Reynaldo in Mexico has handwoven Oaxaca rugs and more rugs Marvin West

Reynaldo the Rugman has a problem. He and his relatives have made more rugs (beautiful colors, skillful weaving) than he can sell. Reynaldo Vasquez Hernandez is a fifth or sixth-generation artisan in spring, summer and autumn and a traveling salesman — representing the entire clan — in winter. read more

crafts Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca Melaque, Jalisco

Tattoo artists in Oaxaca: a lawyer and a fine arts graduate make strange bedfellows with tatuadores Alvin Starkman

Lawyer Kaireddyn ("Kai") Orta began fabricating his own, rudimentary tools for making tattoos in 1996, while still in high school here in Oaxaca, Mexico. One day, a neighbor saw him carrying a shoe box, and asked him what was in it. Kai showed him the adapted motor, needles, ink and other paraphernalia. The neighbor was the recipient of Kai's first tattoo. Kai then began doing tattoos for his schoolmates. read more

Oaxaca, Oaxaca

The state of Oaxaca, Mexico - resource page Mexconnect Staff

Located in the southern part of Mexico, the state of Oaxaca is bordered to the north by the states of Puebla and Veracruz, to the east by Chiapas, to the west by Guerrero, and to the south by the Pacif... read more

index-page Oaxaca

CORAL: Non-profit center in Oaxaca assists hearing impaired Mexican children Alvin Starkman

When the Cole-Gardner family recently vacationed in Oaxaca, Mexico, they brought along several basketballs, soccer balls and baseball gloves, to donate to indigenous children without ready access to su... read more

social-issues Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Cooking in Puerto Escondido: Fish and fruit from Mexico's tropics Karen Hursh Graber

Two of the biggest buzzwords in today's media-dominated culinary world are "fresh" and "local," and on a recent visit to Mexico's southern Pacific coast, we found the food to be both. Taking advantage of the region's abundant fresh ingredients, we shopped, cooked and ate our way through the beach town of Puerto Escondido. read more

food-drink Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca

Women potters of San Marcos Tlapazola, Oaxaca Alvin Starkman

Every Sunday Gloria awakens at 3:00 a.m., and begins preparing tejate, a frothy, tasty corn and cacao based drink, which she will offer for sale in the Tlacolula market. A couple of hours later, her si... read more

crafts culture-customs Oaxaca

Mexico's Black heritage: the Costa Chica of Guerrero and Oaxaca Bobby Vaughn

The Amuzgo people of Mexico's Costa Chica. Most of the homes in the region were round mud huts, whose roots have been traced back to what is now Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
© Bobby Vaughn, 2006

The Costa Chica ("Short Coast" in Spanish) is one of two regions in Mexico with significant Black communities, the other being the state of Veracruz on the Gulf coast. The Costa Chica is a 200-mile long coastal region beginning just southeast of Acapulco, Guererrero, and ending near the town of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca. read more

history indigenous-groups social-issues Guerrero Oaxaca

Guelaguetza Maria Diaz

Monday, July 26, 2010, the colorful pageantry of Mexico's Guelaguetza is reenacted once again during the Lunes del Cerro (Mondays on the Hill. A Zapotec word signifying offering or offertory, Guelaguetza was the term used to describe the Oaxaca ceremony and celebration held each year to propitiate the gods in return for sufficient rain and a bountiful harvest. Today it is one of the most colorful fiestas in Mexico. read more

culture-customs fiestas-traditions Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Four Days in the Oaxaca State Prison John McClelland

At 9:15 a.m. on February 3, 2010, I steeled myself to enter the Central Penitentiary in Oaxaca, Mexico. Having heard stories of overcrowding, rampant drug use, filthy conditions, torture, inadequate fo... read more

social-issues Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Mexico's Mezcal Monkey: collectible ceramic folk art from Oaxaca Alvin Starkman

A hot collector's item, the ceramic mezcal monkey is designed to hold mescal, the spirit distilled from the baked, then fermented agave plant.
© Alvin Starkman, 2010

Designed to hold mescal, the Chango Mezcalero has become a very collectible folk art item whose history has been recounted infrequently, if at all. While by all accounts it originated in the State of Oaxaca, home of mezcal — the spirit distilled from the baked, then fermented agave plant — it's now highly sought after by collectors residing much further abroad.

The traditional Mezcal Monkey was used to hold, display and/or gift mezcal. The clay bottle is just that, usually with a stopper made of cork, or a small piece of corn cob. read more

crafts Oaxaca

The Isthmus: Stories from Mexico's Past, 1495-1995 Reviewed by James Tipton

The Isthmus: Stories from Mexico's Past, 1495-1995 by Bruce Stores

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is "without a doubt strategically significant as it provides a narrow land bridge between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. But it is nowhere near Mexico's major cities or the beaten tourist track." Bruce Stores presents the historical material through a series of stories in The Isthmus, Stories from Mexico's Past, 1495-1995. It is a work, the author acknowledges, of "historical fiction." For me, because I love stories, the history then became fascinating. read more

