Friday, March 11, 2011 — Another village day remembered

The second day that we traveled to outlying villages with Eric proved to be every bit as interesting as the first. We first visited Abigail and her mother at their family studio and show room. I have already shown you a picture of the Mama weaving with a rigid heddle while sitting on the rock floor of the courtyard. I was prepared to refrain from purchasing anything this day because I had lost my head a bit the day we went to Teotitlan. Then Abigail began showing us exquisite bands showing all their traditional animal, gods, plants and other images passed down from generation to generation. One finely woven black and red one ( never have been my colors) captivated me so much I broke my bank to be able to purchase it. I didn't have the money, but Abigail sells in a Oaxaca tienda most days and they take credit cards there. This turned out to be one of the art/tiendas containing colorful riches that inhabit a charming area of 5 de Mayo (calle) in Oaxaca. What a treasure trove. One could empty ones wallet in no time on this stretch of beautiful shops. So I picked up my gorgeous red and black band the next day and I will treasure it forever.

That same day with Eric, we ate at the local market and shared a table at Frida's (owned by a real Frida look alike) in the very center of the market with aromas surrounding us that you wouldn't believe. We shared a common table with several generations of a Zapatec family who quickly warmed to Erics friendly chatter loaded with questions about names of various things and words that he was attempting to add to his vocabulary. Though they were shy at first, they seemed genuinely pleased to make his and our acquaintance and left giving warm smiles and embraces.

We visited another weaver who had his whole courtyard lined with large flyshuttle looms. They had evidently enjoyed busier times in the recent past but are now down to father and son weavers with Mama holding forth in the tienda on 5 de Mayo in Oaxaca city. This man was fascinating and ever so generous sharing all his techniques and methods with this unusually knowledgeable group of weavers. The center of the court was filled with fruit trees. All in a bit of chaos but grand and rich. Almost all of us ended up buying table clothes and napkins which were on display outside the kitchen door. Many of them were not yet hemmed but he said all could be done by the next day and picked up and paid for in town on that magical street. When I went to pick up my eight serviettas I could not utter word. Just whispered that I had lost my voice. The weaver's lovely wife attending the shop immediately pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down a perscription of herbs that I should procure and take as a tea as soon as possible. Oh, such warm human beings, these Mexican people that we kept meeting during our visit to Oaxaca and Mexico City. This reminds me of the day we were heading for Sandra's coffee shop, going along one of the big boulevards in Mexico City when a woman passed me and asked me where I was from. I told her and she offered a warm welcome to me. I was so touched and this is not the only time this happened. It actually still brings tears to my eyes. That human to human simplicity of warmth and welcome that we all long for and are happy to receive when it comes your way.

Because we won't be heading for retreats at El Tuito next year, I have decided to return to this art filled country by staying in Oaxaca for a month with stops in Mexico City next year about this time. I'd like to study at one of the many language schools in Oaxaca five mornings a week and perhaps be able to volunteer my services at the textile museum several afternoons a week if Eric Chavez can find something productive for me to do. I'd like to get over that "language hump" finally and I think this might be the way to do it.

The last visit we made on the second day with Eric was to an amazing cathedral and then to the local cemetary. But before that we visited a man who has decided to devote his life to the art of making things from corn husks. He is completely self taught and incredibly creative. This seemed so appropriate for this group of corn oriented weavers. This lovely man who is totally dedicated to his art and craft, showed us some of his prize winning artifacts and then took us back outside to demonstrate his dexterity at creating objects from ordinary corn husks. He had lots of sample "people" and I bought a little man with a basket offering in front of him. This stimulated a run of interest in his people and this generous man began giving all sorts of things away to people in our group. He finished by creating flowers with stems from three or four colors of huskes and proceeded to give them to some of us. Three of them were lovingly given to Yael by members of our group the night we went out to dinner with Eric Chavez and Anna Paula, the director of the textile museum.

As I think about those days down south and have just received a call from a young man who is helping me prepare the walls of our new studios at Pacific Textile Arts so that I can paint them before we lay the Baltic Birch floors in them, I am struck by the huge contrasts and yet similarities between peoples in different places. We are trying to create a lasting center for the support of the textile arts here and in so many ways, though different in scale, we share a great deal with our textile making and appreciating friends in Oaxaca. I know the global picture is not a bright one at the moment, but it is a lovely world here today.