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The EyeBeach, Village + Urban Living in OaxacaDecember 2017 Issue 73FREE
Jane
Editor: Jane BauerCopy Editor: Deborah Van Hoewyk
Web Goddess: Erin Vig
Writers: , Julie Etra, Jan Chaiken, Marcia ChaikenLuis Gasca, Brooke Gazer, Leigh Morrow, Laura M.
Ouellette, Jed Pitman, Carole Reedy, Alvin Starkman, , Maria del Sandra P. Cruz RionegroCarmen Galván Rivera, Kary Vannice, Louis W.
Weinstein
Cover Photo: Alija
Photography/Art:Various Artists
Distribution: Renee Biernacki
Layout: Jane Bauer
Opinions and words are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Eye.
We welcome submissions and input. To get involved send us an email.
Visit Us Onlinewww.TheEyeHuatulco.com
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Cel.: 958 100 7339
INVIERTE E IMPULSA
TU NEGOCIO!
Sport Fishing, Bay Tours, Sunset Cruises, Special OccasionsDolphins, Whales, Turtles
Missy Yacht at Fortuna Charters SA de CV, Marina ChahueUSA 541- 678-5574 Mexico 958-130-8540Whatsapp or voice message 958-130-3569www.FortunaCharters.com [email protected] Missy Yacht at Fortuna Charters
hristmas decorations appeared in early
COctober this year at our local supermarket; stuffed Santas, string lights, shiny balls to hang from faux trees available in a variety of colors. December holidays have become one
of the biggest spending times of the year. In 2016, over 154 million Americans shopped over Thanksgiving weekend. That is a lot!
This has been a year of difficulty for many; damage from the earthquakes in Mexico, the fires in the US and Canada, hurricanes and flooding in the Caribbean. In the face of this, it seems ridiculous to spend money on things we don’t need when funds can do so much good elsewhere.
Not spending as much doesn’t have to put a damper on your holiday spirit. There are many ways to give gifts without making a trip to the mall. Here are just a few ideas:
1. Your time. Offering to babysit, run errands, do yard work or cook dinner, are great ways to show someone you care and foster more connection.
2. Make something. The list of things you can make is endless, depending on your talents: a family cook book, a playlist, baked goods, sewing projects. Fill your days with creating, not Netflix :)
3. Divide and repot your houseplants. Add an already owned pretty vintage tin or pot and you can bring greenery into someone’s home.
4. Give something you already own! I love getting used books or kitchen articles people no longer use. Go through your jewelry and give away those silver earrings you never wear!
5. Donate to a cause in someone’s name. If someone on your list is an animal lover, make a donation to a local shelter.
6. Give an experience. Tickets to a show or a museum are more meaningful than stuff and help support the arts in your community.
7. If you are going to buy, shop local! Don’t go to a superstore to save money. Be willing to pay more knowing you are supporting mom-and-pop businesses - in the long run you are investing in your community.
Happy Holidays!
“Consumerism is at once the engine of America and simultaneously one of the most revealing
indicators of our collective shallowness.” Henry Rollins
The Eye 3
The Eye 4
In This IssueThe Town That Saved MeBy Jed PitmanPage 6
Topes by Any Other Name Are Till Topes: A Photo DiaryBy Julie EtraPage 8
The Healing Qualities of Essential OilsBy Sandra P. Cruz RionegroPage 9
Observations Regarding Rural Health Care in the Municipality of HualtulcoBy Laura M. Ouellette, MD, and Louis W. WeinsteinPage 10
The Lupita ProjectBy Lic. Maria del Carmen Galván RiveraPage 12
2017: My 10 Favorite ReadsBy Carole ReedyPage 13
So What's the Big Deal about Mezcal? First in a SeriesBy Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.Page 14
Free Spanish Video Lessons!By Brooke GazerPage 15
Skinny Cropped Jeans By Leigh MorrowPage 16
What's Wrong with NAFTA?By Jan Chaiken and Marcia ChaikenPage 18
Concert by the SeaBy Luis GascaPage 19
Interview with Cristian Pineda Flores
By Kary VannicePage 20
EDITORIAL PAGE 3EVENTS CALENDAR PAGE 18
www.TheEyeHuatulco.com
The Eye 6
The Town That Saved Me
Simply put, Huatulco is the town that changed my life. January 2016 and, back in my home country of England, frankly I didn't know whether I was coming or going, my brain needed rewiring. It was
on the fritz.
I had heard many a tale of people from Canada and from Europe who had made the move to this part of paradise on the Pacific, some permanently, some as snowbirds. I had travelled here with my wife, Kate, on and off over the years merely as tourists. Now, as the rain came down in Bristol and another Somali moved in next door, I needed a fresh outlook to my fast-diminishing existence.
Two months later Kate and I had bought a house in Huatulco and the next three months were taken up in the UK selling everything we had. Finally, just eight months after wondering what would get me out of bed in the morning, I was waking up to the sunshine and natural beauty of what this very small apple offers. It was a new start, one so fresh I could smell it every time I breathed in through my nose.
But what to do now I was here? I am a man of very few talents who had spent much of my life sitting at my computer writing, mostly articles, some longer prose, some one-liners, after dinner speeches for celebrities. I had just completed the first draft of a book about an English sportsman who had added to his fame by serving a prison sentence for smuggling cocaine from the Caribbean to London.
This place, as I was soon to find out, inspires - as well as the plethora of other things it offers the new recruit of its ex-pat army.
One day in the autumn of 2016, as I took to my favourite pastime of swinging back and forth in my hammock between two palm trees in my garden whilst studying the activity of the iguana who lives on my wall (even writing that sentence as a previously depressed middle-aged Englishman sends me giddy), I was smacked firmly in the face by an idea. I would attempt to pen another book and dedicate it to my new life here in Huatulco.
Within hours, possibly helped with the aid of some mezcal, it came to me. I would have a go at writing the biography of one of my heroes, a man called Rod Temperton.
A decade before I had been one of the few people ever to interview him for a documentary – The Invisible Man - that I produced for the BBC. Why this title? Because Rod Temperton was a man of whom very few had ever heard, but one whose songwriting skills most would surely have come across even if they had been brought up on the flat plains of Saskatchewan, or in the hillbilly hick town of Hope, BC (a place where I'm told that, if you live there, there is no hope). For starters Rod wrote “Thriller” for Michael Jackson, a song from which he earned enough money to purchase his own Fijian island. “Rock with You” was another hit this unassuming guy from the unheard of seaside town of Cleethorpes created. This town, on the edge of The Wash, is a place so cold and depressing, my knees once froze there along with my heart. “Give Me The Night” – an international hit for George Benson - was also created from the brain of this wunderkid, as were 70s hits “Boogie Nights” and the USA prom favourite, “Always and Forever.”
So, off I went to my newly designated office, which happened to be on the roof of my casa, next to the beer fridge. There, I interviewed many of my other musical heroes, including Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Michael McDonald, George Benson and even the man who orchestrated Les Miserables. Then, in a flash it was done. Five hours a day, four days a week over four weeks and 75,000 words were down on a Microsoft Word document. The publisher in the UK loved it. Huatulco had provided the backdrop for what has turned out to be something rather extraordinary. A few months later, as the book was released in North America, I was interviewed by the New York Times, along with many other publications and now there is even talk of the book being turned into a movie in Hollywood.
