Beach, Village + Urban Living in Oaxaca November, 2015 Issue 52 FREE MEZCALERIA MAXCAAL: ZAPOTEC WORD THAT MEANS MEZCAL

The Eye Beach, Village + Urban Living in Oaxaca November, 2015 Issue 52 FREE MEZCALERIA MAXCAAL: ZAPOTEC WORD THAT MEANS MEZCAL. MAXCAAL IS THE FIRST MEZCAL PRODUCED ON THE OAXACAN COAST. TASTINGS IN THE MEZCALERÍA, LOCATED AT BUGAMBILIA 303 LOCAL 05, DOWNTOWN LA CRUCECITA. CALL FOR RESERVATION TO: CEL PHONES: 9581004360 OR 9581004703 OR TO: email: mezcaldelacosta@g mail.com www.mezcaldelacosta.com OPEN FROM 11:00 AM TO 11:00 PM, MONDAY TO SATURDAY. EVITA EL EXCESO “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” Robert Louis Stevenson igration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south, undertaken by many species of birds.... humans. It’s the time of year when friendly and familiar faces return to the warmer climate offered in Southern Mexico; tMrading snow-shovelling for snorkeling, winter stews for ceviches and hot toddies for cold beer. With more flights than ever before, it is sure to be a busy season with first-timers The Eye is a monthly all-English magazine discovering the beauty the state of Oaxaca has to offer as well that is distributed throughout the state of as regulars. Oaxaca. It can be found for FREE at hotels, While many come down south to escape the cold temperatures restaurants and community hot spots. up north, do not plan on just sitting on the beach with your Kindle. There are a variety of cultural experiences to be had Should you wish to receive copies, advertise or while you are here; whether for a week, a month or if you are submit some writing or photography please lucky enough for this to be your forever home. send us an email. This month our writers explored tourism; practical information about driving to Mexico, a helpful list of airlines This magazine is made possible by the and options for getting off the beaten track. Don’t miss the advertisers so please thank them when you great music options on the coast this month; Amigos de la use their services. Musica kicks off the first concert of the season and there is the Mazunte Jazz Festival. For the 10th year this small village, [email protected] which has recently been designated a Pueblo Magico, turns into a bustling mecca of live concerts, music workshops, yoga classes and community activities. For more information visit their website: www.mazuntejazz.com If you are planning a longer stay in paradise, community involvement is a rewarding way to meet new people and learn Editor: Jane Bauer more about Oaxacan culture. Events in the works for the Copy Editor: Deborah Van Hoewyk upcoming season are a Christmas fair, a fun fair to raise money for Bacaanda, the Blues on the Beach concerts in support of Web Goddess: Erin Vig Nuevo Amanecer and Rotary’s U2 library project. Writers: Geri Anderson, Jane Bauer, Jan If animals are your interest, Palmas Unidas has been Chaiken, Marcia Chaiken, Brooke Gazer, Erin setting up a booth at the May, Carole Reedy, Alvin Starkman, Erin Vig Huatulco Organic Market for the puppies they rescue from the local dump; providing Cover Photo: Netfalls veterinary services and home placement. Photography/Art: Alvin Starkman A new event this season is the Distribution: Renee Ciringione Biernacki Encuentro de Cocineros at the Advertising Assistant: Casilda Mendoza Lopez park in Santa Cruz. The last Layout: Jane Bauer Sunday of each month local cooks, chefs and restaurants donate food for a tasting. Opinions and words are those of the authors Tickets are sold to the public and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of with all money going to a local charity. A delicious and fun The Eye. way to get involved. We welcome submissions and input. So think beyond the beach and you are sure to have a rewarding time this season. To get involved send us an email. [email protected] See you next month, Visit Us Online Jane www.TheEyeHuatulco.com In This Issue Touring Oaxaca for the Already Initiated By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D. Page 6 Twenty-Four Hours in Puebla By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken Page 8 Amigos de la Musica Opera Concert By Erin Vig Page 9 Le crème de la crème 2015 BOOK AWARDS FOR FICTION By Carole Reedy Page 10 Remembering Neal Erickson By Jane Bauer Page 11 Improvements at the Huatulco International Airport By Brooke Gazer Page 12 The Hanging Doll of the Sierra Norte An excerpt from the book ‘Oh Oaxaca’ By Geri Anderson Page 14 How