Thursday November 4, 2010
Last Day in Oaxaca
Sun and deep blue Skies
After a restless sleep with lots of dreams, I woke up around 7am to a cool morning. It was a restless sleep due to yes, the wine but mostly because of another wicked storm that passed through.
After another scrumptious breakfast (I am going to MISS these breakfasts), we took off with Peter and Audrey and our beloved driver and cellist Cesar to the Ocotlan valley , down the crafts route.
Last breakfast at Casa Ollin - fresh tortillas with tomatillo sauce
Our first stop is Zeny Fuentes’ woodcarving studio. And surprise! Zeny was there with his beautiful wife. Zeny is not only humble and talented but muy guapo! And his wife is also gorgeous. Zeny does the carving and his wife does the painting. Zeny gave us a demonstration on techiniques. Peter, is a woodcarver, so it was very interesting to hear him ask questions. For example, Zeny uses this huge machete to start the carving , a small sharp knife for fine tuning and one chisel. That’s it! The carving is then “dried” in shade to take the moisture out, the wood is treated to get rid of the bugs, and then his wife takes over with the whimsical paintings. His children are also involved in the effort. His studio is so warm with his children running around with chicks and the family dog. His beautiful garden is also dotted with his work. I asked him what his favorite carvings are and he said humming birds! So I bought an exquisite humming bird which I will use as a Christmas ornament and a bunny as a gift. But I will definitely go back there after I save money to get this gorgeous rhino that he and his wife makes.
Zeny Fuentes
A senior government official bought the masterpiece below.
Chicks mingling with Zeny's art work
Zeny's beautiful wife
Work in Progress
Masterpieces for sale
We then went to the most famous woodcarver in Mexico – Jacobo Angeles – studio. Again it is a family business which started 5-6 generations ago. Sons, daughters, nieces, cousins, nephews, all are working together to produce the masterpieces. The demonstration of Jacobo’s techniques was fabulous. Although Jacobo was not there, we learned about the history of wood carving that is very Zapotec as the Zapotecs revered animals in their religion. So everyone basically has an animal symbol. Our host asked us for our birthdays and told us what are animal symbol is. Mine is chameleon, so basically, I’m a pretty flexible. The carver looks at the piece of wood which is of course copal the wood of Oaxaca, sees a vision of an animal in the wood and starts carving. We also learned that Jacobo only uses natural paints. So NO acrylic painting. Therefore, although they have a formula to make the different colors, it is not always the same.
We then saw Jacobo’s museum pieces which were outstanding. But with a price to match. However, we found out that Jacobo only does the original pieces, ie, first animal design, and his family replicates the design and also does all the painting.
I did not get any of the original Jacobo’s as they were out of my price range but bought 2 hummingbirds as gifts and a Oaxacan chocolate whisk which also could be used as a Christmas ornament as a memento of my visit.
Jacobo's colorful studio
Copal wood: The woodcarvers are replanting copal wood to save the forests.
Jacobo's nephew showing us work in progress
Peter having a "go" at it.
Jacobo's family Day of the Dead Altar done in traditional Zapotec style
The "knife" used to cut the wood
Jacobo's cousin demonstrating how natural paints are made. They use the sap from copal, indigo, and other native plants. The color changes by adding either base or acid.
Another family member painting. What is interesting is that no one where's glasses. They all have perfect eyesight. Must be in the DNA.
One of Jacobo's masterpieces. The panda costs several thousand dollars.
More of his masterpieces
Then it was time to visit the town of Ocotlan. Our first stop was the market, where Sandra and I bought a small green ceramic pitcher and the whisk from a very old lady, who was a character. Audrey bought some hibiscus leaves and we also ran into Frida Kahlo! I mean a look a like where we took a photo. So funny.
Then we were off to a converted convent/prison/museum. We paid our 150 pesos to get in and were first treated to the highlight of the day – a cello concert from Cesar. He first played a very beautiful Ave Maria, followed by a romantic Mexican music and ended with an Oaxacan piece that was upbeat. As Cesar says, music opens the heart. And then, more surprises! When we first entered the building we saw this exquisite mural from Rudopho Morales, a native of Ocotlan, who painted it as a gift to the people of Ocotlan. Well, then Cesar took us to the “museum” and I was floored. An exquisite exhibition of Rudolpho Morales’ paintings and tapestries. This is not in the guide books. Who ever was the curator did a fabulous job. The tapestries looked like paintings. Words cannot describe the beauty. It is definitely worth going to Ocotlan just to see the exhibit and of course, hire Cesar as your tour guide so you can absorb the whole ambience with his beautiful music.
The Ocotlan town hall
Sandra and I will Frida Kahlo
The beautiful murals/paintings of Rudolfo Morales
The convent/prison that was converted to a small museum
Cesar playing the cello for us.
The beautiful paintings of Rudolfo Morales
Believe it or not, the "painting" in the back is actually a tapestry
Another tapestry
Rudolfo Morales
Ceramics by the famous Aguilar sisters of Ocotlan
The poinsettias of Ocotlan grow in stalks like sunflowers
The church of Ocotlan which was restored by Rudolfo Morales
We then headed back and stopped quickly at a town famous for embroidery where I bought a cute hand embroidered Mexican blouse. As a joke, we were going to get Sandra a Mexican wedding dress and surprise her boyfriend of 9 years that the reason she invited me and her father to Cabo during his birthday is because she and Bob were getting married! We had a good laugh about it, but did not get the dress and decided not to go through with the joke.
And then it was time for lunch. Cesar recommenaed we stop at this one restaurant and we agreed as everything Cesar has recommended was fabulous. The restaurant we went to is owned by Jacobo Angeles called – Azucena Zapoteca where they server authentic Zapotec/Oaxacan cuisine. Sandra and I shared 2 dishes recommended by Cesar: Chiles in Nogada and Azucena Zapoteca. Our meal of course started with a glass of Mezcal to help with the digestion. Chilies in Nogada is usually only served in August or September but served year long in this restaurant. Basically it’s a poblano chili with fruit, pork, chicken, bathed in a nut/cream sauce and garnished with pomegranate seeds representing the colors of the Mexican flag. I have NEVER had anything like that dish. It was so good and I experienced new flavors. The Azucena Zapoteca is basically a stuffed local chili pepper with cheese, veggies and garnished with fresh squash blossoms. Yummy!
We ended the day finishing our shopping at Zeny Fuentes but unfortunately only their eldest daughter was there so she was under pressure to serve us while her younger brother was running around playing hide and go seek with his puppy.
Azucena Zapoteca: a fabulous restaurant owned by Jacobo
Local beer and mezcal to start with
Azucena Zapoteca
Chilies in Nogado
What a wonderful day! So sad to leave Oaxaca and the folks I met on this trip. The people staying at Casa Ollin – the B&B – are just amazing travelers. I really enjoyed listening to their stories but most importantly learning from them about their travels, culture and experiences. And of course, the people I met from Oaxaca, Judith and Jon who own the B&B and Cesar – Judith’s brother and who introduced us to magical Oaxaca. and lastly but not least Reyna, who shared her house and family with us as we learned to make regional dishes. I love this place and can’t wait to visit again.
Comments