Oaxacan Lunch

After visiting the Bimbo Museum, I walked a few blocks down the street to have lunch at the little restaurant run by the Mayordomo Chocolate company.

"Mayordomo" is one of the few Mexican chocolate companies that is not owned by foreign corporations. For example, "Abuelita", probably the most famous maker of table chocolate for making hot chocolate, is now owned by Nestlé.  "Turín", another well-known brand was bought out by Mars.  "Mayordomo", however, remains a family business based in Oaxaca.

The company operates a number of restaurants in Oaxaca as well as two in Mexico City, and obviously they feature Oaxacan cuisine.  

For my lunch I ordered something I haven't had for quite a while... a "tlayuda".  You might call a "tlayuda" Oaxaca's version of a pizza although its roots date back long before there were pizzerias in Mexico.  It consists of a large, thin, crisp corn tortilla covered with toppings.

 There were a number of different kinds of "tlayudas" on the menu.  I chose one with Oaxacan "mole", "quesillo" (a soft, string cheese with excellent melting properties) and chicken.  (I passed the "tlayuda" that was topped with grasshoppers.)  To drink, of course, I ordered traditional Mayordomo hot chocolate made with milk.

I left the restaurant with, as the Mexican saying goes, "una barriga llena, corazón contento" (a full belly and a happy heart).

Noontime Shaking

Perhaps you read that there was an earthquake in Mexico yesterday.  At 11:58 A.M. in the state of Oaxaca a quake with a magnitude of 5.9 occurred.  It's epicenter was in the market town of Tlacolula, just outside the state capital of Oaxaca City.

Although it was felt in some parts of Mexico City, we did not feel anything, and the earthquake alarms in the city did not go off.  We were in the apartment chatting with our cleaning lady.  Alejandro has an app on his cell phone that warns him of any seismic activity.  "There's an earthquake", he said.  At that moment we noticed that the chain pulls on the floor lamp in the living room were swaying.  Otherwise we would not have noticed anything.

Obviously, the quake was felt much more strongly in Oaxaca.  In the state capital a young woman was slightly injured when a brick on a rooftop was loosened by the movement and fell to the street.  Fortunately, there were no other reports of injuries, nor any major damage.

(image taken from the internet)

August's Picture

August is here, and my custom-made calendar with photos that I have taken of archaeological sites in Mexico features the Palace of the Columns at the ruins of Mitla in the state of Oaxaca.

Mitla may have been inhabited as early as 900 B.C., and reached its height around A.D. 750 when it was the religious center of the Zapotec tribe.  The name of the city comes from "Mictlán", the pre-Hispanic underworld.  The site was viewed as a gateway between the world of the living and of the dead.  Around 1000 the Mixtec tribe moved into the region and occupied the city up until the Spanish arrived in the 1520s.

The Palace of the Columns is one of the most important remaining buildings at the site. It gets its name from the large columns inside the entrance which held up the roof.  Like other structures in Mitla, it is noteworthy for the intricate stonework mosaics of geometric designs.  These mosaics were created from thousands of cut stones fitted together without mortar, and they are unique in the architecture of the pre-Hispanic world.

Welcome to June

As we approach the beginning of summer and the half-way point of the year, I turn the page to June.  My calendar, which features photos that I have taken of archaeological sites in Mexico, has a picture of Monte Albán for June.

Located on a mountaintop in the state of Oaxaca, Monte Albán was the capital of the Zapotec civilization for nearly 1000 years.  (The Zapotec people still make up a significant portion of the population of Oaxaca, and their language is widely spoken today.)  Between A.D. 200 and 500 it was at its height and was one of the largest cities of Mesoamerica.  Its ceremonial center was created by leveling the mountaintop.  The main plaza is surrounded by structures which were the platforms for temples, civic buildings and the homes of the elite.  The extensive ruins and its dramatic location above the Valley of Oaxaca make it one of the most impressive archaeological sites in Mexico.

Upstairs at the Palace

There were two more exhibits upstairs at the Palace of Iturbide.

The first was an exhibit of pictures by noted Mexican photographer Armando Salas Portugal (1916-1995).  He traveled throughout Mexico and in 1946 he made his first trip to Yucatán where he photographed the landscapes, towns and archaeological sites.  The exhibit contains around 50 images from that journey.  It was interesting for me because I have been to some of the places that he photographed.

Chapel in the coastal town of Telchac

A Yucatán village

Fishermen on the beach at Celestún

The Pyramid of Kukulkán at the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá

The Temple of the Warriors at Chichén Itzá

Notice the columns in the form of serpents.

