Manuel Reyes: sculptor, painter and renaissance man from Oaxaca's Mixteca Alta
"Look at that female warrior over there... notice the belt I made for her, with penises hanging from it, her trophies."
Artist Manuel Reyes aspires to exhibit his work in art galleries in Oaxaca and M...
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Motorcycles, Scooters, and Surviving with Them in Oaxaca
The third week of May, 2008, Hertz in Oaxaca changed its downtown location from a side street to the main drag, the pedestrian walkway known as Alcalá about a block and a half up from the zócalo. The...
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Jacobo Angeles: A rich wood-carving tradition in Oaxaca, dating to pre-Hispanic times
Jacobo Ángeles' work is prominently displayed in The Smithsonian, Chicago's National Museum of Mexican Art, and elsewhere throughout the continent and further abroad, in museums, art colleges and gall...
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Building a foundation to live in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
Our world in Teotitlan operates on the trust of a handshake and commitment to personal agreement. We operate on the premise that it will all work out by the strength of our relationships.
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Armando Lozano Ramirez, master sculptor and jeweler: Oaxaca's "man of steel"
Some 30 years ago, a youthful 27-year-old acquired a piece of machinery by chance. Not knowing exactly what to do with it, or how it could somehow become a positive factor in his life, he took a gamble...
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Marinated Mixed Vegetable Salad: Chileajo
When we lived in Oaxaca, I liked to go the food stands that were right outside the university faculties downtown, especially the school of architecture, which was right next to a small park, with plent...
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Traveling with children to Oaxaca
The options are innumerable. It's simply a matter of doing a bit of homework - asking, and then committing yourself to a vacation dedicated in large part to your children.
Oaxaca has traditionally bee...
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Changing Dreams: A Generation of Oaxaca's Woodcarvers
You can't isolate yourself. Modernity arrives and replaces what you have.
>Changing Dreams by Vicki Ragan and Shepard Barbash is a thoughtfully written and provocative book - one which should...
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Tourism Mexico links part 2
Who does the best job promoting Mexican tourism on the web? Not surprisingly, it's a cadre of talented individuals as well as city and state agencies. Last month's review of larger institutional websit...
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Review of Oaxaca, in the heart of Mexico - a multimedia CD
Unlike a lot of guides, which seem to be written in a somewhat distant, slightly formulaic manner, this multimedia CD reflects the positive feelings that its authors have for their state.
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The indigenous people of Oaxaca
The Mexican state of Oaxaca, located along the Pacific Ocean in the southeastern section of the country, consists of 95,364 square kilometers and occupies 4.85% of the total surface area of the Mexican...
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Did You Know? Blacks outnumbered Spaniards until after 1810
By common consent, the history of blacks in Mexico is a long one. The first black slave to set foot in Mexico is thought to have been Juan Cortés. He accompanied the conquistadors in 1519. It has been...
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Did You Know? Mathieu de Fossey
Mathieu de Fossey was born in France in 1805, and educated in Dijon. Politically disillusioned following the end of the reign of King Charles X in 1830, Fossey responded enthusiastically to an intrig...
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Did you know? Mexico has many "Est"raordinary railway places
An earlier column, "Microwaves (with a view)", examined the scenic delights to be found by following the "Microondas" road signs that puzzle many first-time visitors. That column probably didn't appeal...
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Did you know? The first Archbishop of Oaxaca: a miraculous birth and re-birth
In 1887, Eulogio Gregorio Clemente Gillow y Zavalza (1841-1922) was appointed Bishop of Antequera (Oaxaca). Four years later, he became the first Archbishop of Antequera. Named after a town in Spain, A...
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Authentic Mexican cuisine at Oaxaca's La Casa de los Sabores cooking school
"Remember in the market I told you there were two types of gusano worm? Here they are, so who wants to try?"
Oaxaca's unique gastronomy is rich in unique herb- and spice-accented flavor combinations that are its hallmark. Chef extraordinaire Pilar Cabrera inspires and sates travelers with a sensual day-long immersion into sights, sounds, smells and, yes, tastes and time-tested recipes of southern Mexico.
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Where Toucan Fly
The marimba band filled the breezy space with a rippling rhythm, a tropical river of notes and glissandos, bird-light tunes. Sancho responded to the music from home with a roll of the hips and shy smil...
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Oaxaca: what is it like?
Interactive map of Oaxaca
What is it like in Oaxaca? It's like no other place in all of Mexico. It is as close to a true mixture of the various Mexican cultures as can be found. Visitors to Oaxaca Cit...
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Affordable Oaxaca as a locale for any grand fiesta
If you're getting married, turning 50, or planning that anniversary bash... consider Oaxaca
They say that Mexicans really know how to party. Here in Oaxaca we do it in spades, because it's part of a l...
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A trip to Puerto Angel
By John McClelland ©John McClelland 2006 -
The tourists at Zipolite were decidedly young although, there was a generous smattering of old hippies who seemed to be the more ardent practi...
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Grana Cochinilla Fina: The Best Kept Secret in Oaxaca
Most tourists have no idea that only a couple of hundred yards off the main highway, a minute or two from the black pottery village, is one the most fascinating destinations that the state of Oaxaca ha...
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Fritters with Brown Sugar Syrup: Bunuelos con Miel de Piloncillo y Canela
You don't have to break the dish for good luck after eating these, as is done in Oaxaca. Just serve them with plenty of the cinnamon flavored syrup. Piloncillo is the dark brown sugar, sold in cones...
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Family tradition: five generations of mezcaleros in Matatlan, Oaxaca
Don Isaac recounts awaking at 4 a.m. then walking from his village of Matatlán, with his mule, to Oaxac. He arrived some 14 or 15 hours later… just to buy a large cántaro, the traditiona...
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Dress - A Matter Of Respect?
If expats want to be accepted into the broader society, then they must act the part and treat custom and societal standards with the respect they deserve. It's not enough to throw money at causes and d...
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Did you know? Oaxaca is the most culturally diverse state in Mexico
The inter-census population count in Mexico in 2005 found that more than one million people in Oaxaca spoke at least one indigenous Indian language. Close behind came the state of Chiapas with about 95...
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