¡Viva México! Mexican Independence Day in Oaxaca.

 

Giant multi-coloured sombreros teetered on heads, and there were glittering wrestling masks, spiked wigs, and flashing dangling earrings, decorating others. In honour of Mexican Independence Day, you could buy green, red, and white flags, on every street corner. A friend told me that he has fond memories of being bought a novelty moustache by his father when he was a kid, and I did see a great deal of them this year, cruising proudly below the noses of many Oaxaqueños, both children and adult.

The youth gathered in the plazas, dressed to impress. And over their best shirts, was soon splattered a generous amount of white foam and glitter. In affectionate retaliation, eggs filled with paper confetti were smashed over the heads of friends and compatriots alike.

Strolling around the Zócalo was especially pleasant with the coloured lights strung up around the centre kisoko and the palacio building. The children played, running and prancing about the square, adding to the rush and sparkle of the evening. Walking among them, with families and couples and people all around, I felt at home and welcome.

 

In San Augustin de Etla, a town just outside of the city of Oaxaca, I had the privilege of seeing the local school marching band practicing for the occasion of Independence Day. There is something about the beating of so many drums, and the ring of trumpets, that stirs up unmistakable feelings; to mobilise, and to stand tall. Under the lights and glitter of this festival, the proud beat of protest exists.

 

On the 16^th of September 1810, Miguel Hidalgo, a priest in the town of Dolores, gave a mass that was in effect a call to arms and rebellion against the viceregal government of Spain. His cry has become known as “El Grito de la Independencia”, and is now re-enacted in every city and town centre in Mexico on the night of the 15^th of September. The historical date marks the start of a War of Independence. As in all wars, there was a heavy cost; of life, and in the formulation and compromise of ideals.

 

In 1810, Miguel Hidalgo, and those that fought with him, recognised that the people were suffering due to bad governance.  An outside power had control over trade and commerce, and through the repression of many, the wealth of the nation was being consumed by a few. Its course shaped a new nation, and it was one fight in an ongoing history of battles for independence.

It has been an honour to live another Mexican Independence Day alongside the people that make it such a special nation. I am truly thankful for the nourishment of home-made pozole, for the fun of fake moustaches, and most especially, for the opportunity to know many Mexicans who are, every day, in their own ways, calling out to make Mexico the great country it is, and independent, as it always deserves to be. ¡Viva México! Live long.

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A Day of Discovery: En Vía visits Tierra del Sol.

 

By Samantha Wattson

 

“We need to tell the grandkids about our day” an exhausted Margarita murmured to her sister. “Yes of course,” replied Delfina, “it is important to share this day with them, so they can learn about the differences they make through their choices.” “This was an incredible day,” she added.

As we dropped them off, and waved goodbye, I reflected on the day. It was one of those beautiful days when you learn something new, and share that experience with others. It was also one of those typically beautiful Oaxacan days—that are sometimes rare in the rainy months—where the sun shone brightly and the sky was magnificently blue. It was the perfect day for our first “En Vía field trip” to Tierra del Sol.

We had invited women from all of the different communities we work in to meet us at Tierra del Sol in Tlacochahuaya. That day, 16 women made their way to the sustainable living farm.  We were excited about the turnout, as these women lead busy lives, and it can be hard, (as it can be for all of us), to take some time out of the day to learn something new. 

 

Photo by volunteer, Lindsey Shilleh.

Pablo, the owner of Tierra del Sol, welcomed us warmly to his sustainable farm that is tucked in between the mountains in the Tlacolula Valley. He has spent many years developing the farm. He looked around at all of us thoughtfully, and said that when he began he didn’t know anything about farming, dry toilets, or recycling grey water, but little by little, and by trial and error, he had learned along the way. We were sitting in a circle as he spoke to us. Pablo has a casual manner, and very calm way of speaking that draws a crowd into his words. He explained to us that the goal of the day was not to become an expert in farming or sustainable living systems, but to discover, explore and learn.  It was a chance to reflect on the ways we currently do things, and to develop a deeper understanding of the impacts we have on the earth. For now, it was time to take it all in, and ask all of the many questions that came to mind – and oh boy did we!