book-reviews Oaxaca

Enrique Flores: Philanthropic Oaxaca artist has the golden touch Alvin Starkman

Magical nude by Oaxaca artisa Enrique Flores
© Alvin Starkman, 2009

Enrique Flores is one of the most prolific Mexican artists of his generation. Of course having been mentored by the late great master of contemporary Mexican art, Rodolfo Morales, hasn't hurt; nor has the fact that two of Oaxaca's most prominent art galleries, Indigo and Arte de Oaxaca, were his patrons for many years. But there's no substitute for hard work, talent, and vision. read more

artists Oaxaca

Seat belt, cell phone and speed limit laws are enforced in Oaxaca Alvin Starkman

Driving in Oaxaca, Mexico, became a little more difficult in September / October, 2009. That's when federal, state and municipal governments actually began enforcing the law, at least in the City of O... read more

driving-routes legal perspectives Oaxaca

Fiona Dunnett: images of self and death in Oaxaca Alvin Starkman

Comic strips, a young Canadian's self portraits, and photographs of violent deaths in a Mexican daily newspaper, make strange bedfellows. But they constitute a major part of the driving force for the c... read more

art artists Oaxaca

Corn, beans and squash: the life cycle of the milpa Karen Hursh Graber

The milpa, or cornfield, is probably the most important element in the life of the rural Mexican farmer, apart from his family, or maybe alongside his family, because the milpa represents generations of his people working the soil. Even in places where agricultural production has been industrialized to the point of overshadowing any importance a milpa might have had before, the campesino continues to work his plot of land, however small, following the cycle of tilling, sowing and harvesting that his forefathers did. read more

cuisines culture-customs Oaxaca

Squash vine soup with corn dumplings: Sopa de guias con chochoyones Karen Hursh Graber

In Oaxaca, it is a rainy season staple and has been since before the Conquest. The only addition after the Spaniards arrived was the lard in the corn dough for the dumplings. read more

vegetables masa vegetarian soups Oaxaca

Case study from Oaxaca, Mexico: Am I paying my staff too much? Alvin Starkman

Day of The Dead is upon us in Oaxaca, and Juanita's hotel still has rooms available for one of the busiest times of the year. The City of Oaxaca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Southern Mexico, relies on tourism for its very existence. Juanita is trying to figure out where she went wrong, realizing that Día de Los Muertos should top up her bank balance, just like the Christmas season, the summertime festival weeks known as Guelaguetza, and Easter. Time and again she asks herself, "Am I paying my staff too much?" read more

Oaxaca

Mexican Folk Art from Oaxacan Artist Families by Arden Aibel and Anya Leah Rothstein Reviewed by Alvin Starkman

Aficionados of folk art of the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico are already familiar with Arden Aibel Rothstein and Anya Leah Rothstein's Mexican Folk Art From Oaxacan Artist Families. It was surpris... read more

book-reviews Oaxaca

Mexico's endless Pacific beach: sun, surf, sand, seafood and solitude Gerry Soroka

There's more to the Mexico seashore than skimboards, seafood and sun-bathing bronzed bodies: there is solitude. There are vast stretches of uninhabited or unfrequented beaches lounging serenely beside a roiling sea that stretches westward seemingly into infinity. read more

beaches exploring-tourism travelogue Central Pacific Jalisco Puerto Angel, Oaxaca

A driving tour from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque: Part Two Alvin Starkman

The countryside in Southern Mexico is tropical and beautiful. There are "must sees" all along the way as you drive from San Cristobal de las Casas to Oaxaca. read more

driving-routes travelogue Oaxaca Palenque, Chiapas Veracruz

A driving tour from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque: Part One Alvin Starkman

Copoya, Chiapas

This 2,000 kilometer driving tour serves the needs of vacationers to Oaxaca who also want to take in the sights in central Chiapas. It is also useful those who want to at least consider visits to the Pacific coastal resorts in Oaxaca and the Gulf beaches and cultural sights in the state of Veracruz… all without foreclosing a side trip to Puebla. The south central circuit of Mexico provides travelers with a leisurely and culturally diverse driving segment within the context of a two or three week vacation, with virtually no backtracking. read more

driving-routes travelogue Oaxaca Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas Huatulco, Oaxaca San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas

A wedding and christening in rural Oaxaca: The mandate of tradition Alvin Starkman

We usually think of weddings and baptisms as rites of passage we attend on separate occasions. But November 27, 2008, marked the celebration of both in San Lorenzo Albarradas: the nuptials of a couple in their early twenties, and the baptism of their three-year-old daughter. What resulted was a melding of highly organized custom... read more

culture-customs fiestas-traditions perspectives Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Eight surprises from a senior year abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico Eliza Migdal

As we studied, found pursuits and made great Mexican and expatriate friends, many of our assumptions were challenged. Our year abroad altered our perspective on both Mexican and American lifestyle and priorities.

Consumer protection in Oaxaca, Mexico: A case study Alvin Starkman

PROFECO has its limitations. However, it does provide an important and valuable alternate means of dispute resolution.

Traveling light to Oaxaca? Alvin Starkman

Every visitor to the city of Oaxaca has the potential to make a significant contribution. read more

exploring-tourism social-issues Oaxaca