San Miguel de Allende (or, my New new home)

Today my mom and I spent the morning exploring San Miguel de Allende. I'll be staying here off and on in the fall, and wanted to get a sense of what the town has to offer. Below are some of my favorite shots:

In addition to enjoying the architecture, plazas, statues, and shops, it was great to check out a few of the coffee shops, the bagel cafe (YAY!), and the local produce markets. My favorite find, however, was the store La Europea - they specialize in importing wine and food from Europe! My dissertation writing just got a lot more civilized! :)

The house where I'll be staying is a 15 minute walk from the town center. It's all cobblestone streets and local stores, and actually feels a little bit like the walk from my apartment in Oaxaca to the Institute...with less traffic and more hills.

I know I need to write more about the wrap-up/overall experience of the Institute, but will save that until next time. More soon!

Surviving History Boot Camp and Twenty Questions

The Oaxaca Institute officially ended on Friday night. It was a very busy week with our last round of classes, several meetings with my advisor (who finally made it to town), a baseball game, the start of Gueleguetza (a huge ceremony commemorating the indigenous communities of the state of Oaxaca) and protests picking up in the streets (see more below). I'll have more to say about my incredible "boot camp" experience once I've had a day or two to process things.

APPO protest in the Zocalo

Pics from the baseball game - for those of you who keep up with the sport, Jose Offerman was playing for the Veracruz team

Shots from the mini-Gueleguetza

As a good-bye and thank you gift, our class bought Lucha Libre masks for our co-directors (notice that Beezley still has his bigote sticking out - on the right).

I walked past this gym every day and always giggled at this image of machismo

This was my view on the way to the Institute everyday

In the comments section of a previous post, my very good friend Amy H. asked me a series of questions about my experience in Oaxaca. Rather than just writing back to her, I thought I'd post my responses for any/all to see.

What's your favorite part of living in Mexico? What's your least (apart from being away from family and friends)?

The best thing about living in Mexico is having the "on the ground" opportunity to learn about the culture, history, society, and politics that help to define the nation. Rather than reading other peoples’ interpretations of Mexico’s past, present, and future, I’m getting the chance to witness it firsthand, to listen to the thoughts and sentiments of people who were raised here and have lived through good and bad conditions, and to be inspired by those who continue to pursue making this country more democratic, more liberalized, and more innovative.

My least favorite part of living here (apart from being away from family and friends) is the food selection. It’s not to say that it’s difficult to find yummy cuisine here (Mexican and non-Mexican). It’s more a matter of not being able to quickly grab a few ingredients and throw something together like I can at home. Everyone here seems to either take the time to make a truly delicious meal (i.e., all day) or orders food from restaurants/street vendors. The days of grabbing tofu, broccoli, noodles, and soy sauce – heating them all in a pan and calling it dinner – are long gone. The same is true for salads. Most of the vegetables you buy in the market have to be washed with a product called “Microdyne” to clean off any pesticides that might be on them. What this translates to is that you either have to plan ahead (one day) to make sure everything has been properly cleaned and is ready to eat, or ask each restaurant if they’ve washed their vegetables in purified water and trust them when they say “yes.”

What do you miss most? Again, not counting loved ones.

To be honest, there really isn't anything I miss other than my loved ones (and Trader Joe's).

What are the major differences between Mexican and American cultures? Similarities?

A few of the most noticeable differences between the cultures are:

1. Conservatism: What I mean by this is that most young adults (teenagers and those in their early twenties) usually live at home until they get married. To complicate things, parents generally do not approve of opposite sex visitors coming to the house for any reason – to study, to watch a movie, etc. Even in our group, we’ve been given warnings about girls visiting guys at their host family’s house (and vice versa). All of this leads to the unavoidable situation of encountering couples on the street, in the plazas and parks, and even in cars, making out to the point of being scandalous. They just don’t have anywhere to be alone, so all of the physical aspects of their relationships have to be carried out in public.

2. Censorship: This one is particularly a hot topic these days because it's time for Gueleguetza. As some of you may remember from reading the papers in 2006, Oaxacans led a large strike against the government in the weeks leading up to the festival. Riots and protests broke out, and the national army was sent in to break up the political opposition. Last year a smaller protest took place, and this year there are already signs that activists will be back in action. Graffiti against the conservative government and in support of the EZLN (Zapatistas) and APPO have begun to show up throughout the city. However, almost as quickly as the painters get their political messages on the walls, the state sends their own painters in to cover up the messages. Below are a few before and after shots I managed to snap:

3. Entertainment: While many Mexican families have the same access to things as their American counterparts (TV, iPods, movies, sports), most of them prefer to spend their time doing smaller, less technologically-dependent activities together. Whether attending a traditional Patron Saint festival in the streets, playing soccer in the Zocalo, or tossing around giant tubular balloons after church, these seemingly simple activities bring family and friends together outdoors to share in the community experience. Americans just don’t seem to have many things that come close to equaling this. We tend to all stay in our individual houses, watch TV, and not participate in the building and maintenance of a community.