But, how to end my swiftly cobbled together opus? I needed to thank my wife, my three children, Trump the iguana (I told you, he lives on a Mexican wall). I went for the following: “This book was written in Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico.”
I DID IT! This very town is now in print in hard back (and as an e-book) and will be around forever. Well, that is until the publisher decides to pulp all remaining copies due to lack of sales. The Invisible Man by Jed Pitman is available on Amazon and many other less than reputable websites.
By Jed Pitman
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The Eye 8
opes (speed bumps) are an integral part of the Mexican transportation landscape and associated culture. With the
Texception of very few stretches of road, and toll roads, they are ubiquitous and a great low-tech way to get drivers to slow down without costly traffic lights. But there are just some stretches of road that are just painfully slow. Hence this article was inspired by our trip from Huatulco to Palenque in Chiapas and the particularly miserable stretch from Ocosingo north (and south). There is no specification or detail for a tope on the MexTrans web site, and it appears
individual communities, especially on dirt roads, install them where they determine they are needed. Dimensions also vary. At times during our trip we had a tough time discerning the rationale for placement and spacing, as well as what defined a “community.”
But first I would classify them into two broad categories, Permanent versus Temporary. Temporary topes can take various forms but are placed for a specific purpose, such as collection of donations (patron saint), sale of various goods (corn in the Isthmus), or just to additionally slow down holiday traffic on the hope of producing less dust and increasing local sales (road to San Agustin during Semana Santa). They can be string topes, rope topes, recycled tires, or simply compacted soil topes. My unnamed source indicated that there are several recycled tire topes in Huatulco’s sector, U2 but we could not find them; we did find an ineffective rope tope.
Then there are vibradores and reductores. What is the difference? As far as I can tell vibradores are a series of low, closely spaced topes or else round metal discs embedded in concrete or asphalt. Reductores, on the other hand, are more gradually graded on both sides than topes; but also wider, producing a less intense impact. But there is also the reductor that is nothing more than a series of stripes.
Topes by Any Other Name Are Till Topes: A Photo Diary
By Julie Etra
The Eye is a monthly all-English magazine that is distributed throughout the state of
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Should you wish to receive copies, advertise or
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The Healing Qualities of Essential OilsBy Sandra P. Cruz Rionegro
Stand near a rose bush and you will receive the benefits of its natural healing energy and scent. Did you know that scienti f ic research has
shown that essential oils vibrate at the highest frequency levels known and can produce environments where no disease, bacteria or viruses can survive? Damask rose oil for example, emits the highest energy vibration of them all. Studies have proven that a drop of a high quality essential oil placed on a human foot can deliver its healing information into each and every cell in your body within 21 minutes.
A few companies, such as dōTERRA, have a high reputation for collecting distilled oils from plants that have been patiently harvested at the perfect moment by experienced growers from around the world for ideal extract composition and efficacy. Extractions are primarily done in two ways, steam and expression; oils can be found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots and flowers.
Steam DistillationSteam distillation is the most common way to extract aromatic compounds (essential oils) from a plant. During the steam distillation process, steam passes through the plant material. The combination of heated steam and gentle pressure causes the essential oil to be released from microscopic protective sacs. As the vapour mixture flows through a condenser and cools, it yields a layer of oil and a layer of water. The essential oil rises to the top and is separated from the hydrosol (floral water) and collected.
ExpressionUnlike steam distillation, expression, sometimes referred to as “cold pressed,” does not involve heat. In this process, oil is extracted from the product under mechanical pressure. doTERRA uses expression to extract all of its citrus oils, such as wild orange, lemon, lime, bergamot orange, and grapefruit, from the rind.
When I was younger I worked for an International company and my boss was from Japan. He kept a collection of oils on his desk to use as a daily practice along with a break for meditation. This was my introduction to essential oils and it has improved my quality of life and the life of my family. I started using oils on my children to fight infections, muscle pain, flu and mosquito bites.
Later, I studied the blends in preparation for spec i f i c cases o f hyperthyro id , poor concentration and headaches. Gradually, I became addicted to the powerful results and now I’m have a diffuser in home consistently clearing the air of odours, harmful bacteria and viruses.
Currently, I am using them to soften the conditions of autism and epilepsy. I cannot say that the oils will cure autism or epilepsy but they help control an episode so you can be more relaxed while sharing a caring moment with your children. My children love it so much they ask me every night for their unique oil blend and diffuser.
Helpful Hint: For the use in the home put 2 drops of lemon essential oil to remove bad odours. For a relaxing environment use lavender oil.
My recommendation for a starter kit is lavender, On Guard, a product by dōTERRA containing wild orange peel, clove bud, cinnamon leaf, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus leaf, and rosemary leaf, melaleuca (tea tree) and frankincense.
The prices vary per oil. Some are very affordable, such as lemon, wild orange, while others are more of an investment.
** Never take the oils instead a prescribed medicine. Be aware that this method is for prevention and we don’t pretend to provided a cure for a specific disease.
For more information you can contact Sandra P. Cruz Rionegro by going to 9BAHIAS Condos, located on Ave. Chahue- Tangolunda, past Marina Park Plaza and beside La Isla Huatulco hotel.
Guarumbo 15La Crucecita, Huatulco
958 583 4594
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The Eye 10
Observations Regarding Rural Health Care in the Municipality of Hualtulco
By Laura M. Ouellette, MD, and Louis W. Weinstein
My husband, Louis Weinstein, and I are physicians in the United States, and have been traveling to Huatulco intermittently for over a decade. We were drawn by the natural beauty, and warmth of the local inhabitants. During
one of our visits, a tour guide advised us that he had concerns about the local medical care. Louis and I are gearing down in our practices, and had the time and interest to investigate.
W e h a v e h a d a n education, trying to p iece toge ther the medical resources in the area. Mexico has universal health care, but it is fragmented. Mex i co does some things better than we do in the United States. For example, the immunization rate here is about 98%. In the US it is 93%. As in the US, one's financial resources may dictate the availability of care. We have met many wonderful, dedicated local practitioners, but it can be difficult for them to obtain specialty care for their patients.
We have had the privilege of volunteering with the DIF, Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, in Huatulco. The staff have taken us to local villages outside of town, such as Puente de Todos Santos, Arroyo Xúchitl, San Antonio Las Pozas, Piedra de Moros, and several more. We consulted with about 6-30 patients at each site, mostly reviewing their current medical concerns and offering advice. We were impressed to find that the patients had generally received good basic care and excellent preventative care. They tend to be resilient and very hard working. We saw many orthopedic problems related to the hard physical work done on farms, and in their households.
Dental care, especially for children, was often lacking. We bring toothpaste and toothbrushes when we go to the villages. We saw medical problems related to inadequate footwear, and cooking over open fires. Material resources would be a great help to many of these patients.