Photo by volunteer, Lindsey Shilleh.

So with the words: absorb, learn, observe, question, and imagine, illuminated in our minds, we set off on our tour. Rafael, one of Tierra del Sol’s team members, showed us around. The first stop was a windmill; it powered a well, pulling up water to an above ground tank, which then uses gravity to dispense the water.

The next stop, my dream meditation and yoga lounge, was their meeting room. It is a naturally lit single room, with large windows on all sides, made completely of natural materials. The walls are of a bamboo-like plant and mud, the roof of palms, and the floor of a concoction of plants, mud, and hay.  The roof also doubles as a water collector, which is funneled into an underground cistern and used to water the gardens.

 

Photo by volunteer, Annemieke Buursink.

As we approached our next stop there was a concerned look among the women. Dry toilets. The first of many questions was, do they smell? We all went in, one- by-one, to check the bathrooms, and then Rafael took us around back to see how it actually functions. He showed us how things were collected and then composted, and then he led us a to bin and grabbed a clump of some of the richest, darkest soil I have ever seen, and said ever so seriously, “ this used to be feces.” A few of the women didn’t hear him, or perhaps, didn’t believe him, and they looked to their neighbor for affirmation. As the women received their proof, and word spread through crowd, Maria asked Rafael if he was sure it was safe to have his hands in it. And as ear gave way to interest, the women leaned their heads in ever so slightly to take a whiff of the soil, which smelled of nothing more than rich earth, full of nutrients.  Question, after question ensued from the women, but we had to keep moving, there was still a lot to see.

Photo by volunteer, Annemieke Buursink.

 

 Next, we went to the back of the kitchen to see what happens to all of the water of the house. There was a complex system for purifying the water. To me it looked more like a Japanese Zen garden with its different levels of pools. This water was all funneled to a small patch of garden a little further beyond the kitchen. We followed the water into a garden where we found about 12 small beds growing such vegetables as tomatoes, chard, eggplant, and beets. Eggplant?! There was a few minutes then dedicated to the tasting of, cooking of, and acquiring of the unfamiliar smooth purple vegetable. This reminds me, I still owe the women an eggplant dish that I promised to cook them!

 

Photo by volunteer, Lindsey Shilleh.

 

With every new pass we were learning. Whether it was about new vegetables, or the ability to create valuable, nutrient rich soil, or that there is so much life to be found in our own backyards. The bubble of excitement surrounding the women continued to grow. Then, we hit the compost and fertilizer area. I have never seen a group of women so impressed with piles of rotting food and waste! The questions and statements that flowed from this point on were endless. Many of them have small plots of land which they farm, on the outskirts of their communities. In general, they use a monoculture form of agriculture, planting one crop over and over again, or maybe interchanging between maize (corn) and frijol (beans); a farming style that usually relies heavily on chemical fertilizers. It was evident they disliked using chemicals on their food. They complained in unison about their vegetables being laden with toxins, or about neighbors spraying fertilizer in the heat of midday, or when the winds were up, carrying the smell of chemicals into town. Here they were learning that there was another way! And that all they need are a few items that can be found free, or very cheaply, in their own towns and can be mixed together in a large tub, forgotten for a few months, and then used to feed their plants. They were delighted.

 

Photo by volunteer, Lindsey Shilleh.

The energy stayed with us, as we visited the trout pond. It was, to say the least, idyllic. Reeds surrounded the pond and the air around us was filled with a soft buzz that came from the beehives behind. The pond was partially covered with lilies, fittingly all in bloom with pink, yellow and orange blossoms. There was a small dock at the far end. And then there were the fish! The trout were popping up here and there, and the women were shrieking with excitement.  

Photo by volunteer, Annemieke Buursink.

 

The day didn’t end there, we planted green beans, ate tomatoes off the vine, and learned about building clay ovens for baking bread, and thoroughly exhausted our brilliant leader, Rafael, with our questions and enthusiasm.

