Today we were interested in watching the competition called "La Tapete de La Muerte."  Every year on November 2, various groups, such as schools, government groups, city offices, fraternal organizations and nonprofits spend the morning constructing  mosaics (tapetes) using all natural materials (such as, sand, saw dust, floral pieces, marble and rock dust, feathers, coffee grounds and vegetation) to depict themes associated with Dia de los Muertos.  They can begin as early as 7 am but must finish by 1 pm when judging takes place. Then at 9 pm one of the classic "Catrina" characters wearing a very ornate costume, with a similar appearance to many women in yesterday's parade, comes down each street and plaza where the mosaics have been meticulously and painstakingly constructed and destroys them symbolically by walking over them after which actual crews do remove them before the next day's tourists arrive.  Though seemingly bizarre to destroy such art installations considering the work that went into them, this ritual symbolizes the ephemeral nature of life and is very much in concert with the entire Los Muertos  celebration and commemoration.

A favorite: "In memory of those with 4 paws"

Volunteer fire fighters

This entry was cleverly built around a familiar statue in town of the troubadour

The plans are often a schematic that has been drawn then filled in with the materials

Actually flat on street but flipped for better viewing

Los colibries (humming birds)

"Who lives in our memories never dies"

La Catrina walking over the tapetes

The detail is stunning with its 3-dimensional effect

Another beloved pet

    This ends our amazing vacation in Oaxaca!  Tomorrow we board the 6 AM Aeromexico flight to Mexico City and begin the journey home.  We have been wonderfully blessed by the people and magic of this place and culture.  Colorful, dynamic, noisy at times, always festive, vibrant, pulsing with life. Today we will stroll to "Centro" once more, visiting a few familiar, favorite sites, and end the day lavishly, as we have so often, by dining again at one of our favorite places, "Humito," the restaurant on the hill overlooking the city,  founded by Lila Downs, the Mexican singer.

    Hasta la proxima vez, Oaxaca!

Lila Downs

Building a cobblestone street near busy market

Ceiling light cover in restaurant--cloth!

Street art--girl entomologist

One of our favorite posters: "Mr. Dog:
Tell the animal that takes you out for a walk to bring a bag
to pick up your poop and remove it."

El Dia de los Muertos inspired mural

Art in coffee shop

Coffee shop art--it's everywhere!

Paula with a "Tiliche," a figure representing the festive spirit

Benito Juarez, patron of city

Pano of city from highway above our apartment 

Clever corner mural on way to tonight's restaurant

Marigolds and Mezcal, what's not to like

In foreground Santo Domingo cathedral

Crown of thorns plant

Art in "Zandunga" restaurant

 

     For our penultimate post, I'm going to include a bunch of random photos with captions.

Mass in side chapel of Metropolitan Cathedral

Creche in Metro. Cathedral

Central sanctuary of Metro. Cathedral

Paula at "Ama Terraza" cafe about to order breakfast

Terraza of "Ama Terraza" restaurant

Mini creche at "Ama Terraza"

Main courtyard of "Ama Terraza"

Art in "Chichilo" restaurant

Art in "Chichilo"

Art in "Chichilo"

Creche inside Govt. Office Building on Zocalo

     Today we visited Monte Alban, an archeological site about thirty minutes by bus from the center of town.  It was founded by the Zapotec people around 500 BC and remained a significant Mesoamerican cultural site for about 1200 years until around 750 AD.  Estimates are that around 35,000 people lived there. Much of the site has been excavated, but there still remain areas that have not been completed.  This is much older than other indigenous sites we have visited, such as Hovenweep in Colorado, which was founded around 1200 AD. In all of southern Mexico the Zapotec people numbered around 500,000 including Mitla and other sites. The Zapotec language is still spoken today; in fact, the man we met earlier in our trip, Tomas Chinai, had written a story of his childhood in Zapotec.

The main site showing two amphitheaters for ceremonial events

A single dwelling with entryway

The location was a thousand feet above the valley and easily defensible

The steps are much steeper than ours leading to speculation the people were tall

Schematic of overall site. Photos taken from bottom of site plan

     For my Christmas Day blog, please allow me to indulge myself with the following:

          Observations about Mexican culture 

After spending a couple weeks in Oaxaca, these are some of the thoughts and impressions I have about this place and its people. Admittedly, another traveler may have a very different experience.

1. The Oaxacan people with few exceptions have been kind, polite, gracious and friendly.  Seldom were we ever treated with rudeness or hostility.  Every feeble attempt to speak the language was tolerated with a gracious patience and desire to help. Casual greetings on the street are invariably returned with a friendly smile.
2. The Oaxacan traffic system is very different from the US. As you get closer to the very center of town, there may be a traffic light, but it is usually placed on only one corner post.  In other words, at a four-way intersection, only one direction can see the light. The other drivers wait for their turn.  At blind intersections, politeness prevails as each driver follows the posted sign “Uno por Uno” (one by one.) This probably would not work in Lincoln City!
3. The Mexican people seem to have a greater tolerance for noise.  From buses and trucks with ear-piercing brakes to continuous bands, parades and fire works, the city is definitely high on the decibel scale.  No one seems to notice or mind
4. The Mexican people have a very impressive work ethic. The stereotypical “lazy Mexican” racist slur that was propagated by B-grade Hollywood westerns, is an inaccurate, cruel bias.  Everywhere you look, you see men, women and children working hard to make a living. Even when they don’t have access to the most expensive tools, they are very resourceful in finding ways to get a job done.
5. Traveling in this part of Mexico has been incredibly safe. Another stereotype is that a drug-crazed cartel member is going to kidnap any American he can find. White nationalists have stoked these flames with alarming success in the past few years. Paula and I have felt safer in Oaxaca than we would in Portland. The police presence, especially during this holiday season, is amazing. If I were to count the number of traffic police and neighborhood police on an average two-hour walk, it would easily total thirty or more.
6. The Mexican people seem to have a strong appreciation for anything artistic. Everywhere you look you see beautiful murals on buildings and buildings festooned with seasonal bling. And the color palette of the city is extraordinary.  Whereas, in the US it seems people often prefer a more monochromatic color choice in clothing, in Oaxaca most clothing, especially for women, is a dazzling display of colorful splendor. 
7. Family values, if I can generalize without too much exaggeration, seem to place a premium on raising healthy children and doting on them. Often even modest families can be seen with very well-dressed, well-mannered children in tow. Rather than checking their cell phones, the parents are engaged with their children.
8. As for their religious or spiritual preferences, as I may have mentioned in another comment, there are 24 Catholic cathedrals in a 1.2 km square space. If Oaxaca were a large pond, you could skip a rock from one church to the other. And these churches are attended by large groups of parishioners. During our visit, although admittedly it was the Christmas holiday, the churches were bursting at the seams.
9. If parades (“calendas”) and celebrations are any indication, the Oaxacan people love to celebrate. Often there will be a wedding parade making its way through town toward one of the churches accompanied by a marching band.  In fact, we saw such a parade the other day making its way toward Santo Domingo, the main cathedral.
10. The homeless population here seems very small; at least, we’ve seen little evidence of it. Occasionally there is an indigenous woman sitting on the sidewalk holding out a plastic cup with her infant child; but these women seem very clean as do their babies and appear not to be actually living on the street.

 🎄Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo!🎄

        Wishing all you faithful blog readers a very Merry Christmas!  I'm including some random photos below which I haven't previously.

Little shrine in 20 de Noviembre market

At creche, children adoring Baby Jesus