Oaxaca day by day

The little girl in the front row sang every song and kept up with the big kids just fine- 

There is so much to see and do in Oaxaca, and during the holidays, it seems like there is more than ever.  We went out with friends to a Christmas concert in San Felipe Neri church and heard a traditional "Tuna" group play with a choir of kids.  You can see the tuna players in the back, with the beautiful old instruments.

 There is a very interesting exhibit at the Textile Museum, this piece is one of the many on display.  A young woman artist, Navidad Amador, decided that she wanted to take the traditional crochet form of embroidery to another level.  Before she did this work she was a painter but she was not happy with her results, she felt that her work was missing something.  For this show she interpreted the work of some very important Oaxacan artists, some of them her teachers, using their themes, images, or style.

The pieces ranged in size from small to very large, some pieces were at least 10 ft by 10 ft!  All using a tiny crochet hook to pull colored threads from underneath and through each piece of fabric.

One evening we saw this young boy waiting on tables

 

 

The next day we saw him sweeping the sidewalk

 

 We are continually amazed by how hard the Oaxacan people work, and how many different ways they have come up with to make money.  They are an extremely enterprising bunch, often selling things in the streets while caring for their very little children.  It definitely humbles us to see them doing what they have to do to feed themselves and their families.  Another of the many reminders of how much we have to be thankful for.

A street vendor carrying all her wares and her little girl

      

This one man band is our favorite part of the neighborhood market on Sundays

How is this for a way to earn money?  We smile the whole time we listen to this man play in the busy courtyard of the market. His audience is the people who sit along the sides at various food and drink stands.  If you look closely, you will notice that he has two foot pedals, one for the bass drum and the other rigged up with a regular drumstick which hits a snare.  The notebooks on the bass drum contain the lyrics for many songs, written out one to a page.  When he is not playing the saxophone, he is often singing and playing the drums and cymbals with two sticks, or using the cowbell or the ridged white thing (can't remember the name) strapped to the side of the bass. The most important piece of equipment is the tin can for tips. What he lacks in finesse he makes up for with enthusiasm and good humor.

Hot ponche, anyone?

This is the first time we have seen this particular set-up: this man is selling ponche, a delicious, hot, holiday fruit punch, complete with charcoal fire burning under the large pot in the shopping cart, as you can see in the photo below. The woman next to him holds a large stick which carries candy apples, a treat often sold in the zocalo. 

Check out the charcoal fire under the pot inside the shopping cart. 

They even put the dogs to work! 
This one has it easy, she gets to lay around outside advertising the traditional embroidered clothing for sale inside the shop. 

Hmmm, being  in the sun sounds like a great idea!  I think I will go out into the beautiful day to enjoy more of what Oaxaca has to offer.  As they say here, "Que te vaya bien!"  (May all go well with you)

We send you all warm wishes 

for a healthy, prosperous and happy 2011!