It is amazing what we can discover, if we allow ourselves the time to explore and learn new things. This was a new world with so much beauty, and it wasn’t in some far off place, or seen in a movie. It was a tangible place with reachable, accomplishable projects. As these women discovered in a small farm in their own backyards, or as you, our friends and supporters, learned during one of our tours, there are a lot of amazing things growing and happening all around us.

 Photo by volunteer, Annemieke Buursink.

Reflection from a Volunteer

 

By Madeleine Spencer

 After four months of volunteering with Fundación En Via I´m still not sure how to adequately express my feelings towards this growing organization and the women who are a part of it. In fact it wasn't until I left Oaxaca for a two-week trip to Guatemala that I even realized how much my experience had changed the way I see things.

Sitting at a juice stand in San Pedro la Laguna, it wasn't the beautiful lake or the delicious juice I was thinking about, but how much Angelica, the owner of the stand, had paid for her two juicers, and if she had to take out a loan or if she had saved up for them. I looked at the fridge she had running with the help of extension cords and wondered how much the electricity was costing her, and if she thought to include it in her business costs as is taught in the En Vía business classes.

Juice stand, Guatamala

I asked where she bought her fruit and if she had to go to the market everyday. I listened to her and her sister speaking to one another in Tz'utujil and looked around at the messages written on her stand in languages ranging from English to Japanese. I couldn't help but to marvel at her success, and even more when my friend leaned over and told me that when he visited last summer all she had was a table with a small hand juicer on the side of the road.

This reflective experience continued as I walked down the street and encountered multiple women selling banana bread. I thought about the competition they must experience and if they were able to sell all that they made every day. When I found a women also selling cinnamon rolls, I couldn't help but wonder it if was to set her apart from the other bread makers and reflected yet again on the strength and ingenuity of the people who I have been lucky enough to meet in my time with En Via.

Each day working with this incredible organization presented something new to learn and experience. The first week I was here I went to meet the women of Teotitlán at the weekly town meeting. And after a few minutes of panicking that my Spanish had deteriorated even further than I thought it had in the seven months since I’d last been in Oaxaca, I realized I was hearing Zapoteco, a language that I would come to greatly enjoy the soft sounds of over the next few months. 

Maddy with Juana and Enedina in their weaving workshop, Teotitlán.

 

I was lucky enough to witness a major achievement in the En Via community later that week when Teresa opened her café. And after going on my first tour and seeing first hand what I was going to be a part of, I was completely in love.

As an intern I got to experience many different aspects of En Via. I did everything from leading tour groups, to teaching English classes in Tlacochahuaya, to getting to know the amazing volunteers and visitors that make all the work possible, to the daily tasks of just keeping things organized.  Each week on tour I got to meet new women and learn more of their stories. Every month we had new volunteers join us from the world-over who each brought their own ideas and enthusiasm for the project. And each day I was able to come to work feeling that what I was doing was something worthwhile.

Maddy with a group of visitors outside the church in Teotitlán.

 Needless to say, it will be a hard adjustment returning home and leaving such a wonderful community. I am going to miss En Via; both the people involved and what the foundation is achieving. This experience will be one that I remember and appreciate for the rest of my life. If there is anyone out there who has thought about volunteering, or coming to visit, I’d say “go for it – you won’t regret it.” These wonderful women and the city of Oaxaca have a way of getting under your skin, and I believe, the experience will leave you a better person for it. 

 

 

Daughters of Empowered Women.

 

The impact that microfinance can have on a woman’s family is significant. We regularly see women borrowers investing profits from their businesses in things that directly benefit their families and insure the well-being of their children. Financial growth is just one important aspect in development. We also recognise the importance of encouraging and creating positive social role models for youth, and especially for young girls.

When I talk to the women in our program, you can be sure that one of the first topics that will come up is their children. I have had the privilege of meeting many of the borrower’s kids, and of having a good run around the patio whilst hearing about their plans. I especially love it when the daughters come to the weekly meetings and business classes. I always wonder about their perspectives on this program that their mothers are involved in. How do they see and relate to their mothers? And what hopes do the mothers have for the futures of their daughters?

