Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido

We have just returned to San Miguel from Christmas in Oaxaca. While there we heard about the great beaches in Puerto Escondido, but it was trip taking six to seven hours. The other night we met Robin and Donnie Crisp at Hecho and they raved about Puerto Escondido. It's great to read that the new highway being built will cut travel time to two hours, BUT it's behind schedule and out of money: From Mexico News Daily: When the Oaxaca governor met earlier this year with federal transportation officials and representatives of the construction firm ICA, there was optimism that two new super-highways were nearing completion.

But like previous pronouncements regarding the two massive projects, the optimism was overdone.

One of them is a 104-kilometer highway through the mountains that will provide a new link between the city of Oaxaca and the coastal city of Puerto Escondido. Construction began in 2010 and completion was slated for 2013.

That date was later amended to the end of 2014. Two months later, in February this year, Governor Gabino Cué said it would be operational by the end of 2015.

But last month, nine months after that promise, the highway was only 60% completed. The new completion date: the beginning of the third quarter of 2016.

Now, it turns out, ICA’s financial problems have thrown another wrench in the works. The state said on Saturday it was working with the federal Communications and Transportation Secretary to find the 700 million pesos needed to finish the road. ICA is no longer able to provide it.

Mexico’s largest construction company missed a US $31-million bond payment in late November and entered a 30-day grace period. Thirty days later, it defaulted.

The firm said it did so “to preserve liquidity, prioritize ongoing operations and fund projects currently under development.”

The second highway, linking Oaxaca city with the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, was reported to be 54% complete. It was scheduled to be operational during the first half of next year, but that date was amended last week to the third quarter of next year. However, there was no indication that it was facing a funding shortfall as well.

It, too, is a big project in difficult, mountainous terrain requiring 54 bridges, 11 viaducts and three tunnels over the course of the 169-kilometer route. The 9.3-billion-peso highway will reduce travel time between the state capital and the isthmus from four and a half hours to two.

While a third-quarter completion is still anticipated for the highway to the coast, that is now subject to coming up with the funds to finish it. And while the state said in November that it had resolved land ownership disputes with communities located on the route, it has said so before only to be faced with new ones.

Slated to cost 5.25 billion pesos, the highway will shorten the trip between the capital and Puerto Escondido from six or seven hours to just over two.

Zapotec culture under threat in Oaxaca

Mexico News Daily has an article about the Zapotec culture near Oaxaca.

Gutiérrez and loom: preserving the culture.

A weaver in Oaxaca has been selected by a Smithsonian Institution program for an award he hopes will support efforts to preserve Zapotec culture.

Porfirio Gutiérrez of Teotitlán del Valle, a village famous for the artisanal production of textiles, was one of the winning candidates for the 2016 Artist Leadership Program administered by the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).

Gutiérrez and his family are descendants of generations of Zapotec weavers who have made the village synonymous with fine weaving. As many as 70% of the residents of the town, whose population is about 5,000, are engaged in some facet of textile art.

But a multi-year decline in tourism — Teotitlán is just 30 kilometers from the city of Oaxaca, which has been slowly regaining its reputation as a safe place to visit — has been hard on the weavers, who have suffered a severe reduction in income.

Other changes, too, threaten not only the tradition of weaving but the Zapotec culture. “In our town,” says Gutiérrez, “other components of our Zapotec legacy are about to vanish forever.

“My parents speak Zapoteco, my siblings and I speak Zapoteco and Spanish, but our children speak mostly Spanish.” And the same goes for their art.

Gutiérrez’ parents spin, dye and weave, and while he and his siblings have those skills to some degree, most have had to find outside work in other fields in order to survive.

It was his concern over the potential loss of the art form that Gutiérrez approached the National Museum of the American Indian with a project in mind.

“The youth in our village may never know the arts of their ancestors unless they are shown by the remaining masters who are still practicing our ancient techniques,” he says.

So he proposed bringing together experts and interested individuals in the village for a workshop on traditional dyes, whose use has been declining as more weavers opt for the speed and simplicity of the chemical variety.

The NMAI agreed and will fund a four-day training program in which students will learn about the plants from which the dyes come and how to make them.

The museum will also produce a video to follow the dye-making process as well as offer a glimpse of life in Oaxaca.

Gutiérrez sees the program as an important step in sustaining Zapotec culture and a traditional art form. We hope to visit Teotitlán when we visit the area around Christmas time.

Going to Oaxaca sometime soon. Here's a book review I wrote a year ago:

Oaxaca Chocolate: A Santo Gordo Mystery (Santo Gordo Mysteries) Paperback by Charles Kerns

Paperback: 250 pages Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 3, 2013)

This is the second time for a Charles Kerns novel. The first was “Santo Gordo: A Killing in Oaxaca (Santo Gordo Mysteries).” Let’s say you have heard about becoming an expat and you’ve heard good things about Oaxaca, Mexico. The best advice is rent for an extended time to see if you like the culture, the people, the food, and the climate. Take a short cut with Charles Kerns, as Robert Evans, a retired American living in Oaxaca.