4. Slowness: I’m sure there is a nicer word for this, but one definite difference is the slower pace with which people seem to do things here. Nobody is in a hurry to get somewhere (on foot – in a taxi is an entirely different story), prepare the food you’ve ordered, or finalize the plans you’ve made. These things can actually be a good thing (when you’re not rushed to make it to class) and have sincerely helped to remind me the importance of taking things a little easier, casting aside my incessant need to plan and just go with the flow.

5. Vendors: Street vendors are everywhere here. Men ride bicycles around with giant bottles of purified water for sale. Trucks circle the neighborhood offering propane tanks ("Gas de Oaxaca"). Purses, shawls, rugs, crafts, blouses, toys, pottery, and countless other handmade items are available at every turn. Baskets of gum, cigarettes, candy, crackers, and mints are offered to you every 50 feet. If it starts to rain, three women will be standing in front of you selling ponchos within 30 seconds. If you're reading a book and pause to take a sip of your beer, along comes someone offering you a bookmark. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert carts line the sidewalks. Anything you could possibly imagine needing is never more than a few blocks away. Except coffee. For some reason, most of the coffee shops don't open until 10 AM and none of the carts carry it. I'll never understand that.

As far as similarities go, there are definitely signs of American culture everywhere you look. Whether it’s cartoon characters, fast food restaurants, movie stars, name brands, or a Justin Timberlake song, it’s impossible not to notice the ever-present US trademark.

Would you ever consider living there permanently? Why or why not?

I would definitely consider living here permanently. Everyone I’ve met has been incredibly kind, hospitable, and patient with my developing language skills. They are happy to help you in any way they can and appreciate it when others want to know more about their culture, history, and language. I love being able to walk everywhere – no car, taxi, or even public transportation required – and finding amazing courtyards, plazas, outdoor cafes, and other public spaces to be. The art and architecture continue to take my breath away. The surrounding mountains, small towns, flora and fauna, and ancient ruins are inspirational. Not only does your money stretch farther (I think my most expensive meal here (and it was a special occasion) was $20 and included a multiple course meal and adult beverages), but your relationships with neighbors, vendors, and restaurant/bar owners also seem more lasting. The level of community participation in the Zocalo, the markets, the churches, and traditional rites and rituals far exceeds anything I’ve ever encountered. The pride people take in the things that they do, their family and friends, their homes and stores all encourage me to focus more on the positives that I’ve already got in my life and to worry less about those that I don’t. No place is perfect, and no place ever should be, but Mexico to me has become a place of peaceful contemplation, acceptance and inspiration – it would be amazing to live here permanently.

My mom and I are exploring Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende this week, and my fellow Oaxacan fellows are supposedly going to be sending around more "people" photos (I tend to take lots of landscape shots, as you can tell), so I'll have plenty more to post in the next few days.

Teotitlan de Valle

This week, we've been given a couple of great opportunities to get outside of the classroom and enjoy the city. Thursday morning included a trip to the Oaxaca Textile Museum (which is WAY cooler than it might sound). They had wall hangings, rugs, and costumes from around the world on display in their beautiful new space. While I couldn't take pictures inside, here is a shot of one of the courtyards showcasing the amazing architecture (all done in textile patterns).

As I mentioned in my last blog, there are several Patron Saint Day celebrations taking place throughout the city this week. We happened upon a parade in the Zocalo on Thursday night where street performers, fireworks, enormous puppets, dancing ladies, and a large band made their way through the streets.

On Friday, we took a field trip to Teotitlan de Valle, a rural city located in the mountains just outside of Oaxaca. It was an incredible day surrounded by beautiful landscapes, warm people, and fantastic art and architecture. The picture below is one of 15-20 murals throughout the city done by 9th graders to promote public health, recycling, assistance against domestic violence, and other community issues.

This region is known for its handmade textiles, so we were treated to a demonstration on the art of spinning, weaving, and dying wool. It's fascinating to see how much time and energy goes into each piece, and what makes them all truly original.

The town was also celebrating its Patron Saint Day this week, so the local church was decked out for the event. Here are shots inside and out:

Hands down, one of the most fascinating parts of the church is the billboard located out front encouraging fathers to give up their un-Christian like behavior and rejoin the Catholic faith. To drive the point home, they've used a image of Homer Simpson as a drunken father wasting his life away, and by the end of the story show a reborn Homer after he's returned to the church. I know it's not the best picture, but I had to take it quickly.

Behind the church, in the municipal building, we happened upon workers building the fireworks for this weekend's festivities.