Alicia is a new member to the program in Teotitlán who is using her loans to invest in the materials she needs to weave rugs and make bags. When I first met Alicia’s daughters, they were coming home with her after buying a piñata for their cousin’s birthday, and during our conversations I was handed a series of sweets that were meant for its filling. I was very impressed when Margarita, 10, told me that her favourite subject in school is math. Her little sister, Veronica, 7, is of my own heart. “I love stories”, she says, and her mother confirms that she is always reading. Her best subject is Spanish. 

Alicia and her daughters Margarita and Veronica.

Alicia’s dearest wish is for them both to have the opportunity to continue to study. Significantly, just 9% of the 270 women that we currently work with have a high school or higher-level of education and we have noticed that it is a wish among many of them to provide their daughters with the educational possibilities that they themselves did not have. “I want them to be able to move forward in their lives, study, and have work”, Alicia said. “They seem to like the work we do in the family (weaving), but if they want to do something else, then I will support them in whatever that may be”, she says.

Veronica was especially proud to show me one of her first weavings that she had started. It was actually woven onto the base of the kitchen chair that I had been sitting on! This was something she learnt from her mother she said, and was considered as natural as learning how to wash clothes or clean plates.

Veronica and her first weaving.

Just around the corner from Alicia, in Teotitlán, you will find Teresa, who uses her loans to invest into her own little business of sewing and selling curtains to shops in the town. On a recent visit I was introduced to her daughter Adriana, who is 7 years old. I could tell of course that Teresa loved her three sons, who circled me excitedly as we talked, but from the way she spoke of her “only daughter”, I could see that little Adriana was especially adored.

“She really gave us a scare a few years back”, said Teresa, as she pulled the little girl close. “When she was just 5 years old, she was so sick that the doctors had given up on her. It was a blood virus. I didn’t know what to do”. At this point I almost dropped my camera as I put my hand to my heart and sat down. “But she had so much faith,” she continued. “She prayed to God, and she told us, ‘I am going to get better.’ And she did.”

Teresa and Adriana

“Now that you have moved through such a difficult time, what is it that you want for your daughter’s future,” I asked her. “What she decides,” she answered without hesitation, “I will support her in anything”.

Adriana told me in a whisper, as her mother smiled on encouragingly, that what she would really like to be is a nun. Just as I was about to leave, very quietly, almost from underneath the arm of her mother, Adriana told me that the thing she liked most about her mother was that she is always there for her, ready to give her the things that she needs.

Perla, from Tacochahuaya, has opened a hairdressing salon with her loans. One thing you will notice about Perla is her wonderful laugh.  The first time I heard it she was laughing with her little daughter Fernanda Estefania who is 14 months old. “She is a happy girl,” she told me, “and naughty. She is always moving about, and likes to dance”.  At this moment in the conversation, little Fernanda proved the point beautifully by making a dash toward the front gate and the street beyond. “She is my first child. I’m doing it all for her,” said Perla, as she scooped up the little one. “I have a lot of hope for her”.

Perla and Fernanda Estefania

In the town of Díaz Ordaz, Annabel invests her En Via loans into her baking and pastry business. Her daughter, Gabreila, 10, can frequently be found leaning on her mother’s side at the weekly meetings. When I asked her about the most important things her mother has taught her, she rattled off familiar motherly advice: always share your things, play nice with your brothers and sisters, and keep your room tidy. And then, without prompting her, she shared that what liked best about her mother is that she is caring and affectionate.

Annabel and Gabriela

After I learnt that English was her favourite subject, I stopped using Spanish. She said she also likes numbers, and that she would like to be an accountant or a secretary when she grows up. Though she does wants to learn how to bake cakes like her mother, I believe that aside from baking, Gabriela might soon be helping her mother to keep her accounts in order!