Louis and I have also volunteered for Stove Team International, a US nonprofit that helps local entrepreneurs set up factories to produce compact fuel-efficient stoves that are safer and generate much less smoke. We have not yet been able to bring such a project to fruition, but we are still trying to coordinate the resources.
We are not sure that we have contributed substantially, but remain curious and hopeful. We are grateful for the support and generosity of the staff at DIF, the local practitioners and volunteers, and of course, the patients. As in the United States, we feel that it is a privilege to share our experience and knowledge.
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The Eye 12
The Lupita ProjectBy Lic. Maria del Carmen Galván Rivera
Th e L u p i t a P r o j e c t i s a cha r i t ab l e o r gan i za t i on dedicated to improving the quality of life of those among us who have limited resources
and suffer disabling infirmities. The Lupita Project addresses their quality of life and assists where possible with the gift of independence and mobility.
The Lupita Project has its origin over 16 years ago, when its founder, Andrew Glassman, realized that medical equipment considered un-rentable in the U.S. by virtue of age or cosmetic imperfection, could have a long and productive second life in Huatulco and the coast of Oaxaca. In collaboration with the DIF, Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, the Mexican agency that assists families, he began a program of importating used wheel chairs (manual and electric), as well as walkers, canes and crutches donated by Medical Supply Houses in the U.S. and Canada. These were distributed by the DIF to children and adults selected by them on the basis of need.
The project has grown organically over time, but its name, momentum, and focus was defined when the DIF introduced us to “Lupita,” who had been confined to bed for 30 years after sufferning a traumatic brain injury when she fell out of bed at the age of two. Despite all the love and attention of her family, Lupita's quality of life was marginal. She was isolated and confined to bed, or spent periodic moments in an old, non-working and inappropriately sized wheelchair. Through the efforts of many volunteers and donations by Sherman Oaks Medical Supply, she now has a state-of-the-art, tilt-in-place wheelchair and Hoyer patient lift to get her in and out of bed, an adult crib for her security and comfort, as well as a TV, fan and handicap ramps.
Despite MRI assessment and neurologic evaluation, Lupita's physical condition has not changed. However with occupational therapy, regular physical therapy, feeding and postural education, as well as the socialization stimulation brought with the TV, her quality of life is much improved.
Probably the greatest benefit of our relationship with Lupita has been the doors and awareness that have opened for many other families who suffer from the obstacles that come hand-in-hand with special-needs patients.
Now, four years later, the “Lupita Project” has evolved into 5 specific areas of service. In its current home in the DIF Huatulco, we have full-time staff, a consultation room, a prosthetic lab, a reception office and a physical therapy dept.
We provide:1. Physical Therapy: In the last 12 months we had 420 physical therapy visits and 80 hydrotherapy visits, with therapy rendered by local staff supervised by Dr. Katelyn Ganev, a PhD physical therapist, who donates her time and attention to construct custom therapies determined by need.
2. Prosthetic Limb Replacement: In the last 12 months in our small but efficient Prosthetic Lab, we have delivered 14 prosthetic limbs, above and below the knee. These prosthetics are free of charge or at nominal cost to those who have some but limited resources.
3. Medical Equipment Donation: We have delivered more than 70 manual wheel chairs, 3 specialty wheelchairs, 18 electric wheel chairs, as well as dozens of walkers, canes, and crutches.
4. Treatment of Equino Varo (Club Foot). In the last 12 month period, 120 patients have been seen by Dr. David Velazquez, pediatric and trauma orthopedic specialist, for evaluation of equino varo and other orthopedic problems
5. Alliance with Shriners Hospital for Children: For those children under the age of 18 with significant and severe medical problems, such as traumatic amputation of limbs, congenital malformation of hip and spine or spina bifida, we offer screening and follow up in Mexico City. We take 4-7 children and one parent for treatment at Shriners every 3-4 months, and the results are astounding!
The Lupita Project subscribes to the philosophy embodied in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” The Lupita Project slogan is “Juntos Podemos,” or “Together we can.” Without the DIF of Huatulco, our volunteers, the staff of Shriners Hospital, our vendors and the generous donations of our sponsors, we could not succeed.
You Can Help: If you are a doctor, therapist, communications specialist, web designer or volunteer and want to make your time in Huatulco a little more fulfilling, we have space for you!
If you have a wheel chair, walker, cane, crutch or prosthetic limb gathering dust in your garage, bring it down on your next trip. We can help with advice in dealing with your airline.
If you want to donate funds to help us expand our services, you can make a check payable to the International Mobility Association (our U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization), or deposit directly to our segregated account with the DIF Municipal de Huatulco: Bank BBVA Bancomer, account number 0110226831.
For more information contact us:Lic. Maria del Carmen Galván RiveraDirector of Operations and TherapiesTel: 958 109 7222
Lic. Gerardo Angel Luna Director of Social ServicesTel: 959 128 2127
Dr. Andrew GlassmanFounder Tel: U.S. 1 310 376 5284You Tube: Lupita Project 2017Face Book: Lupita Project HuatulcoLuptiaProject.blogspot.com
The Eye 13
2017: My 10 Favorite ReadsA list dominated by long-beloved writers and some new faces too. 4321, by Paul Auster. No surprise to my friends as Auster has been a favorite novelist for more than 40 years. This book is his tour de force. He could stop writing now, though I hope he doesn't. The novel, running 800+ pages, examines a boy's life from four different viewpoints, each relying on life's great wild card: chance. The Man Who Loved Dogs: A Novel, by Leonardo Padura. Cuban writer Padura in the past gave us four intriguing detective novels, now adapted and available on Netflix, entitled Four Seasons in Havana. They are entertaining, but Padura's true talent lies in the research, structure, and poignant language he employs in this novel, which explores the lives of people who have determined the direction of our planet. The Man Who Loved Dogs delves into a host of notables—Trotsky and his assassin, Stalin, Diego Rivera, and Frida Kahlo—but also into events such as the Russian Revolution and the Spanish Civil War. The aura of Cuba hangs in the background of all his novels. Heretics, by Leonardo Padura. In this, yet another tome (you may have guessed I prefer long to short novels), the subject is a painting of Rembrandt. The book takes us to Cuba and Holland and from present day back to the 1700s.
A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel. Many of you enjoyed Mantel's previous novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, two historical novels about Thomas Cromwell. The third in this trilogy is due out in 2018, though recently Mantel advised that it may be delayed until 2019. For me, A Place of Greater Safety, a detailed and emotional account of the French Revolution, is the best of Mantel's books. It is a study o f the turbulent personal and professional lives of Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Jacques Danton, and Camille Desmoulins.
Being Wagner: The Triumph of the Will, by Simon Callow. This one is for opera fans, and most especially for Wagner lovers. Simon Callow created a one-man show entitled “Inside Wagner's Head,” from which was birthed this marvelous, much-more-than-biography of one of music and drama's greatest creators. Apart from Callow's acting talent is his ability to examine and communicate to the modern world the wild and crazy life of the genius Wagner in
th19 century Europe.
