Oaxaca now and then

Ted. Judy and I first visited Mexico in 1976. We stayed in a little fishing village on the Pacific called San Blas. We loved it but life was very primitive. 

Us then

We have visited Mexico several times since then and have always enjoyed it. We first came to Oaxaca in 2017 and it is now our favorite place. This is our third visit and we have noticed quite a few changes in just over six years. 

First of all, the Mexican economy survived the pandemic and appears to be thriving. Their peso is one of the few currencies we have seen to actually strengthen against the dollar in recent years. It’s up about 10% from 2017. 

Secondly, more and more folks are discovering the magic of Oaxaca. There were 429,000 arrivals at the airport in 2017. In 2022, the most recent year for which there is good data, 1.3 million people arrived at the airport. 

Many of the visitors seem to be Mexican tourists from elsewhere in the country. Oaxaca is a hot destination world wide and now the city even has those red “hop on - hop off” tourist buses that we see around the world. 

From the local’s perspective, that means jobs and a growing middle class. We now see “help wanted” signs and prices are rising. One of our favorite coffee shops has added two new branches. A restaurant that we like now has three branches plus a bed & breakfast! 

The city is cleaner with less trash and graffiti and fewer street dogs. 

The pups from 2017 are all grown up!

Our cell phone signal is much stronger and available everywhere. Oaxaca is quieter at night with fewer barking dogs, rockets and sirens. The younger people we encounter proudly show off their improving English language skills. 

Now that there are even more Airbnb's to meet the growing demands of visitors from Canada, the US and Europe unintended consequences have arisen. Some neighborhoods are definitely gentrifying and I fear that the locals are being forced to move to the surrounding villages to find affordable housing. 

Judy has noticed a decline in the availability of handcrafted clothing. Much of what she sees is obviously mass produced. We wonder if the young people are no longer interested in learning the old crafts such as weaving, wood carving and pottery making.

What has not changed, though, is the politeness of the local people and their incredible work ethic. And of course, there is the vibrant beauty of the region; the cuisine, music and art. On the whole, it’s better and, so far, we don’t mind sharing it with other visitors.

Here's a video clip of a wedding we watched from a roof top restaurant. If the clip doesn't show up in your email, just go to losingsightshore.blogspot.com.

Lucha Libre

 Judy. On the second day we were in Oaxaca, I saw this poster advertising an evening of Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling):

I quickly took a photo and posted it on Facebook with the caption "Date night?"

Immediately I began to get responses from traveling friends back in the States, saying, "Do NOT miss this!" "Best street theatre I've ever seen!" And this from people I love and respect. So, we talked it over and decided to go. Bill, whom we met on a hike here, warned us to buy the tickets in advance, so we tracked down the address for the tickets, which is a block from our place. In a toy store. You can't make this stuff up.

On the day of the wrestling match, as we headed to the ring, we spotted a young Swedish couple, Jona and Josephine, looking at the poster, and convinced them to come with us. Then we met Patrick, a young man from Nelson, NZ (small world!) while waiting in line. All of us were ready to take on this odd sport, related to US wrestling, but with better costumes.

The audience was filled with a mixture of tourists and locals. Whole families were there--abuela, abuelo, papi, mami, and kids of all ages. Some wore some of the masks many luchadores wear, and some of the luchadores stood by the ring selling their t-shirts,  signing autographs, and posing for photos.

Of course I posed with some of them!

Kids masked up as their favorite luchadores, and sometimes wore t-shirts of others.

Interestingly, my Duolingo Spanish lesson this past week was about this hugely popular sport! I learned about técnicos, who follow the rules (whatever they are), and rudos, who break all the rules. Everyone screamed "rudo" at some point during the night, especially when the good guy pinned the bad guy. 

What I wasn't prepared for was how the referees got involved in the fights! Luchadores and the referees worked the crowd up (as if they needed to), and "yays" and "boos" were screamed from all over. 

Diva del Chocolate wanted to win the belt

But the Diva got tossed out of the ring

Each wrestler made a grand entrance through the audience, some with colored smoke, some masked, all in wildly gaudy costumes. But the best part was that almost all of them brought a child out with them, pulled them into the arena, and held their arms up like champions. Afterwards, they stayed to sign autographs and pose for photos with the kids. To my northern hemisphere eyes, it was bizarre as all get-out, but, honestly, it was rather sweet to watch.

Once in the ring, several jumped on the ropes to pose for photos

Four, or even six wrestled at the same time

The kids next to me helped me to understand who were the good guys or bad guys. A nearby grandpa had his tiny granddaughter, who wore a simple Halloween mask, but shyly nodded when I asked if she was a luchadora (female wrestler, and they have those, too, but not last night).

The dad (in green) and his boys helped me learn

Sweet little luchadora with her abuelo

Fighters were thrown from the ring into the crowd (who were warned first), chairs were thrown, and the wrestling got fiercer and more fun as the night progressed.

Psycho Clown and Abismo Negro, Jr. battle it out outside the ring!

When Psycho Clown made his entrance, he came right by me, and we grabbed hands and did a little dance. It was a hoot!

Psycho Clown struts his stuff

And his partner Tamuz poses

And on the way home we stopped at a street vendor and bought esquites (corn soup), my favorite street food. Who knew, guys? Definitely a night to remember!