I do not know these girls well, but I do know that the example being shown by their mothers is very important for their futures. En Via aims to provide the women borrowers with the tools they need to create their own success stories. We are excited to learn and share in these stories, and to know that the positive effects of the program reach even further than financial development in the form of encouraging positive and inspiring female role models within families and whole communities.

This blog is especially dedicated to my own mother, Kerry, and to all the mothers and daughters in our network of friends who have supported the work En Vía does to empower women.  

Louise and Osmara with thier mothers on an En Via tour in April this year. 

New Loans in Santo Domingo Tamaltepec.

Last week, 9 women in the town of Santo Domingo Tamaltepec graduated from the business classes and received their first loans with En Via. We are delighted to welcome these women into the program and are looking forward to getting to know them and their community in the coming months.

The word Tomaltepec means “On the hill of tomatoes” in Náhuatl, and apart from tomatoes, this town of a population of 2,061 also enjoys the production of corn and beans. And while half of this population dedicates itself to agriculture, we learnt the other 50% are dedicated to making bread or working leather. In fact, in April the town enjoys a festival, la Feria del Pan y Talabarteria, to honour these two industries and to give the producers a chance to showcase their talents. “Oh, so the bread and tamales are like the ones from Tule?” Carlos asked, casually referring to a neighbouring town. “They are much better than those!” Said one woman, Florina, with a smile and obvious pride.

When they came to receive their loans, Carlos spoke to the group. All eyes were on him, and apart from his voice it was so quiet that I could hear the crickets in the patio. I felt immediately that this group was entering the program with all seriousness as well as enthusiasm. Carlos spoke about the importance of collective solidarity and efforts, as they move through this new process and experience together, and I saw a few warmly encouraging looks exchanged amongst the group members.

After saying our goodbyes, it took us a half hour to walk back to the car because everyone we met on the corners wanted a chat. My first impressions of the town were of these kind women. I noted the narrow unpaved streets, swept clean, with rusty old bicycles, crossing at every angle. Fertile fields were in the foreground and the city lights of Oaxaca in the valley beyond.

We were invited to a town party that was held last week to honour their patron Saint. At this event the women of Santo Domingo shared a unique tradition with us. Imagine 40 honoured women waltzing through town holding small structures called castillos (castles) above their heads from which large amounts of fireworks shoot off in all directions. Quite a dangerous, but I image, exhilarating responsibility. En Via’s very own Armando attended the festivities, and will forever be marked by Santo Domingo, after a large firework ember fell on his shoulder!

We look forward to learning more about the town's traditions and the community as we begin this relationship with its businesswomen. I have no doubt that their participation will bring about unique developments and new potential for everyone involved. I will keep you updated, friends and supporters, as we break bread with the women of Santo Domingo Tamaltapec. 

Gifts of Culture: Guelaguetza in Oaxaca

Here in Oaxaca, there is currently a strange word on everybody´s lips: Guelaguetza. From the Zapotec Indian language it means an offering or gift. In cultures based on exchange and trade it can also be considered in terms of an action or service to community. This month, when you hear the word it will imply the sharing and enjoying of all the good things in life such as food, music, dance, and stories.

 

While the tradition dates back to ancient Pre-Hispanic times, the modern event now known as the Guelaguetza was established in 1932. The annual celebration is Oaxaca´s biggest and oldest cultural festival, and it is starting now! For the month of July, the city of Oaxaca will host events that acknowledge the different regions of the state and relish in their particular gifts and characteristics.  

 

The main spectacles of the festival are two dance and music performances that are held in the auditorium on the hill overlooking the city, or the Cerro del Fortín. These performances are held on two consecutive Mondays in July, and for this they are often referred to by locals as "Los Lunes del Cerro" (Mondays on the Hill). This year these official performances will be held on Monday the 23^rd and 30^th of July.

 

At these events the people from the seven different regions of the state of Oaxaca have the opportunity to share with the city and each other their particular dances, costumes, music, food, produce, as well as their unique histories and sense of humour.