The Nix: A Novel, by Nathan Hill. Some critics call it “Dickensian,” which in my book is the ultimate compliment. Of course it implies many pages of intense description of the novel's time,
thplace, and characters. Instead of Dickens' 19 century London, Hill give us much more than a
stglimpse of 21 century US, chock-full of descriptions of the excesses of consumerism, the residue of wars, the isolationism of computer technology, and the resulting lost and lonely young that emerged from the havoc. A compelling story line with impressionable characters makes this a novel you literally cannot put down.
Ties, by Domenico Starnone. The shortest, but not the least important, book on my list, Ties explores marriage and is of interest to many due to speculation that Starnone is husband to the elusive Elena Ferrante. In fact, some claim that Ties is his version of her novel The Days of Abandonment. Wherever the truth lies about their identities, Ties, in itself, is a great read.
Homegoing: A Novel, by Yaa Gyasi. Many of us who were young adults in the 1960s and 1970s remember the blockbuster novels of Richard Wright about black men in white America. For me, nothing compares, except for this clever, moving story of slavery taking place in both the US and Africa. This novel leaves us with the same indignation Wright did 45 years ago.
The True History of the Conquest of New Spain, by Bernal Díaz del Castillo. Here is a
thfirst-hand 16 -century account of Hernán Cortés and his Spanish crew, among whom Díaz played a significant and loyal role in the defeat of the Aztecs. Mexicophiles will love it.
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments, by David Foster Wallace. If you haven't read the work, especially the essays, of this (ironically) most serious and funny of writers, start with this title essay and move on to others in the collection. His suicide at a young age was a tragedy for the literary world.
By Carole Reedy
Plaza Coyula Local 4Santa Cruz, Huatulco
(behind Banamex)Tel: 958 100 9998
There is no friend as loyal as a book.–Ernest Hemingway
So What's the Big Deal about Mezcal? First in a SeriesBy Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
No, not all mezcal distilled in Oaxaca is smoky, and no, the difference between tequila and its misunderstood cousin is not that the former is commercial or i n d u s t r i a l a n d t h e l a t t e r i s
handcrafted. But the truth is that the lesser-known Mexican agave-based spirit is nevertheless a big deal for several reasons. One is that no two batches of artisanal mezcal are the same. Why? This short treatise explains just some of the reasons, and in only a cursory fashion because of space constraints.
Let's start with a brief primer on traditional mezcal production. After growing for typically about eight years and sometimes much longer, the agave is harvested; then its piñas (hearts) are slow-roasted in a rudimentary airtight chamber over firewood and rocks at the family distillery (palenque) so as to convert carbohydrates to sugars. This is followed by crushing them either by hand or using a beast of burden pulling a heavy circular millstone compound or pure limestone (tahona) around a shallow brick-and-concrete pit. It is then fermented with the addition of water in a large vat (tina) and subsequently distilled in a 300-liter or so copper alembic (still) or a much smaller clay pot, generally twice. Finally the alcohol content (ABV, alcohol by volume) is adjusted to the preference of the distiller (palenquero) or his market. Typically he and his family have been making mezcal all their lives based on recipes passed down through generations. While production is of course based on scientific principles, for them it's learned skill and an art, as opposed to reliance upon sophisticated instruments and equipment.
TERROIR: Often subsistence farmers sell their agave to palenqueros. They can't wait a decade to turn their land into money, so frequently plant other crops such as corn, beans and squash in between the rows of the succulent. Each crop impacts the soil differently, which impacts agave growth, which impacts the ultimate flavor of the mezcal. So if the producer makes mezcal from agave grown by one farmer one month, and from another the next month, the two batches will be different; and generally the palenquero doesn't know what crop has been impacting the agave over what period of time. And, if he harvests from one side of a mountain one time, and from the other the next, even assuming there are been no crops impacting growth, the end result will vary; sunshine, temperature and precipitation are different on each side of the slope and affect growth in fluctuating ways.
BAKING: If you bake anything in a sealed chamber over firewood for several days, the type of log employed will impact the quality of what you're cooking, as will temperature. Palenqueros may prefer hardwood over pine, but even assuming the former, not all the logs are always from the same type of tree; oak, mesquite, eucalyptus and others, are all used. It often varies from batch to batch. And although even baking of all piñas is the preference, it rarely if ever happens. Some are baked less, and others more and in fact almost charred to the point where they are unusable. The extent of baking impacts the flavor of the sugary rich agave hearts.
FERMENTATION VATS & WATER: Not all fermentation vessels are created equally. Type of vat impacts mezcal flavor. While most in Oaxaca use wooden vats which last several years, palenqueros are continually buying new ones and discarding the old, often made of varying types of wood.
Artisanal mezcal production typically relies on well or mountain spring water added to the tinas filled with the sweet baked crushed agave. Both sources of water have varying compounds depending on the time of year, which ultimately alters each batch of mezcal based on water quality. Similarly, true open air fermentation relies on invisible yeasts which float around the environment. They change from season to season (and in theory day to day). Thus, if all else remains the
same in terms of the piñas, means of production and tools of the trade, a batch of mezcal distilled today must inevitably be different from the batch to be made in six months because the yeasts causing fermentation are different.
DISTILLING & ABV: Industrial production aims to achieve consistency of flavor and ABV in part by controlling the temperature and speed at which distillation occurs, through the use of finely calibrated scientific equipment. Artisanal production relies on the skill of the palenquero. He watches the flame and the flow of liquid coming out of the spigot and makes adjustments by adding more firewood or dousing the flame a bit. If producing “certified” mezcal he uses a hydrometer to determine ABV, whereas if distilling for local consumption he relies on taste and determining strength by looking at the quality of the bubbles or pearls (perlas). He does this by employing a venencia of sorts, a length of river reed (carrizo). But in both cases the mezcal varies depending on the “cuts” he uses to produce a mezcal for his particular market. His skill virtually always produces a spirit to his liking. However, how he mixes the liquid that falls out of the still at the beginning (punta or cabeza), in the middle (cuerpo), and at the end (cola), is never exactly the same, again resulting in a different spirit one batch from the next.
EPILOGUE: Your master palenqero aims to make every batch of mezcal as best he can, not the same as the last, recognizing that such a task is near impossible. For those of us who imbibe, it's part of the fun in drinking and collecting handcrafted mezcal. So cheers, l'chaim, salud, or down the hatch; drink up, but slowly, and most of all savor because your next shot will likely taste just a little different.
Alvin Starkman operates Mezcal Educational
Excursions of Oaxaca ( ). www.mezcaleducationaltours.comHis expertise spans more than a quarter century of
learning about traditional Oaxacan mezcal production.
The Eye 14
MezcalEducational Excursions of Oaxaca TM/MR
While in the state capital, learn about this century's
most coveted spirit by spending a day with recognized
authority Alvin Starkman. Visit rural artisanal
distilleries (palenques) using both ancestral clay pot
and traditional copper stills. For novices and
aficionados alike. Sample throughout your excursion
with no obligation to buy.
If y o u s p e n d a significant amount of time in Mexico, the effort required to learn how to
converse in Spanish will be well rewarded. It's a sign of respect and you´d be surprised how willing l o c a l s a r e t o accommodate you, even if you butcher their language. In my experience, Mexicans who speak English don't mind letting you make a fool of yourself as you struggle to communicate in Spanish. They're amazingly patient.