Robert Evans (Roberto) is nick-named Santo Gordo, because he is an amateur detective and to the people who know him, he solves mysteries and is their saint, with a small “s”. Through Roberto you will learn what it’s like to live among the natives, be their friend, eat their food and share in their holidays.

This book takes place around Christmas and New Years. With Roberto you’ll see how the Mexicans celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. Like “…A Killing in Oaxaca” I find the culture and people comforting. I seem to slow down when I read what Kerns has written. We also learn that it is not appreciated, at least by this writer, to have Americans think they know what is best for Mexicans; to think that American culture and ways of business are superior. They don’t want the fast paced life and pursuit of money to dominate their life style. If you move to Mexico, don’t be upset if it isn’t like the U.S.

I recommend both books by Charles Kerns and give both five stars.

Study Abroad: Budget For Mexico

The Guadalajara Metropolitan Zone is the second largest national hub in terms of commerce and the third largest by volume of industrial production.

Marjorie A. Cohen writing at Investopedia tells us that, "At a summit last year with the presidents of Canada, the United States and Mexico, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico proposed a plan to increase the number of U.S. students in Mexico from the present figure of just over 4,000 to the seemingly astronomical figure of 50,000 by 2018. Recently the government of Mexico and other interested parties have prevailed upon the State Department to issue region-specific advisories, making it possible for students and their parents to choose safe destinations in that country. It is hoped that this will avoid a wholesale rejection of Mexico as a travel/study destination.

For the budget-minded student, Mexico is an inexpensive place to study and live. Numbeo, the popular cost-of-living comparison website, calculates that consumer prices in Mexico City are 58% lower than in New York City and rent is 83% lower. In the smaller cities of Mexico, the cost differential would be even more dramatic.

Transportation to and from Mexico is also quite a bit less expensive than other more far-flung destinations for U.S. students. A useful site for discount flights to Mexico for students is STA Travel where we found round-trip flights from NYC to Mexico City (September to December) for under $500.

According to GoAbroad.com, the most popular cities with U.S. students going to Mexico to study are Cuernavaca, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Playa del Carmen, Puebla and Tulum.

That same website offers “Ten Bueno Reasons to Study Abroad in Mexico.” One is price: “Not only are the program costs in Mexico generally lower than comparable programs in Europe, but the cost of living there is extremely low, too. This allows students more opportunities for cultural activities, extracurriculars and travel.” Another is the fact that “they’re our neighbors: their culture, language and people have a huge impact on the United States.”

The official website of the Secretaría de Educación Pública of Mexico suggests yet another reason to study in that country: “According to the latest survey conducted by topuniversities.com...Mexico has undergraduate institutions that are deemed part of the most relevant and prestigious in this dynamic and emerging region called Latin America.”

The article goes on to cover:

• FINDING A PROGRAM 
• INDEPENDENT ENROLLMENT 
• A SAMPLE U.S.–SPONSORED PROGRAM 
• SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID 
• SOME TYPICAL COSTS IN MEXICO 
• The Bottom Line - It is important to be realistic about the safety of traveling into Mexico for a study abroad opportunity, but if you are guided by the U.S. Department of State's specific travel advisories you should be able to find an affordable program in a peaceful part of the country that will enhance your career prospects. As Allan Goodman, CEO and president of IIE, points out: “Globalization makes study abroad absolutely necessary for graduates. One in five American jobs in today’s market is tied to international trade.”

Casa Wabi

From The Brooklyn Rail, committed to providing an independent forum for arts, culture, and politics throughout New York City and beyond comes this article by Lucìa Hinojosa and Diego Gerard.

"The Mexican landscape is—physically, socially, and culturally—a challenging arena for any cultural or artistic project with utopian visions. Mexican artist Bosco Sodi as founder, and contemporary art curator Patricia Martín as director, have embarked on a fascinating project with hopeful ambitions: Casa Wabi, an architectural gem sunk in the rural coast of Southeast Mexico, built by Japanese master architect Tadao Ando.

Casa Wabi (Front Facade). Photo by Lucía Hinojosa. 

"Located on the outskirts of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Casa Wabi is a non-profit organization offering residencies and opportunities for long-term projects for international and local artists. A fundamental goal of the organization is the collaborative involvement of artists and the local residents. This important social commitment might be the catalyst that will allow fresh ideas to develop, creating a dynamic process in which aesthetic and educational practices meet. The aim of Casa Wabi is to merge different realities to create a nurturing entity, in which art is used as a vehicle for the advancement of local communities through educational stimulation. Artists in residence are encouraged to develop projects that welcome locals to take part in workshops spanning several art genres—an approach that is intended to nurture both the communities’ interests as well as the artists’ approach to elements foreign to their practice. The educational aspect of the projects also serves as an alternative means of learning within the serious educational crisis faced by students throughout Mexico."

