"How To" In Oaxaca

The past couple of days we have been trying to visit some of the remaining villages that we hadn't yet seen and wanted to explore before leaving Oaxaca on Friday. On Monday we took a collective taxi out to Teotitlan del Valle which is known for its weavings. This ride was, thankfully much less of an adventure than our last ride. It dropped us off at the highway fork for the village and we realized that it was 4km in and then back out again and there were large menacing storm clouds looming overhead. We decided to walk a bit to see what the stores closer to the highway had to offer. We were so lucky to walk into La Grana Tejidos, which as it turns out is run by a family who is working to rescue, preserve, and pass on the traditional methods of both creating the natural dyes for the wool as well as traditional weaving techniques. We were treated to a tour of the whole process including seeing how the cultivate the cochinilla bugs, which live on nopal, or prickly pear cacuts. The bugs look like a mold almost and eat the cactus and convert it inside their boides to a bright read paste which is then made into dye. I got to smash one of the bugs and see the deep red tint inside. We also saw a huge copper pot with plants making a large ball of yarn yellow in a lengthy 15 day dying period. we saw brown, purple, and other incredible colors all made of natural plants and bark from the region. The rugs the family wove were simply gorgeous although outside of our price range right now. One rung, after all the dying, can take more than 3 months of work in weaving. We read that even at the highest prices, weavers often end up recieving about $1 an hour for their work. You can check out the website at http://www.tejidoslagrana.com/.

Then today we decided to head back to San Martin Tilcajete, where we went to buy the fanciful colored alebrijes last weekend. We met an artist that created really incredible animals, also using natural paints. We went to visit the family workshop to see how it was all made.

*** I interupt this post to bring you the breaking news that directly outside of the internet cafe there is a large protest is passing by. A woman is talkinginto a loudspeaker amplified ont top of a car. and there is a group of people marching behind the car. They seem to protesting the repression of the teahcers union that took place recenty inthe state of Morelos, to the north of Mexico City. I wish I was a better reporter and could tell you more details. If more pass by that make it clearer we will return to this breaking story***

At the workshop we were treated to a demonstration of the whole process. We smelled the resin of the copal tree whose wood they use to carve the animals. We saw how the made the paint by mixing different natural products with calico, for example, the pomegrante seeds, mixed with this white poweder makes a brilliant tourquoise. Then we saw the carvers at work using machetes and other tools to create the creatures, using the flaws and forms of the wood to inspire them as they go. When finished the carvings are soaked in gasoline to kill any insects and the left to dry completely a process that takes months. From there cracks and flaws are filled in and the pieces is finally ready to be painted, a process which can take a month or more depending on the size and how intricate the piece will be. You can get a tast of the work at http://www.tilcajete.org/. We ended up ordering a playful do which we will be recieving next year in March as well as a gorgeous peacocks that will meet us at home when we get back, which has colors that are very similar to those in our Ketubah.

***Protest update, it seems that people of all ages are coming by, at first it was adults, and now younger students are marching by, marked by an increase in noise and chantting And after them the slowly advancing traffic that the protest has been holding up. Mexicans are very patient about this sort of thing, as it is a fairly regular occurance. Our teacher was saying that their is a culture of protest in Mexico and that it comes from a vicous cycle. People ask the government for something, they don't listen so the people have to shout, the government responds, and needs are at least temporarily met (or they are repressed depending on the situation). It is now such that if your neighborhood doesn't have water you have to go gather the neighbors and march down to city hall to demand that it be fixed, as calling the water company rarely fixes the problem.***

After we got home from our travels today, Vicky, our host mom, had purchased (at my request!) chapulines for me to try. Thats right folks. I decided that to really have been to Oaxaca, and to then come home and work for Mealtime Connections, I should try the grasshoppers. I ate 5 of them. One all by its self. It really didn't taste that bad after all. But it is hard to get over the fact that you are eating grasshoppers. It is amazing how much just thinking about eating something you don't like, even when your tastebuds are fine, can make you gag. I did pretty well though. Here is a video to prove it!



[N.B.: For those of you who don't speak Spanish--as she lifts the crispy little grasshopper to her mouth, Emily is repeating to herself, "It's a nut. It's a nut. It's a nut."]

We head out Saturday for a week of travels between here and Guanajuato and we will post a tentative itinerary soon. Hopefully tomorrow. The one thing we know is that we head to Puebla on Saturday morning. Puebla is also known for its bug eatting, among other, more appealing culinary reputations such as mole and some tasty sounding stuffed peppers. I will keep you posted if I try and more insects or worms during our travels.