For those of us who didn't begin learning Spanish until we were practically over the hill, this is a steep learning curve. I spent many torturous days drilling irregular preterite verbs, and although I still might not get them correct, I've moved on. Unfortunately, many people get so bogged down on this tedious aspect, that they never reach a point where they can make a useful sentence. Help is on the way…
An expat has put together a series of short videos that don't focus on conjugating verbs. As Q Roo Paul puts it, “You're not preparing for a Spanish exam, you just want to function in Mexico.” These are in bite-sized pieces under 10 minutes long, focusing specifically on things useful to people living here.
In lesson 1 he reviews the Spanish vowel sounds because this is where a lot of us fall short. Then he demonstrates how these vowel sounds are different in Spanish than in English, while developing your vocabulary with words you already know. These are called cognates and there are about 1500 of them. They are easy to recognize so, with a short investment of time, you're on your way to speaking Spanish. The goal is to help you make your own sentences, and as the lessons progress, he teaches “plug and play” phrases. These are something that expats can use in a variety of situations by mastering a few important verbs. He explains that many things can't be translated exactly, giving you the “equivalent” of what you would say in English, and pointing out what common errors English speakers make.
It is easy to stop the video to practice, and he speaks slowly enough that you can really hear those vowels and consonants. My level has surpassed his first twenty lessons, but personally, I found they were a great review, they helped me to improve my pronunciation, and I have incorporated a couple of his useful phrases into my repertoire.
Here is the link http://qroo.us/spanish-lessons-for-beginners. It's free and the animated cartoon form is lighthearted. Each lesson builds on the next, so even if you have studied previously, you might want to start with lesson 1. Unlike some online courses, this one does not require you to master each lesson before moving forward. This is not about perfection, it's about getting out there and hablando Español.
Brooke Gazer operates an ocean-view bed and breakfast in Huatulco, Agua Azul la Villa: www.bbaguaazul.com
Free Spanish Video Lessons!
By Brooke Gazer
The Eye 16
Skinny Cropped Jeans By Leigh Morrow
I remember when I was about twelve or thirteen, using my babysitting money to buy my first pair of skinny cropped pants as we called them. I remember thinking I was so in vogue, only to have my mother exclaimed
“Those are adorable”! I had a red pair when your father and I were first dating, that I loved to wear.” I was shocked. First, that my mother had ever worn something I now coveted. Second, I had no idea that fashion recycled itself through the ages.
Then, when my daughter saw a picture of me in my early teens, wearing a tan leather jacket in high school with the long tassels on the shoulders and down the arms, she squealed, "Mom, that jacket is soooooo "down," do you still have it?" I suddenly felt my life come full circle. The way styles return through our lives is a clear signpost to maturity, isn't it? mid-life, like the cyclical patterns of fashion, is as much a repetition of those familiar rites of womanhood, now seen and experienced through the younger women in our lives, and most poignantly though our daughters and our granddaughters. The annoyance of a period, the blush of first love, the thrill of a wedding, the tears of miscarriage all evoke enormous empathy from those of us well-travelled mid-life women. We are by now, the tribal elders, and the wisdom we possess is substantial.
I cheer loudly when a younger friend excitedly calls, her new job promotion cracking the glass ceiling with another hairline fracture. I watch as a working mother waves to her son, his nose pressed on the daycare “waving window,” knowing that painful tug each morning as I too waved goodbye. I listen to the dismal dating stories my single sisters share, encouraging them that being alone is ok, knowing from experience the only sure way to find someone is to be content to be alone forever.
Today's young women grow up faster than we did, into a world that is far more in peril and pain. The world is so much more complex and competitive it should be our privilege to be the cheerleaders for our younger sisters. By midlife, we know all the myriad of complex changes and re-arrangements that fuel our feminine mystique. We innately know the complexity of human emotions when we give birth, when we share our life for decades and must say goodbye, for the last time. Through all those seasons, we have written an encyclopedia of truths. Truths such as some decisions are best slept on, and that happiness can grow out of our deepest grief. We know that sometimes you have to dig deep to get answers, and other times a gentle breeze is more effective at airing our hearts. We also understand that an older woman as scout, to head up the pass and shout out the best path, can be priceless. Having an ally who has already been through the employment trenches, maternity wings and divorce lawyer's offices, makes the trip much easier. And for the scouts, deeply rewarding.
So now on this ridge of midlife, it's time to think of where we’ve come from. We can shrink away and become invisible and go through midlife with the archaic and outdated models society presents to us. Those signposts are everywhere. But why would we follow them? Why would we reach this midway point, and simply lie down and roll over the hill? That is not us.
We were erecting our lemonade stands when equal pay for equal rights was passed, and by the time we were looking for our summer jobs, we were the first wave of females to not find them segregated by gender in the newspaper. Privileged enough to entertain the thought of attending university, we experienced even greater freedom on campus. Once we left the house, we were unreachable. Unprotected sex might get you pregnant, but never kill you. Contraception was freely handed out, and the morning after pill, was an option for anyone who forgot hers. No woman had to be pregnant again if she didn't choose to. Our women mentors passionately declared in TV shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and in our favorite Ms. magazinethat single women could have careers and
marriage could wait, although our mothers would rather we had married a lawyer or journalist than become one.
We left university and got jobs that, just a few years before, had been reserved for men. Our workdays had clear beginning and ending hours, and finishing with just one university degree was your ticket to a well-paid career. We drank coffee and didn't have to make it as well. We married sensitive guys, who could get their own slippers and knew how to clean up after themselves. We kept our maiden names.
We were able to keep working through pregnancy, and just in the nick of time, the law improved for us new moms, and we were the first generation to have a year of paid leave and bond with our newborns. We breastfed anywhere and everywhere we could, and for as long as we wanted, much to the shock of older people who saw us lift our tops and commence with lunch. The rest we stored in our freezer and pulled out for daycare. We were allowed to return to the workforce, with no penalty for giving birth, our pay and tenure intact. We job shared. Demanding our time was too precious to spend just working, our bosses obliged. We threw enormous energy into our careers, often being the breadwinner, and had our own bank accounts, credit scores and mortgages. We juggled home and office and spent countless hours chauffeuring our children to all those extra circular activities because the streets, where we played knock-a-door Ginger were suddenly unsafe to play in, with released pedophiles living on every block. We didn't have cell phones to disrupt us.
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We turned the music up in our cars, and rolled down the
windows, and had a lot of fun. We raised strong confident girls,
who could be astronauts or accountants, and considerate kind
boys who knew how to cook and take care of themselves. We
pushed as hard as we could in the corporate world; acquiring a
few bruises from the glass ceiling (which ended up being much
lower than advertised), we climbed as far as we could and made
a few bucks along the way.
So why would we lie down now? We were the women who
proudly showed our pregnant bellies, while our mothers were
forced to run home to hide. We were the women who
demanded we be paid as much as the boys. We were the
women who juggled work and family and danced far faster than
any other women in history.
Why would we lie down now? THAT makes no sense. That
storm of women trailblazers who had marked our route into
puberty, prime, and beyond, has quietly slipped around a bend
in the road and vanished. Most have died. Their rabble-
rousing never made it to our new age of midlife. This was as far
as they came. The rest, the future of our age, is up to us to
write. And there is a lot of work to do.