To Prepare to Drive to Mexico! By Erin May Page 15 En Flânant about the Colonia de Condesa, Mexico City By Carole Reedy Page 16 EDITORIAL PAGE 3 EVENTS CALENDAR PAGE 18 In Oaxaca City, The Eye is now available at Amate Books. www.TheEyeHuatulco.com The Eye 4 Touring Oaxaca for the Already Initiated By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D. ou've either been to the city of Oaxaca and have San José el Mogote is a small already hopped on a tour bus or two, or are a first ruin in the Etla valley. There is timer and loathe the idea of heading to where no signage, it is unattended by throngs of visitors go – even if it means omitting officials, and is essentially some of the state's most significant central valley ignored by tourists. It's one of the Ysights. So let's forget about the rug and black pottery villages earliest sites occupied by with the usual demonstrations; Santo Tomás Jalieza noted for Zapotecs in the central valleys. cotton bedspreads, table cloths, table runners and placemats; There is a community museum market days; Monte Albán and Mitla; three of the Aguilar alongside the church, but you sisters of clay painted figure fame; the churches; ecotourism have to inquire as to which since close to home you have pine forests, trout ponds, hiking townsperson has the key. The ruin visit is made worthwhile by trails and horseback riding; and even the alebrije villages the impressive museum contents; especially the oversized clay (where wooden pieces are hand-carved and brilliantly painted). face of an old man decorated with red cinnabar pigment and a Believe it or not, there is much more to experience, even crafts. large greenstone or jade figure. Accordingly, consider leaving the state capital and exploring lesser known sights. You'll need a driver or guide willing to go Textiles where you want to go, or a rental car. On the other hand, if Santa Ana del Valle is one of the lesser known rug villages, with you're a budget traveler with time in your favor, buses and prices lower than in the more popular Teotitlán del Valle. The colectivos can get you pretty well everywhere. latter tends to have the higher end workshops, with some boasting more unique designs and tighter weave; but Santa Pottery Ana otherwise has the advantage of much less tourism. It's Concepción Águilar lives on the outskirts of Ocotlán, before about a ten minute drive from Tlacolula. you get to where the other three sisters and their families have workshops. They get the tourism, while Concepción, who A right turn just prior arguably produces the finest work of the four, gets relatively to entering Ocotlán few visitors because she is off the beaten track. t a k e s y o u t o S a n A n t o n i n o C a s t i l l o San Marcos Tlapazola, one of several Velasco. It's noted for villages tucked against the foothills high quality blouses behind Tlacolula, is known for its terra a n d d r e s s e s w i t h cotta pottery, including bean pots, exquisitely detailed dishes and bowls, comals, other h a n d - e m b r o i d e r y , utilitarian pieces, as well as whimsical crochet, and other figures. Much of the work is low fired, s t i t c h i n g m e t h o d s and is produced in a more rudimentary i n c l u d i n g m i n u t e f a s h i o n t h a n b l a c k p o t t e r y – f i g u r e s i n t r i c a t e l y fascinating to watch. A couple of sewn. The quality of stitching is generally of a totally different villagers are featured in books on class than what one encounters in, for example, Santo Tomás Oaxacan crafts, but there are many Jalieza. The two workshops I visit are Artesanías Viki and others whose work is top notch, with Artesanías de San Antonino. At the latter, sometimes five rock bottom prices. Ask for the home women from different villages have worked on a single blouse. of María Aragón Sánchez and Gloria Cruz Sánchez. The shop owner selects experts at particular kinds of work. He goes from village to village taking patterned cotton pieces to be Angélica Vásquez is internationally renowned for her striking worked on by particularly adept women. Back in San Antonino images with strong feminist themes, all fashioned from clay. he assembles them with the help of his family. She sources her raw material from throughout the state, and the colors her work exhibits result not from synthetic paints, but rather from the character of the clays employed. She is featured in virtually all books on Mexican folk art.

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