The House of the Doves at the Mayan ruins of Uxmal

The second exhibit was of textiles from the state of Oaxaca.  The name of the show was "Día y Noche" (Day and Night), and it juxtaposed garments done in black and white.  These items were all woven by hand on backstrap looms by indigenous women.  I have included some close-up pictures to show the wonderful detail of these weavings.

This piece was our favorite.

So-so Oaxacan

In my previous post I mentioned that I had seen a Oaxacan restaurant called "La Bella Lulá" on my long walk down Revolución Avenue.   On the way back I stopped there for dinner.  Oaxaca is considered one of the culinary capitals of Mexico, and it is famous for its variety of "moles".  I had high hopes for this restaurant.

I started with black bean and noodle soup. It was good.

For my main course I had chicken breast covered in almond "mole".  The chicken was rather dry, and I thought that the "mole" was bland.  It certainly was not as good as what I have had in Oaxaca.

After I returned to the apartment I took a look at the reviews for the place.   I was surprised to see so many glowing reviews.  However, there were a number of people who shared my opinion that the food wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special either.  One person summed it up saying that if you have never had Oaxacan food, you might think that the restaurant is great.  If you have been to Oaxaca, you know that the food here is not outstanding.

Needless to say, I am not going to make the trek to "La Bella Lulá" again.

The Flavor of Oaxaca

There was another reason why I went downtown last week.  A friend of mine wants some genuine Mexican chocolate.  Sadly, many Mexican chocolate makers have been bought up by international companies such as Nestle.  One enterprise that has remained 100% Mexican is "Mayordomo", which has been a family business in Oaxaca since 1956.  They have a couple of branches in Mexico City, including one in the historic center which is both a store and restaurant.  So I stopped here not only to buy chocolate but also to have my afternoon dinner.

The place was quite busy, but I was able to get a table near the door.  (When there is no outdoor seating, I prefer a spot that has good air flow.) 

Of course there was no question in my mind as what I would order to drink... traditional hot chocolate made from Mayordomo's Premium chocolate.  

I began with a cup of "crema de elote"... cream of corn soup.

As a main course I ordered a "tlayuda" which you might call Oaxaca's version of pizza.

A large, thin, crispy corn tortilla is spread with "asiento"... pork lard (I didn't claim that the dish is healthy!).  On top of that are refried beans, and a Oaxacan cheese called "quesillo".  Mine was garnished with shredded lettuce and some cherry tomatoes and avocado.  The final touch was a piece of "tasajo"... a thinly sliced, salted and dried piece of beef.  

After my meal I then turned to the shelf of merchandise and bought a couple of boxes of chocolate... one for my friend and one to have here in the apartment.

(In case you are wondering, those bottles on the top shelf are different flavors of cream of mezcal.)

Mayordomo

The Flavor of Oaxaca

The Peoples of Oaxaca

Last week I wrote that I had visited a couple ethnographic galleries at Mexico City's Museum of Anthropology.  The second hall that I visited was devoted to the peoples of Oaxaca. 

The southern state of Oaxaca has the highest percentage of indigenous peoples in Mexico.  About one third of the state's population speak native languages, and about half of those do not speak Spanish.  The two most important tribes in the state are the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs, both of which had important civilizations in the pre-Hispanic era.

 At the entrance to the hall is a statue of a "feather dancer".  The "danza de la pluma" (feather dance) is one of the best known folkloric dances of Oaxaca.

Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico, but it is one of the richest in native handicrafts.

Many different styles of pottery come from different towns in the state.  Oaxacan pottery has gone beyond utilitarian uses, and has become highly prized by collectors.

The best known is the black pottery from the town of San Bartolo Coyotepec,

"Alebrijes", fanciful wooden carvings of animals, have become an internationally popular handicraft.  The economy of a couple towns in Oaxaca is based on the creation and sale of these items.

The women of Oaxaca traditionally wear gold filigree jewelry.  Some of the designs are based on items found in pre-Hispanic tombs.

Other states such as Guerrero and Michoacán are better known for their lacquerware, but it is also produced in Oaxaca.

Basket making is an important utilitarian craft.

Decorations made of tin are a popular handicraft sold to tourists in the markets.

Textiles are an important craft.  They range from handwoven woolen blankets to the apparel which is unique to each village.

A wide variety of masks are created as a part of the costumes used in traditional dances.

One such dance is the dance of the tigers.  Its origins go back to before the Spanish conquest.  The jaguar was an animal associated with Tezcatlipoca, a god that was both good and bad, a creator and a destroyer.  The dancers still make offerings of corn and beans.

There are still more galleries on the upper floors of the Anthropology Museum.  I will save them for future trips to Mexico.