We see the world changing, and not for the better. The earth is
beginning a new cycle, make no mistake about it. It will be
more challenging for all women as our planet moves into this
new phase. We grew up with rivers and lakes we could swim
in, and drank water from the hose. We ate vegetables with real
nutrients from soil that didn't make you sick. If ever dear
Mother Earth needed some female nurturing, the time is now.
Perhaps that is part of our midlife's true calling – to help heal
the earth as only the mature wisdom keepers of the planet can
do. We, the elder women, who know the wonder of creation
and all it brings.
This is our time to understand the real potential of Midlife and we have been preparing for this time, our entire lives. Midlife, this sacred gift, possesses the wisdom to improve our world, our children's world and re-live some fashions along the way. Now, is our turn to lay some trails for younger women to follow. Now is our turn to lead by example, demanding a less age-angst world, where our value increases over time, like gold, and heirloom treasures. To never lie or deny our age, as doing so only contributes to this sickness, this obsession with youth, that threatens to make growing older, abnormal. This is our time to speak up for wisdom and elder knowledge, or it is at risk of disappearing. This is your midlife, stake it, claim it, treasure it, respect it, and dress for it, my sisters, in those favorite pants that are coming full circle, and back in style again.
Leigh Morrow, co-author of “Just Push Play” (www.jppmidlife.com) is a Vancouver writer who
operates Casa Mihale, a vacation rental in the quaint ocean-front community of San Agustinillo, Mexico. Her
house can be rented at www.gosanagustinillo.com
What's Wrong with NAFTA?By Jan Chaiken and Marcia Chaiken
The North American Free Trade Agreement (known as TLCAN in Mexico) went into effect between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 1994. The objectives were noble and included
“STRENGTHEN the special bonds of friendship and cooperat ion among the i r nat ions; CONTRIBUTE to the harmonious development and expansion of world trade and provide a catalyst to broader international cooperation; CREATE an expanded and secure market for the goods and services produced in their territories; ENHANCE the competitiveness of their firms in global markets; FOSTER creativity and innovation, and promote trade in goods and services that are the subject of intellectual property rights; CREATE new employment opportunities and improve working conditions and living standards in their respective territories; UNDERTAKE each of the preceding in a manner consistent with environmental protection and conservation.”
Who could possibly object to such glorious goals? Certainly not - until we discovered the devil in the details. We began wethe process of officially importing our Toyota Highlander, which had lived legally in Mexico for five years as a temporary resident vehicle, and was required to change status with us to permanent residency. We submitted the paperwork, including the VIN number, and were surprised to learn that many of the components in our car were Japanese-made and therefore, given NAFTA restrictions, not only wasn't the Toyota eligible for a Mexican license without paying an exorbitantly high tariff, but we had a limited amount of time to drive the old buggy out of Mexico. Needless to say, we were no longer enchanted with NAFTA. The Agreement was controversial before adoption and still is, almost 24 years later. In 1992, Presidential candidate Ross Perot, who opposed the adoption of NAFTA, memorably said “there will be a giant sucking sound going south,” referring to US jobs moving to Mexico. This kind of objection has haunted NAFTA despite repeated evaluations year after year that show fears of large job losses from US to Mexico did not materialize.
TLCAN has not been universally popular in Mexico, either. The treaty was intended to increase the number of jobs overall and reduce disparities in income and wages among the participating countries, but these desired outcomes did not occur. In 2006, presidential candidate López Obrador favored abandoning TLCAN, and he lost the election by less than 1%. Once again, hopeful of winning the Mexican presidency in 2018, López Obrador has called for suspending any negotiations until after the election. Now the US President Donald Trump complains about the US's negative trade balance with Mexico and, over Obrador's objections, has initiated a renegotiation of the treaty.
Just what is a negative trade balance? It means US citizens and businesses are buying more from Mexico than Mexican businesses and citizens are buying from the US. Does that sound like a bad thing to you? You may have noticed there are almost 325 million people residing in the US compared to under 130 million in Mexico, and the average household income is much higher in the US, so of course those from the US buy more goods and services than Mexicans do.
We are all familiar with the large number of tourists from the US and Canada in Mexico, compared to a small number of Mexican tourists in the US and Canada. (Tourism is an important category of trade.) But NAFTA didn't cause this pattern. Ironically, the only directly related policy changes under discussion that could change the balance of tourism - tightening visa restrictions for Mexicans who want
to enter the US, or deporting Mexican visitors – would reduce the number of Mexicans who travel, work, or study in the US and thereby worsen the trade deficit with respect to tourism.
The important change that happened under NAFTA was an enormous increase in the amount of trade between Mexico and the US. The trade deficit merely reflects that US companies and consumers find products and services in Mexico that they want to buy. One reason for this is that under NAFTA a unique form of production sharing has developed between the US and Mexico – to a much greater degree than with any other country. US companies export intermediate inputs to Mexican manufacturing companies, which then assemble the finished product and export it back to the US. As a result, now over 40% of the content of goods imported into the US from Mexico is of U.S. origin. This form of cooperation has helped make US businesses more globally competitive.
A March 31, 2017, article in the New York Times highlighted how Tijuana has become a major manufacturing area for medical devices used in the US. It says, “This city houses the highest concentration of Mexico's medical device firms, 70 percent of which are American owned.... Giant banners hanging from manufacturing plants plead for workers to join them.” US hospitals depend on Mexican engineers and skilled technicians to make orthopedic devices, surgical equipment, and catheters out of raw materials that are up to 90% sourced in the US. This is only one example of production sharing - all told, 6 million American jobs (inside the US) depend on trade with Mexico.
Nonetheless, there are many good reasons for renegotiating NAFTA. As Mexican Supreme Court justice Eduardo Medina Mora said, at a time when he was ambassador to the US, “Our nations are currently engaged in twenty-first-century trade that relies on twentieth-century regulations and nineteenth-century infrastructure.” NAFTA is in essence a complex system of tariffs for particular commodities or businesses, such as textiles or agriculture or communications, together with detailed rules about how the tariffs can be reduced to zero, primarily by ensuring that more than a specified percentage of each product has its source in North America. The numerical values of these tariffs and percentages differ so substantially between Mexico and Canada that in practice NAFTA operates like two bilateral treaties, one between the US and Canada and the other between the US and Mexico.
The major problem identified by Mora is that the goods and services included in the NAFTA agreement were a comprehensive list in 1994 but now poorly match some major categories of trade. Further, the complex rules for determining tariffs are an antiquated method for regulating trade and lead to extensive paperwork, confusion, and errors, not to mention opening opportunities for corruption. The Eye 18
As we and many other Americans and Canadians found when faced with the NAFTA regulations for motor vehicles or other products, they involve almost incomprehensible calculations of “rules of origin” which specify where and what percentage of a product, such as a car or truck, was manufactured; a car or truck must be 62.5% from a North American source to avoid import duties.
