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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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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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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Temazcal In Oaxaca
Temazcal is akin to the Iroquois sweat lodge. Who would have thought that we could ever have such a first-hand experience during modern times?
Curandera Doña Mariana chants while con...
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Touring Oaxaca's Art Galleries
Many travelers to Oaxaca simply don't have the time, patience or inclination to seriously tour the city's multitude of small storefront art galleries replete with wonderfully unique and provocative offerings. It's understandable, given the number of culturally rich and diverse sites to be taken in over the course of a brief vacation.
read moreWhere Divergent Religious Customs Merge: Death Of An Infant In Oaxaca
Between the birth and the death came a crazy-quilt of only-in-Mexico experiences that resonated with my memories
Daniel Pérez González was a beautiful baby. His parents Flor and Jo...
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Casa Santiago: Zapotec rug weavers of Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca
Porfirio Santiago weaving a Zapotec rug in Oaxaca, Mexico Copyright 2007-03-01
Porfirio Santiago is at his loom, diligently weaving a massive 2 x 3 meter rug with traditional designs, f...
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Moving Here Permanently?
Transporting your worldly possessions into Mexico is both an art and a science, even more so if you intend to do so on your own… truck and all. Then the task also becomes a challenge and an adventure...
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A connoisseur's guide to mezcal
Have a taste whenever the opportunity arises, and of whatever is being offered, if only enough to discern differences and develop a palate.
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Stormy Weather: Rainy Season In Oaxaca
Stormy Weather:
Rainy Season In Oaxaca
By Alvin Starkman © Alvin Starkman 2006 -
It's the impact that the storms have on electricity that is stunning, both whi...
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BBQ Goat In Oaxaca: The Pomp, Ceremony And Tradition
Some say it's one of the oldest professions in Oaxaca, yet it garners little if any respect from most of the population notwithstanding the tradition and ceremony that has been its trademark for genera...
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