"Fiesta" on the Zócalo

Last week, the Zócalo was filled with tents housing the 11th annual Festival of Indigenous Cultures.

I went on a weekday to check it out.  Some of the tents featured artisans selling handicrafts from different parts of the country.  At first glance it seemed to be the same stuff that you see at all the handicraft markets... a colorful jumble of merchandise, but nothing that I wanted to buy.

Even though I did not see many foreign visitors, there was a fair amount of stuff that I would classify as "tourist junk".  Who, other than a tourist, would buy a "mariachi sombrero"?

However, as I continued deeper into the exposition, I came upon some artisans and artists that had some high quality and unique merchandise, and I had interesting conversations with them.

This fellow was selling hand-crafted jewelry made by his wife.  The designs are based on the art of the culture of Paquimé, a pre-Hispanic city in the present day in the present-day state of Chihuahua.

This artist came from the village of San Martín Tilcajete in the state of Oaxaca.  San Martín is famous for its "alebrijes", animals carved from copal wood and intricately painted.

I didn't ask him how much this large bull costs, but I am sure that it is quite expensive.  Many years ago I was in San Martín, and at one of the numerous workshops I bought a carved bear.  It is a fraction of the size of this piece, but it cost 350 U.S. dollars way back then.

This gentleman comes from San Bartolo Coyotepec, also in the state of Oaxaca.  The town is famous for its black pottery.

There was a smaller tent where vendors were selling native medicinal herbs... and perhaps some ingredients for witchcraft potions.  This women outside the tent would perform ritual cleansings using incense and herbs.

The largest tent on the Zócalo was devoted mainly to food stalls.

"Tlayudas" have been described as Oaxaca's version of pizza.  A "tlayuda" is an enormous crispy corn tortilla that is covered with toppings such as refried beans, cheese and meat.

"Cemitas" are a type of sandwich that are typical of the state of Puebla.

"Tepache" is a beverage made from very slightly fermented pineapples.

'Tis the season for "chiles en nogada", and there was one stall selling that seasonal delicacy.

I love all of those dishes, but I had a big breakfast that morning and I did not partake of any of the foods for sale.  

I did, however, buy a bag of coffee from Huatusco, Veracruz, a town which is the state's major coffee producer.

I did not walk through the entire exhibition.  After a couple of hours, I was getting tired, and I wanted to return to the apartment before the afternoon rain.  I did come away with a shopping bag full of treasures for myself and as gifts to take to Ohio on my next trip.  In my next post, I'll show you some of the purchases I made at the festival.