NAFTA could be changed to build a stronger world market for goods made in North America. Mexico's government has entered the NAFTA negotiations with the hope of refocusing on the goal of strengthening North American competitiveness in the world economy. Goals of Mexico's government include adding or revising provisions that are responsive to the needs
stof a 21 century economy, and promoting investment in North America by individuals and businesses in other countries.
Mexico also opened up a one-month comment period when individuals or businesses could express their hopes or fears for the negotiations. In all, 613 comments were received from businesses, academics, and ordinary citizens. Major topics covered were equal access to markets, simplifying the administration of customs and the rules of origin, adapting to electronic commerce, and streamlining trans-border transportation. A small but interesting group of comments reflected a desire for the US to retain its TN visa program. This form of visa allows Mexican and Canadian citizens to live in the US, along with their families, while working for a company that has trans-national operations subject to NAFTA regulations; it was considered vital for the smooth operation of NAFTA.
With such divergent goals on the US and Mexico sides of these negotiations, it is possible to envision a negative outcome, a positive outcome, or complete collapse of the negotiations altogether. To date, the tripartite announcements on the conclusion of each round of negotiations have emphasized that great progress is taking place. But perhaps only the easy issues on which all parties agree have been tackled so far. Anything can happen, but if you are currently thinking of importing a car with parts made by a company based outside North America, don't count on it being tariff-free.
The Eye 19
Concert by the SeaBy Luis Gasca
As music director of Louie's Jazz Club, the new jazz dinner club at Restaurante L'Echalote in the
Hotel Posada Eden Costa, it is m y p l e a s u r e t o p r e s e n t international and world-class music that includes jazz, Latin jazz and blues.
The grand opening will be on Thursday , December 7 th through Saturday, December 9th, featuring “Direct from Cuba,” pairing the outstanding pianist Gabriel Hernández and Grammy-winning saxophonist Alfred Thompson. Mr. Hernández has played with some of the world’s greatest artist, including the Afro-Cuban All Stars, led by Juan de Marcos González, co-founder with Ry Cooder of the very popular group Buena Vista Social Club; Arturo Sandoval; Roy Hargrove; Lila Downs and “Doc” Severinsen (leader of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson band). Hernández is aways on tour playing the major jazz festivals of the world and will be arriving in Huatulco via Africa after performing at private government affair in Johannesburg the day before.
Alfred Thompson was the musical director for Ibrahim Ferrer, the legendary singer with Buena Vista Social Club; and also won a Grammy as a member of the Cuban band “Irakere”, which included Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D'Rivera and Chucho Valdez.
Adrián Flores, a very talented young man from Queretaro, will be on upright bass; Flores is a member of the Gabriel Hernández Trio.
The jazz dinner shows start on Thursday (Dec. 7) and Saturday (Dec. 9) at 6:30 and 9:30pm; there is one show on Friday (Dec. 8), which starts at 8:30pm. This promises to be a wonderful weekend of music, so we recommend that you make seating reservations with the restaurant. The Hotel Posada Eden Costa/Restaurante L'Echalote are located on Calle Zapoteca, just north of Hotel Villa Blanca. The next weekend (Dec. 14-16), Louie's Jazz Club will present “Direct from New York,” featuring jazz singer, pianist and drummer Bobby Kapp. Huatulco already has many beautiful and wonderful things to offer the local community and visitors from all over the world, but I would like to add something else to this magical paradise—JAZZ.
Luis Gasca is an international trumpet artist. He has
appeared on recordings with many well-known artists,
including Count Basie, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton,
Pérez Prado, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Herbie
Hancock, Janis Joplin, Santana, Van Morrison and the
Grateful Dead.
Art can come from anywhere, but it is the art that springs from the soul of an artist that is the most impactful. Being born on the Isthmus
of Mexico imprints an artist's soul in an extraordinarily distinctive way. Artist Cristian Pineda Flores (who resides in Huatulco) was born in Juchitán and has made his career sharing his unique perspective of the human condition with audiences in the United States, Mexico and Europe for nearly two decades.
Recently, I interviewed Cristian about his life as an artist and his connection to the Oaxacan coast. It's hard to tell whether Cristian is more artist or political activist. He certainly uses his art as a medium to bring important socio-political topics to the public eye. However, I got the impression that Cristian wouldn't really consider himself an activist. It's clear from his creations that he has the soul of an artist that just so happens to have a strong social consciousness.
Whether his art appears on paper, canvas, or urban streets, it's making a global impact and calling people to take notice, not just of his work, but also of the world around them and their fellow human beings.
KV - Looking back on your childhood, growing up on the Isthmus of southern Mexico, what was it about your surroundings that inspired you to become an artist?
CPF* - For me, growing up in Juchitán, it was a city of great contrasts. On one hand, there was a strong influence from the Zapotec culture, their unique expressions, traditional foods, their love for the environment and work to protect it. On the other hand, I grew up in a family with different perspectives about life and had other influences from outside of Juchitán. So, I grew up as a child of two worlds. As a result, I developed a distinct perspective of the world outside, and my own internal world.
In the end, what had the biggest impact on my life was to leave and travel. I discovered different forms with which to communicate with the outside world. And without realizing it, I fell into the life of an artist at the age of 17.
KV - As an artist, what types of media do you like to work with most?
CPF - The truth is, I consider myself to be a multidisciplinary visual artist. I will always consider myself a sketch artist, as well as a painter. However, I have worked with both photography and video, for visual installations. More recently, I have been working with sculpture. I am also interested in graphic arts. I have done stencils and acciones públicas.
My work reflects my desire to express themes that are important to me. Long before I begin creating, I dedicate myself to investigation and research, and travel so that I can document the reality of an issue. Through that process, I discover the best medium in which to present that theme to the public.
KV - Is there a message to your art?
CPF - I guess I could say that, in general, I try to convey my personal experiences. I've been called to a lot of sociopolitical issues, such as the plight of immigrants. For me, this is personal, for I too, lived many years of my life as an immigrant. But, above all, because it is part of the human condition and represents our vulnerability.
My work is not only one of criticism or protest, it invites the viewer to reflect on the fragility of what it means to be human, our behavior toward one another, the adversity of the human struggle ...
Recently, through my art, I explored ideas related to the dark night of the soul and spiritual exploration and healing. Also themes of multiculturalism, the reality of those living in refugee camps in Europe and other parts of the world. My work is an invitation to confront these issues from an artistic perspective and artist's experience.
In the last 12 years, I've tried to make my art more participatory, not just something that the artist creates and the public views, but to actively collaborate and incorporate the public in my work.
I work with immigrant populations, those in transit or refugees, or victims of violence. My artistic process serves to encapsulate or liberate certain emotions and make them more tangible, more visible. I believe this work allows people to communicate with a higher power, which is very important to me.
I consider myself to be a seeker of those things that capture the imagination and influence our individual identity. For some it is music, for others dance. In my own life, I spent 15 years in Mexico City and was a fan of lucha libre (professional wrestling), I've also been influenced by themes from my childhood in Juchitán, like the indigenous stories, lifestyle and sports. Art has allowed me to plunge into these themes and translate them into an artistic communication to share with others.
KV - What are your thoughts on the artistic community in general in Mexico?