After our tour of the town, we made our way up the mountain to one of the largest haciendas I've ever seen. The house is owned by a friend of our directors, who is also a major art dealer in the area. We were treated to a special meal on the house's back patio with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. As you can see, I couldn't stop snapping photos of the incredible scenery.

On our way back down the mountain, we ran into another Patron Saint festival. I took these photos of the parade and community members lined up to watch:

All told, it's been another few days of amazing experiences. :)

Bigotes and Castillos

Wow! So many things keep happening in a small amount of time, it's almost impossible to try to keep up. Here are a few highlights from the last few days:

Mary Kay Vaughan, a world renowned cultural historian, has joined our group for a few weeks. To celebrate the 4th of July, and to have social time with the students, she threw a party at her very lovely home on Friday night. Many professors from our seminars joined in the festivities and we had an incredible meal/margaritas/beer/wine extravaganza.

As a side "project" the guys in our group were dared by us girls to grow mustaches (bigotes) in the style of our co-director William Beezley. However, after only two weeks, they couldn't stand it any longer, so we snapped this photo of them all at Professor Vaughan's house and then they immediately went to shave.

The party was also a great chance to speak formally and informally with a few of the professors about my dissertation research. Everyone is incredibly helpful and supportive, and as the wheels in my noggin' continue to churn, it's becoming more and more clear just how amazing this experience really is.

This weekend we were supposed to take an overnight trip to Guelatao and stay in the eco-cabins there. Unfortunately, our other co-director was ill so we didn't get to go. However, it was actually really nice to have the weekend off for exploring Oaxaca. Our group split in two - one set went to the beach and the other (mine) stayed here and had amazing food, drinks, cultural experiences, and bonding time. Among the cool things we did, we helped to celebrate the Patron Saint Day for La Iglesia de La Preciosa Sangre de Jesus. The finale of the celebration is the burning of a castillo (castle), which is most easily described as an enormous tower of fireworks. The castillo is lit at the bottom and the flames from the different levels ignite the next highest row until the entire tower is burning.

Once that happens, another set of fireworks shoot out of the top of the tower and a HUGE Jesus-shaped firework display is lit. The crowd, who enjoy getting as close to the castillo as possible, helps to keep you brave as balls of flames shoot out all around you. It's certainly unlike anything I've ever seen and it was great to feel like part of the community for a night.

Finally, here are a few shots from inside my new favorite place to be, the (free) Oaxaca City Museum (Casa de la Ciudad):

I'm more than halfway through the program at this point, and am excited that we still have so many things left to do. Topics this week include Love Letters, Domestic Economies, the Invasion of Texas, Juana Cata, Mexican TV News and Translating Sources. We're taking two more field trips this week as well, so I'll do my best to get photos and stories up as soon as possible. In the mean time, keep writing!

Gringos

As I mentioned in my last blog, our class spent last Sunday learning about and attending a concert by the Oaxaca State Band. I thought I'd throw a picture up just to show you how lovely they, and the day, were.

The Oaxaca State Band performing in the Zocalo

On Tuesday, a group of us explored colonial churches undergoing restoration in the Mixteca region. Traveling to very rural areas in the mountains is a great idea in the morning, but coming home in the evening can be a different story. While we were completely safe the whole time, the hours and hours of winding roads at high speeds can (and did) take a toll on even the most iron clad stomachs. Fortunately, the daytime hours were worth it as we were able to enjoy spectacular architecture and meet the diligent workers helping to restore the buildings.

In addition to our tour of colonial churches, we also visited the municipal archives in the city of Tlaxiaco. This area doesn't get many visitors (from other parts of Mexico, much less from other countries) so we turned several heads as we walked through the main part of town. Taken right out of a bad western movie, when a small group of us were walking to get a cup of coffee, a little boy yelled (and pointed) "Gringos! Gringos!" causing everyone around him to turn and check us out. Doing the only thing we could think of, we started talking to him in Spanish and totally threw him for a loop. He talked to us for a few minutes (his name is Miguel) and then went back to playing with his family. After that, I think we were "in."

One thing that definitely stands out in this city (besides us) is the statue of Porfirio Diaz in the center of their Zocalo. For those of you who aren't familiar with Mexican history, Diaz was the dictator toppled during the Mexican Revolution. However, since the Diaz family has close connections with the area, the statue has remained in their honor.

Statue of Porfirio Diaz in Tlaxiaco

Back in Oaxaca, I've continued to dive into all the different topics being discussed in our seminars. This week has been particularly important for me because several of the speakers are covering public health. I've had fantastic opportunities to talk to them about my research both in and out of class, and continue to find new sources of inspiration for my dissertation. To help unwind after long days of intensive coursework, most of us gravitate toward establishments with adult beverages. Below is one of my favorites:

Inside "La Comala"