 

The richness of the sights, sounds, and tastes will amaze you. The events captivate and involve crowds. Skirts are swirled into frenzy as women dance. Tubas boom across the valley. Mountains of regional specialties are cooked up for sale. Gifts are thrown from stages into the arms of onlookers. Note that this may be quite harmless if it is woven straw hats and canisters, like the people from La Mixteca are known to throw, but do take care, when the dancers from Tuxtepec finish their piece, as last year I almost got hit by a flying pineapple!

The two performances in the auditorium are not the only events that you should put on your radar. There will be countless activities and cultural displays going on in and around the city.

For example, you will be certain to find me in the Plaza de la Danza by the Basilica de la Soledad on the 25 and 26 July where there is to be a Tejate and Tamale fair showcasing the gastronomic specialty from the town of Huayapam.

 

On Sunday the 22^nd and 29^th of July there will be a performance of the famous drama Donaji in the Guelaguetza auditorium. This show is the compelling story of Princess Donaji who was the last Zapotecan princess.

A great place to see the spectrum of traditional dances and also to enjoy a lively town market atmosphere is in the town of Zaachila, which is located not far outside of the city. On Monday the 30^th of July you can see the Laa Ni Ro Daan Zaadxil, or the Fiesta Grande del Cerro de Zaachila. Incredibly, this performance takes place in the archaeological site of the small town, where audiences recline against an ancient tree covered Zapotec pyramid to watch dancers on a stage below. Take a picnic blanket and a hat, and settle in for the whole afternoon, starting from 1:00pm.

 

In 2006, a year that marked much popular political activity in Oaxaca, the “Guelaguetza Popular” was established as an alternative to the performance on the hill. This year, on Monday 23 July, you can join a large gathering of people from all regions of Oaxaca at the sporting ovals of the Instituto Tecnológico de Oaxaca (ITO) University where you will be treated to the full variety of traditional dancing and festivities.

Desfiles, or parades, seem to blossom spontaneously in the streets of the city in these weeks. Representatives and delegations from municipals, towns, churches and Universities alike, put their best foot forward and take to the streets to dance. Some of my best memories of the season are from simply following along beside these moving, dancing, twirling caravans of people. Walk with them and you will often find yourself in a “front-row” position with stunningly costumed dancers and the most generous smiles.

 

There are many new faces in the city in these days, and the atmosphere in the public spaces is of festival and fun. I guarantee that you will come across a cultural event just by stepping out of your door. For example, walking back from dinner one day this week, I had the unexpected pleasure of running into a dance performance of a local primary school. There was a group of about 20 students; the dear little things danced about 6 different traditional dances back to back, changing their costumes at top speed in a little tent to the side of the stage. Parents, family, and community where their audience, and the stories they told with their dance, drew me in, made me laugh out loud and clap my hands with delight. 

If you are in Oaxaca, keep your eyes and ears open. If you are not, get to the travel agent this instant and get yourself down here! This month, whether you find yourself in the city auditorium or in the streets, marketplaces, and plazas of Oaxaca, you will no doubt be thick amongst vibrant colour, music, dance and the joyous celebration of a proud culture and way of life.

Feathers, food, and friends: The Festival of the Year in Teotitlan

 

This week, the town of Teotitlan is enjoying its main festival of the year, la fiesta de la Preciosa Sangre del Cristo, a weeklong town party that honours and celebrates the town church. It is a chance for the people to acknowledge the colour, life, and complex tradition and history that are unique to their culture.

The scene for this event is set at the site and plaza of the Preciosa Sangre de Cristo. Significantly, the church was built over a destroyed Zapoteco temple using much of the old stones and structure; its modern construction began in 1581, although it was not completed until 1758.

 

In the shadow of this sacred edifice, white cowboy hats crown the old men. Red ribbons shine in the black hair of the women. Ice-cream glints stickily on the chins of the children. All sit together with pride to watch the ritual dance; La Danza de las Plumas, or Dance of the Feathers.

The dances are effectively a re-enactment of the events leading up to and surrounding the Spanish conquest of the indigenous nations of Mexico. They cover many key moments including battles, betrayals, and invocations to the gods for guidance.