CPF - The artistic community in Mexico is a guild driven by creativity. We are people who create, oftentimes without consideration of personal economy or personal needs. In general, in the difficult times, the artistic community closes rank and comes together to highlight significant social and political themes, exposing them to the public for contemplation.
Interview with Cristian Pineda FloresBy Kary Vannice
The Eye 20
KV - Are there specific artists who inspire you, or that you feel a resonance with?
CPF - Yes, I am inspired by many artists, but it depends on the medium I am currently working. For example, at the moment I am working with the theme of refugees in Europe. I'm looking at many different artists around the world and how they are using their art to protest the treatment of this group.
KV - How would you describe your evolution as an artist?
CPF - As an artist, I have seen leaps in my evolution that have been very interesting. In some cases, I wish I had taken more time to persevere and immerse myself in specific themes, for example, the indigenous worldview and their concepts. I'd like to have taken more time to cultivate an image and understanding of their importance of nature; like the wind, light, luminescence, the moon, the seasons of one's life. These types of things, I've been interested in at different times, and I've worked with, but also, I am a person who likes to be involved in a lot of things and enjoys a bit of frenetic energy. So, I've never allowed myself to immerse in any specific theme for too long.
However, I feel extremely content and happy that I can dedicate myself to living the life of an artist, to know many realities. And live in anticipation of the next situation that will captivate me, which I can throw myself into entirely. To begin again the process of creation that each new project brings.
Like right now, after the earthquake in my town, we have mounted a series of works, more aid work, at present. But in the future, we will work more from an artistic perspective, participating with the locals to build hope and unity to heal and grow the community. Art is the perfect medium for this kind of work. Art is human expression. It allows us to feel and express the realities of what is going on in a society.
KV - What's on your horizon? What's next for you?
CPF - Nothing specific. I'm working on many things at the moment. One is a retrospective of all of my past work with immigrant communities in Mexico, the USA, and Europe. I've done about 10 projects over the last 12 years. I'm putting them together as a project of healing, bringing them together in a book to document the struggles this transition represents in the lives of those who live it.
I'm also thinking of doing something emblematic of the recent earthquake that took place on the Isthmus. So, at the moment, I am touring the region, recording what I see, documenting it, in preparation to do one, two … I don't know how many pieces.
But, at the same time, I have many projects that I am involved with. I am currently part of a large project in Mexico related to “los muertos” in Mexico. This project is more of a street art project to be displayed in the streets of Mexico. It speaks to the relationship of Mexicans with “los muertos”, but not just death, also the kidnapped/missing in Mexico as well.
**Interview translated from Spanish
To contact Cristian Pineda FloresCel: 554 140 26 [email protected]: Cristian Pineda FloresInstagram: studiocristianpineda
The Eye 21
CalendarOaxaca City Recurring Events:AA Meetings (English)Daily - Monday and Thursday - 7 pm Also Saturday at 1 pm - All 12 step groups welcome.518 Colon
Religious ServicesHoly Trinity Anglican Episcopal Church Sundays 10:30 am Crespo 211 (between Morelos and Matamoros)Liturgy followed by coffee hour. Information 951-514-3799
Religious Society of Quaker Friends Meeting, Saturdays 10 am Free. All are welcome. For more i n f o r m a t i o n a n d l o c a t i o n , c o n t a c t : [email protected]
Weekly MarketsEtla Market, Every WednesdayTlacolula Market, Every Sunday
BikingOaxaca is More Beautiful on a Bicycle, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday - 9 to 10:30 pm Free, Meet in front of Santo Domingo ChurchRental bicycles available at Mundo Ceiba, Quintana Roo 2011You must bring a passport or Oaxacan credentials. They have tandems, too!
Ethnobotanical Garden Tours in EnglishWeekly - Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - 11 am $100 pesos. Entrance Reforma and Constitutión.
BridgeTuesday Bridge Game at Oaxaca Lending Library, Pino Suarez 519, $20 pesos, no partner necessary, starting at 1:00PM
Garden ClubMonthly - 1st Wednesday FreeThe Oaxaca Garden Club is dedicated to: learning, sharing and education about gardening, agriculture and nature, primarily in Oaxaca. To receive the monthly notices of activities, send an email to [email protected]
HikingWeekly - Tuesday & Friday 9 am - November thru March Minimal cost for transportation. Hoofing It In Oaxaca ( is a http://www.hoofingitinoaxaca.com/)program of weekly hikes for adventurous gringos who hanker to explore this part of Mexico on foot. Reservations required.
On the Coast Recurring Events:AA Meetings:English AA 6pm, Puerto Escondido Cafecito Rinconada, Every Thursday
English Al-Anon 4:30pm, Puerto Escondido Cafecito Rinconada, Every Saturday
Weekly MarketsPochutla Market- Every Monday
DecemberSaturday, December 2ndHuatulco’s Organic Market Santa Cruz 8am-2pm
December 7th, 8th and 9thJazz Dinner Shows at Hotel Eden CostaSee page 19 for details
Thursday, December 7thBenefit Breakfast for The Bacaand Foundation / El Sueño Zapoteco, Hotel Princess Mayev, Santa Cruz, 9am (tickets available from Lynn Holdridge, Fran McLaren, Brenda Orchuk, and Larry Woelfel, or at the door)
December 14th, 15th and 16thJazz Dinner Shows at Hotel Eden CostaSee page 19 for details
Saturday, December 16thHuatulco’s Organic Market Santa Cruz 8am-2pm
Sunday, December 31stEncuentro de Cocineros - Local cooks gather with sample dishes to raise money for local charities. Santa Cruz Park, 2pm - 100 pesos
The Eye 22
Full MoonDecember 3rd
Contact Us to reserve!Cel (228) 110 5605
www.huatulco-catering.com
Chiles&ChocolateCooking ClassesHuatulco, Oaxaca
Tel. 958 105 1671 Cel. 958 100 7339
The best way to learn about a culture is through its food.
Chiles&Chocolate Cooking Classes offer a delicious culinary and cultural experience that explore a variety of Southern Mexican cuisine. Our hands-on classes ensure you will leave prepared to recreate the dishes when you get home.
· Small Groups· Hands-on· Instruction in English· Recipe Manual · Free Gift Bag· Lunch and Drinks Included· All classes start at 9:30am · Transportation Included
Cost: $85 USD per personCooking Classes are 3-4 hoursZimatan, Huatulco
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
TUESDAY- By the Sea-Ceviche-Oven Roasted Shrimp Seasoned-Baja-style Fish Tacos-Shrimp Mousse-Michelada with Clamato
WEDNESDAY- Mama’s Kitchen-Black Mole- This is the most exquisite and complicated Mexican salsa. -Yellow Mole-served with Rice and Chicken-Mezcal Margarita
THURSDAY-Fiesta- Perfect recipes for your next party!-Poblano and Nopales Emapanadas- Jicama Salad-Beef Tamales in Corn Husk-Rum Horchata
FRIDAY- Street Food- A great intro to Mexican Food.-Salsas-Handmade Tortillas-2 types of soft tacos fillings-Sopes-Tlayudas-Jamaica Margaritas