My favorite artery-clogging street food

Two Oaxacas

Judy. Returning to Oaxaca is like seeing an old friend again. Yes, things have changed, and Ted will address that in another blogpost. One of the biggest changes for us has been taking an apartment in the Mexican part of the city, on a commercial street, behind iron doors, and above a business.

Entrance to our apartment

The "courtyard"

Stairs to our apartment

Living room --with air conditioning!

First of all, let me point out that it's quite safe. And quiet, something we couldn't say about either of our other apartments. Our downstairs neighbors in the business are kind, and have helped us out with any problems we encountered.

What's really different is that we live where we see few Gringos. The people we encounter on the street are going about their daily lives, eating from street carts, heading to work or to the mercado or Soriana, the local grocery nearby.  Nobody is shopping for or selling local arts or clothing, and people are dressed as they would be in the US, not in colorful native costumes.

Mural on the corner

Street to our little mercado

But great playgrounds for the beloved children

Fruit and vegetable seller near us

Mercado IV Centenario--our market

The mercado is a good place for a cheap, tasty lunch

Two blocks east and two north, we cross what we call the Gringo line. Streets are cleaner, delis and coffeeshops begin to spring up, and Oaxacan native clothing begins to appear on the doors of the shops. It's quite lovely, and prices begin to go up accordingly. 

Once you reach the Zocalo (main square), to our east, the main mercados--Mercado de 21 Noviembre, with food for sale, and the Mercado de Artisianas, with aisles and aisles of beautiful Mexican textiles and artwork-- you begin to see more white faces mixed with the beautiful indigenous faces. There are street booths offering traditional clothing, alebrijes (carved and painted fantasy animals), belts, and other souvenirs. 

Mural near the Templo

Street booths

Further north, up the Alcalá avenue, the huge artisan shops appear, street musicians ply their trade, and beggars hold out their cups. Coffeeshops offer both coffee and the famous Oaxacan chocolate. The Templo de Santo Domingo, the most famous cathedral, is home to numerous weddings and the traditional parades that follow. 

A good area for quinceañera photos

Templo de Santo Domingo

One of many wedding parties on parade

Go further east, and you reach the barrio of Jalatlaco, the first place we stayed in 2017. It's shiny and clean and full of gorgeous murals. It is my favorite part of the city.

Bouganvilla in Jalatlaco

There are murals everwhere in Jalatlaco

Clean, lovely streets, cafes, restaurants, and shops

I love all these places. I really do. But I also love smiling at busy Oaxaqueños going about their busy life. They make it a point to say "Buen dia!" Not too many folks across the Gringo line do. 

So, while a sweet casita might be a pretty place to stay, our quiet apartment in the middle of the business district has won my heart. I can always walk northeast.

 

Back in the "third world"

Ted. Last night, Judy and I arrived safely in Oaxaca, Mexico which will be our home for the next 3-1/2 months. 

Our first order of business upon waking up this morning was to find a cafe and get some breakfast. As I walked around a street corner, I glanced up to look for the name of the restaurant we were seeking and suddenly crashed to the pavement. I had stepped into a hole. 

The Hole

Fortunately, I escaped with just a sore knee and some scraped toes but it was at the precise moment that a man helped me back to my feet, that it dawned on me. After nearly four years, we were back in the “third world." 

For those of you who are less than 50 years old, the world in the middle of the last century was often described as consisting of three groups of countries. The “first world” consisting of the US and Western Europe plus their allies and colonies. The “second world” was essentially the Communist countries such as the USSR, China. The “third world” was every other country on the planet. The assumption was that third world countries basically didn’t work. Everyone was impoverished and the governments were usually dictatorships who cared little for the welfare of the population. Most folks were poor, sick and uneducated. 

In some ways, these countries still exist and Mexico is an example. Certainly there are very modern neighborhoods in the big cities. Yes, the economy is stronger now, the people are better educated and the infrastructure has improved. Crime is down and tourists are well protected. The air is cleaner and popular tourist sites are well maintained. 

On a short stroll around our neighborhood, it was obvious that, while poor by US standards, the people of Oaxaca still deal with the same problems as people all over the world. They want to be safe and healthy and provide for a better life for their children. 

But, you still need to watch where you walk... and you still need to drink bottled water.

On aging

Ted. During our brief two month stay in Georgia I have made two trips to Denver to spend time with my 93 year old Father. He was hospitalized twice while we were in Spain and it was tough being so far away. 

Dad still lives on his own, but, frankly, that is only possible because of the support he receives from my two wonderful sisters. 

On this last visit I crossed paths with Dad’s buddy Fred who just turned 101. Fred is always anxious to hear about my travels and ends our chats by saying “Keep going, Ted. Go while you still can!” 

Judy and I receive constant encouragement from family and our many friends around the world. Like Dad, I’m not sure our lives would be possible without the strength we gain from kind words. 

As septuagenarians, we see firsthand that “getting old is not for sissies.” We know many people who are struggling with chronic pain and debilitating diseases. In more and more cases, we pray for their suffering to end… which it ultimately does. 

Meanwhile, what gets folks like my Dad up every morning? Is it medication and treatment? I rather think they get more from the cheerleaders in their lives who greet them with a smile saying, “Keep going!” 

In my favorite scene from that classic film Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell is preaching from chapter 40 of Isaiah as scenes of stumbling Olympic runners flash across the screen. He concludes with verse 31:

“…they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.” 

If I am, in some small way, like an eagle, than people like Fred are my wings.