Spanish conquistador Cortes, is played good-naturedly by a local teenage boy with the cheekiest smile, and his soldiers by other local boys aged 6 to 12 years, all dressed in symbolic military uniform, complete with tassels, battle banners and toy guns.

However, it is the adult Aztec warriors that are of course the focus, and Moctezuma, their King and Capitan, is the most impressive of the great plumed dancers. The colours and ornaments of their dress are significant to pre-Hispanic beliefs, as well as those related to the Catholic Church, and the modern Mexican national flag. I find it beautifully appropriate, the way the complex layers are carried and acknowledged together. The sound of leather sandals propelling off the ground, and the rattle sticks symbolising weapons, are the sound of war, heard simultaneously with the swish of silk capes that symbolise ties with the Church. Old and new, mirror and feather, leather and gold, the combination is imposing and moving.

 

La Malinche, Cortes´s indigenous interpreter and lover is my favourite “character” in this performance, played by a girl of maybe 9 years. I especially appreciate the part in the dance where she attempts to negotiate between the two powerful men and the nations they represent. Also, the scene in which she dances with the Aztec Queen Cihuapilli, also played by a young girl, is fascinating as it represents the ways the two cultures have mixed and merged since the Conquest.

In its complete practice, the dance takes place over three days during the festivities, and it is a serious affair. Even when the sky opened up, and the whole town sought shelter in the church or under tarps, the dancers danced on regardless. They are undertaking a very prestigious and important service to the community in the form of a three year apprenticeship to the dance. Rain will not stop them. This particular group is on their final year. In October there will be a new selected intake, and among them will be our friend and volunteer, Alejandro. We wish him all the best in undertaking the great honour, and we look forward to seeing him dance in the festival this time next year!

Inside the church, the rattle and pound of the dancers was dulled. Locals were streaming in with candles “to ask of the Lord”, as one woman told me. At the foot of the altar, there was a regular fire of prayers burning bright and strong. “It is an important day for us”, said the woman. Whole families sat on the simple wooden pews. Candle light glowed on the children´s faces as they were blessed by their mothers and fathers. Fresh flowers, roses and lilies, were so abundant that they seemed to sprout from the church floor.  

Outside in the streets, women wore their best aprons, embroidered and pleated to perfection. At their feet were baskets of tamales, of mole de amarillo. We ran into Soledad from the program, she was selling hers, three for ten pesos, by the church gate. In Eugenia´s family´s house we tasted her famous enchiladas. Then later, at Teresa´s new café we chased away the cool damp with deliciously hot chocolate and coffee.

Glancing into doorways and patios from the street I could see long tables set, comal stoves smoking, and tamale pots steaming. Children seemed to run from table to table depending on which of their neighbours currently had the best spread.

One little girl in Eugenia´s household proudly told us that she had been up until 3 in the morning helping to wrap tamales. By the mountain of food in that house, I did not doubt it. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if half the town had been awake every night starting last Sunday, baking, cooking and preparing.

The celebrations opened on Monday, you see, with young single women dressed in their finest traditional wear, parading through streets with beautiful wicker baskets filled with flowers sitting ever so perfectly on the top of their heads. On Tuesday everyone comes together in the evening to enjoy fireworks. On Wednesday night, after a day of observing La Danza de La Pluma, the whole town gathers for the town dance. Thursday, is a day of rest, before Friday, when the young women take to the streets again. Then the celebration is closed with two more days of dancing. In fact, if you are in Oaxaca now, you should head out on Sunday to catch the last round of La Danza de la Pluma!

It is especially weeks like this that one can clearly see the strength and solidarity that exists in the community of Teotitlan. From the traditional dances, Catholic ritual, outstanding local gastronomy and party decoration, everyone woman, man and child is participating proudly. All of us from En Via feel lucky to get to share in such celebration, and to see the women and families we work with particularly, enjoying the company of their neighbours. You, our friends and supporters, are always in our thoughts at such times, and with you we continue to celebrate the success of the women within such a special community.