-standing North American your cigarettes, at your server? tradition. If your answer to the first question was minimum wage, or While tipping 15% of the total bill has been the standard for a more, you’re not even close. If you said “as much as I think he long time, that tip can vary depending on the service you deserves” for No. 2, again, not even close. And if you laughed at receive. It is a system of payment, especially in job sectors the third question, fine, but don’t think it doesn’t happen. where wages are low. In Australia for instance, the minimum wage for waiters is $25 Australian dollars/hour. As a result, Remember that your server is a person. More than likely he eating out is a lot more costly in Melbourne than in Mexico. waits on you so he can pay the bills. In Oaxaca wages for servers can be as low as… nothing… yes nothing. This is especially true The friendliness and attitude of the server has got to be a top in high tourist traffic areas such as beaches or ruins. Servers priority in determining a tip. However, do take into account are willing to work for nothing because they expect to make language barriers and cultural norms. The food could be wrong their wage in tips. In resorts or in town, servers may earn 1200 because of a chef’s mistake, the room temperature could be pesos a week- still a small amount for a 48 hour week. They are cold because the manager set it that way…but a server’s also usually obligated to share 10% of their tips with kitchen attitude is nobody’s responsibility but the server’s. Most people staff whose wages can be as low as 1200 pesos a week. When whogo into restaurants are happy and looking forward to staying at a resort I suggest a minimum of 50-70 pesos per eating a nice meal and not having to do the dishes afterwards. person per meal- at the buffet, and more in the higher end restaurants! Low wages are one of the reasons all-inclusive resorts in Mexico are much less expensive than in the US or Canada.

Mercader Restaurant opened its doors in Huatulco in July 2015. The entrepreneurs, Francia and Braulio , wanted to create a fresh new idea for a restaurant, something that didn't already exist in Huatulco. They wanted to create a menu with the expertise and knowledge they had acquired in their international travels and their professional development as world class chefs.

Their highly successful restaurant, located in Santa Cruz, has become known as one of the best places to eat in Huatulco and the menu is both unique and creative, not to mention incredibly delicious. This success has motivated them to open a second location in Huatulco, where they can continue with their innovative ideas and create new culinary experiences for their customers. This second location will be in Palacio de Huatulco, which will be ready for occupancy in June 2021.

Francia and Braulio want to thank Palacio de Huatulco for the confidence that the developer has placed in them to develop this second location. ………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………. Lanny Berner from Segovia International Realestate and the creator of Palacio de Huatulco expresses that Segovia is very excited to have reached an agreement with Mercader Restaurant. The entire team at Segovia is very confident that with the expertise of Francia and Braulio, combined with the stunning new location, that their new location is destined to be yet another huge success. Mr. Berner on behalf of Segovia International Realestate would like to take this opportunity to welcome Mercader Restaurant to the Palacio de Huatulco family. Sale, rent, administration, remodeling of real estate, consulting and project development.

Our obejective is to provide you the wonderful task of finding YOUR IDEAL HOME with personalized warm service, honesty, friendship, empathy, discipline and professionalism.

VILLA PALMERA: FURNISHED APARTMENT Fully furnished, 4 bedrooms, beautiful and 2 BEDROOMS, WITH TERRACES VILLA FURNISHED APARTMENT comfortable design, pool with servi-bar, BONITA BUILDING IN TANGOLUNDA 1 BEDROOM IN BEAUTIFUL VILLA. wide and open spaces. Exclusive location Very well designed bright spaces, With terrace, very comfortable. in Residencial Conejos. cozy and comfortable. TANGOLUNDA 779 M2 (8385.09 ft 2) 120 m2 (1291.67 ft 2) 60.7 m2 (115.17 ft 2) $ 680,000 US dollars $ 235,000 US dollars. $ 142,000.00 US dollars

SICARUU 3 STAR Hotel FOR SALE. HOUSE IN SECTOR K LAND IN SECTOR N Comfortable, spacious house with pool Excellent investment opportunity hotel Magnificent land in the newest Residential well accredited and in operation. 3 Bedrooms, living room, dining room, 3 Sector of Bahías de Huatulco. levels, central residential sector, minutes 36 rooms 2 swimming pools, 2 wading To build your Ideal Home! Excellent location pools, central location. from Playa Chahue. 320 m2 (3,444.45 ft 2) 351 m2 (3778.13 ft 2) $ 211,000 US dollars 800 m2 (8611.13 ft 2) $ 97,500 US dollars $1´028,000.00 usd www.jmrealestateproyects.com [email protected] Facebook: Tucasatusuenohuatulco Tel: 52 958 174 2500 / 52 958 131 3378 / 52 551 261 5725 WE DON’T JUST SELL HOUSES ... WE MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!

Av. Monte Albán Mz. 8, Lte. 4, Sector K, Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca, C.P. 70989 From the Archives, January 2012

3 KINGS ROUND THE WORLD

By Caryl Delaney

piphany, Three Kings Day, Little Christmas or Día de los Reyes is celebrated in many ways around the world. The traditions of this celebration – including the actual date of celebration – vary as greatly as those of Christmas do. Most countries andE cultures share the idea that Jesus was visited by the Magi, but after that the meaning of this day branches off into a myriad of directions.

The Spaniards brought the tradition of celebrating the Epiphany and sharing the Rosca to the New World. Here in Oaxaca, particularly on the coast, it is a rather simple family holiday, mainly for children, neither a holy day of obligation nor a day off. Families buy a Rosca de Reyes made of flour, eggs, sugar, dried fruit and often orange or cinnamon flavors. Inside the cake there is a little figure of Jesus called el mono or el niño. Whoever bites into this little figure becomes the godfather or godmother of the little Jesus doll and gets to buy the tamales for all on Candlemas Day, or Día de la Candelaria, which falls on February 2. (Last year I got three little figures in one Rosca and ended up having to buy 28 tamales!!)

In other parts of Mexico, perhaps those places more entrenched in traditional colonial Catholicism, the holiday brings on different activities. In some parts of Mexico children leave small gifts and sweets or put out their shoes the night before, much as stockings are left out on Christmas Eve farther north. Shoes are stuffed with straw or hay for the Kings’ camels; in its place, the Kings leave little ones.

Similarly, in some places children leave a wish list letter for the Kings in their shoes. In others they attach the letter to a balloon to send it off. Just as they do with Santa farther north, children traditionally have their pictures taken with the three wise men.

In Mexico City´s La Alameda park, a verbena (street party) is held for the kids, where an abundance of food, sweets, games and the like will be found on this day.

Last year in Mérida in the Yucatán, several public sectors got together and broke the Guinness record for the biggest Rosca ever – 1.3 kilometers long (.8 miles) and weighing 2,160 kilograms (4,762 pounds)!!!. This year the Yucatecos are trying to break that record.

For some, Día de los Reyes represents completing the “Guadalupe Marathon” or crossing the “Guadalupe Reyes bridge” – finishing off the Christmas season that runs from the Day of the Virgin Guadalupe through the Day of the Three Kings. For others the holiday officially stretches into Candelaria. Here in Oaxaca, it is a charming, non-assuming holiday to enjoy the rosca, the niño, family and friends and a nice cup of Mexican hot chocolate.

The Eye 38 Amazing Amenities -Infinity Pool -Jacuzzi -Sundeck -Terrace -Grill Zone -Sky Bar -Sky Gym -Urban Spa -Paddle Tennis -Game Room -Laundry Room -Pet Friendly 60 Luxury Condos 38 Prime Commercial Spaces Spectacular Marina View Prime Location- Invest in Paradise Starting Pre-sale Pricing [email protected] Cel: 958 106 9122