Meanwhile… …Back at the Ranch

by lara on November 16, 2009

I’ve been working on updates and upgrades and all around tidying to the web sties.

It is unsettling to know that of all the information provided on all my sites and blogs. The thing people most want to know about and to look at are:

the chicken pictures

sigh.

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Most of the day was spent in San Bartolo Coyotepec.

Our first stop was at the workshop of the family of potter Dona Rosa. The Dona Rosa invented the burnishing technique that produces the glossy black pottery that the village has become known for. Her son don Valente continues the tradition.

Here are three pots that sit outside of the door of my room here at the Casa.

examples of black pottery

examples of black pottery

Don Valente is in his 80s. He still works everyday. The potters here work without a wheel as we think of it. Instead they use two dishes shaped like saucers. One placed upside down on the floor and the second placed right side up on top of it. The pot is then shaped by hand by turning slowly.

setting the pot on the saucer

setting the pot on the saucer

creating a pot is a multi-day process. The first day the pot body is made, then after drying a couple of days the neck is added.

forming the neck

forming the neck

Another round of drying and the decoration (if any) is added. This is incising using shaped tools. Pots can also have bits stuck on to create an applique like effect. Cutting away parts of the pot to create lacework is also common. (See the above picture of pots in the Casa.)

incising 'grecas'

incising 'grecas'

The unique thing about the black pottery created in San Bortolo is the glossy finish. The finish is created by taking a dry, unfired pot, making the surface a bit damp and rubbing it with a piece of smooth quartz. Then firing the piece for 10 hours. The finished piece is beautiful but fragile and porous. We’ve never had much luck trying to get pieces home without them breaking.

burnishing the pot

burnishing the pot

The result is the glossy surface on the lattice work on this pot.

lattice work black pot

lattice work black pot

originally the clay at San Bartolo was used to make functional vessels. These are fired for 13 or 14 hours and the pots are matte dark grey. These pots are waterproof and durable. They also make a pleasant ringing sound when tapped. Don Valente has a set that he plays a tune on at the end of his demonstration.

fired for 13 or 14 hours

fired for 13 or 14 hours

The two pictures above were taken at the folk art museum near the zoloco in San Bartolo. The building is another example of the fine modern architecture that being done in Mexico.

folk art museum

folk art museum

Fireworks are a big deal and common at all sorts of fiestas here. One of the kind of freaky and cool things that they do is take fireworks into the crowds. The car in this picture is a ‘mule’ that is loaded with fireworks that spark and spin. Bulls and horses are also common shapes but anything is fair game.

car structure used to support fireworks

car structure used to support fireworks

At the folk art museum we made two excellent discoveries.

Miguel Ramirez, who is up in the Xochimilco neighborhood of the city. I’ve seen his work before but haven’t had a name to put to it. Next time I’m here I’m have a better chance of finding his workshop.

tin art

tin art

The other discovery is entirely new to me. Adolfo Alquisiris Guerrero. He’s a welder who works at the Pemex plant in Salina Cruz. Be makes things – mostly animals out of recycled parts. I’ll try to set up a chance to see and buy some of his work the next time we come done.

stork?

stork?

rooster

rooster

Jim liked this picture a lot. He mumbled something about grumpy kitties. I chose to ignore him.

folk art extends to painting

bring it, cupcake

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Day 9, in which there is a lot of thread(s)

31 October 2009

Today is the Halloween for most of you all. Here in Mexico it is the day before Muertos. There’s lots of getting ready and cleaning and arranging going on.
We were out and about doing tourista things this morning. Our destination was Teotitlan de Valle, home to the most famous of the Zapotec weavers.
We started in [...]

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Day 8, in which there was one very big tree and a lot of little stones.

30 October 2009

Today is Friday, we must be headed for Mitla and ‘the tree’!. Our first stop is in Santa Maria del Tule, to see a huge, several thousand year old tree. In the center of the town. Pretty amazing. The redwoods are taller, but this honker is huge at the trunk!
Playing ‘name that creature’ is an [...]

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Day 7, in which we watched a man pull a rabbit out of a tree trunk.

29 October 2009

To day it was south and a little west of town to the Zaachila valley. Traffic has been terrible this week so our guide Nico took us down a super-secret short-cut. Like going down the rabbit hole.
Speaking of rabbits. Our first stop was the wood carving village of Arrozola. Arsenio Moreles took a machete to [...]

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Day 6, in which we went to the market

28 October 2009

Today began with a trip to the Abastos market, near the south edge of the central district of oaxaca. Today was the opening of the special ‘Muertos’ section of the market, full of special flowers, candles, trinkets and food for the “dia de los muertos” celebrations. We bought flowers, candles, little skeleton figurines, copal incense, [...]

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Day 5, in which Jim visits Monte Alban

27 October 2009

Today, the ‘tour’ was scheduled to go up to Monte Alban, a pre-columbian archeological site just west of Oaxaca. My lovely bride has seen it once, that was enough for her, so the tour departed slightly down on troop strength.
It was a beautiful day, some cloud cover so it didn’t get too hot, but [...]

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Day 4, in which we visit many things that Rudolfo Morelos loved

27 October 2009

Day 4 (which was actually yesterday) we went to Ocotlan. Birthplace of the painter Rudolfo Morelos.
But before we got out of town I saw this set of signs and thought you all needed to see them as well.
Ocotlan is south of the city of Oaxaca. The biggest building in town is the church. Unlike many [...]

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Day 3, in which we passed through 3300 years of history

25 October 2009

Today was our first day of being official “tourists”. We went out with Jane and Nico, our guides, and five other people who are staying here at Casa Colonial. Today’s journey was to the north into the valley of Etla.
Sections of adobe wall are every where.
First we went to San Jose de Mogote to see [...]

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Day 2, in which we visit 3 churchs and 1 bar.

24 October 2009

Today we took a little walking tour with our host Jane and a couple of other guests.
A block away from the Casa there is a little alley on the back side of the local market. It’s a good place to stop for a soda in the shade.
The Virgin of Soledad is the patron of the [...]

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