Continue reading at The Brooklyn Rail...

Chilies and Chocolates

Aylin Öney Tan writing in the Daily News informs us about the origins of moles and Mexican cooking:

"Exactly 18 years ago, I was at the National Day of Mexico reception at Singapore Raffles Hotel. Finally, I would be able to taste the legendary mole poblano, wild turkey smothered in the scary dark bitter chocolate-chili sauce with a zillion spices. I fell in love the moment I tasted it, but ours would be a love of separation and longing. My instant decision to go to Mexico as soon as possible was never realized and I seldom had the chance to taste real authentic Mexican food again.

"I was always amazed by the diversity of Mexican food, and I thought we had much to share between the two countries. So many tastes and dishes seemed to be so similar. Years later, about eight years ago, I met a culinary historian friend living in Mexico who opened up a whole new world in my perception of Mexican food. Rachel Laudan, the author of the recent colossal book “Cuisine and Empire: Cooking in Word History,” has lived in Mexico City for many years. I met Rachel at the Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery, where she was immensely supportive of my first paper delivered to an audience of crème de la crème of food researchers. Rachel has a very interesting theory on how Spanish-influenced-Mexican food had its roots in Middle East, going as far as India. I could not agree more. When I was doing my research on Turkish-Sephardic cookery, I traced similar links between the cuisines of Andalusia and medieval Arab cooking, which sometimes explains why we find some Mexican tastes so very much like ours.

"The cookery of the Iberian Peninsula before Columbus discovered the Americas carried strong traces from the early Medieval Arabic cuisine from the Middle East. The same was very true for the Ottoman court. Two cookbooks, 13th century Iberian Al-Andalus and 15th century Ottoman Şirvani, were both greatly based on the early 13th century Baghdad text Kitab al-Tabikh, also known as al-Baghdadi. Many Muslims and Jews living in medieval Spain were originally from eastern Mediterranean countries, still maintaining their eating habits. Ziryab, a freed slave from Baghdad, brought over the latest fashions in the Abbasid capital to al-Andalus in the 9th century and introduced the practice of dining in courses to the West. The eastern tastes were synthesized in Spain to an even greater sophistication where people of all creeds intermingled. These cooking traditions were carried to Mexico by the first Spanish conquistadors, followed later by many Middle Eastern immigrants after the break of the Ottoman Empire. The latter is more responsible with el Pastor being a popular street food in Mexico, just like the Döner Kebab in Turkey, Souvlaki in Greece or Shawarma (from Turkish çevirme-to rotate) in Syria or Lebanon. The former influence however, may well be the reason for today’s mole dishes in Mexico. Laudan suggests the Mexican mole has roots deep in these historical connections, stretching the influences as far as Indian curry. Well, the result is a delightful combination of indigenous ingredients like cocoa or Mexican bitter chocolate & red hot chilies with a plethora of old-world spices on the only truly native American bird, that is the turkey!"
Further reading: https://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/2004/the.mexican.kitchen.s.islamic.connection.htm

Book Review: Oaxaca Chocolate: A Santo Gordo Mystery (Santo Gordo Mysteries) Paperback by Charles Kerns

This is my second time for a Charles Kerns novel. The first was “Santo Gordo: A Killing in Oaxaca (Santo Gordo Mysteries).” Let’s say you have heard about becoming an expat and you’ve heard good things about Oaxaca, Mexico. The best advice is rent for an extended time to see if you like the culture, the people, the food, and the climate.

Take a short cut with Charles Kerns, as Robert Evans, a retired American living in Oaxaca. Robert Evans (Roberto) is nick-named Santo Gordo, because he is an amateur detective and to the people who know him, he solves mysteries and is their saint, with a small “s”. Through Roberto you will learn what it’s like to live among the natives, be their friend, eat their food and share in their holidays.

This book takes place around Christmas and New Years. With Roberto you’ll see how the Mexicans celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. Like “…A Killing in Oaxaca” I find the culture and people comforting. I seem to slow down when I read what Kerns has written. We also learn that it is not appreciated, at least by this writer, to have Americans think they know what is best for Mexicans; to think that American culture and ways of business are superior. They don’t want the fast paced life and pursuit of money to dominate their life style. If you move to Mexico, don’t be upset if Mexico isn’t like the U.S.

I recommend both books by Charles Kerns and I give both five stars

.
 

FOOD & WINE

World's Best Food Markets includes Oaxaca, Mexico: Mercado de Abastos



You could spend an entire day in Oaxaca’s four-acre central market—you may even need to buy an extra piece of luggage for the market’s dizzying array of tempting handmade crafts, but for me the real draw is the food. The market’s smell alone is intoxicating, a mix of fresh cilantro, sugarcane, chiles and my favorite, tamales. After a day spent watching mole grinders and cactus paddle picklers, you’ll be ready to cough up a few pesos for a batch of exquisite handmade tamales and tlayudas served up by the elderly Zapotec women who cook and sell them in the narrow alleys of the market.