An explanation:  Navigating Oaxaca (pronounced Wah-Hah-Kah), Mexico, is a cultural arts and history experience that requires a certain sense of exploration, discovery and adventure.  For me, it is going without a roadmap down the back...

Uncategorized « Navigating with Norma

What do you want to wish for in the New Year? asks my friend Eric.  It’s January in Teotitlan and the tradition is to go to the caves high up on a mountain top just...

If you were to arrive in the village with a taxi driver or via tourist bus, you would have an entirely different experience than if you chose to travel independently.   On your own, you might...

In July 2007, when Andrea Donnelly, a textiles student,  came to Teotitlan from NC State University to do a natural dyeing residency with Eric Chavez, I listened to their conversations and took notes.  Erick talked...

Airport Melting Pot Yesterday was a LONG travel day, starting at 2:30 a.m. eastern time.  As soon as I landed in Miami, I knew I was in the transition to Latin America.  In the airport,...

I’ve got to back up two days in my mind because I didn’t do an entry for 12/21 and it’s already 12/22.  First, my impressions of the day: an old man, whip in hand, head...

These books are in my collection and they are wonderful.  My three favorites are:  1491, A Perfect Red, and Made in Mexico.  Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art is one of those coffee table book...

Yesterday we were on the road at 8:30 a.m., picking up the two Linda’s in the city and heading out to the big Friday market day at Ocotlan, the village of artist Rudolfo Morales, about...

The Zocalo is filled with light, people from throughout Mexico and around the world, balloons, itinerant vendors, strolling musicians. The atmosphere is festive, celebratory, one of relief, for this is a different year than last...

Christmas in Teotitlan del Valle starts nine days before with posadas (procession) every night. The nine days represents nine months of Mary’s pregnancy, according to my Zapotec friends. On the first night, the baby Jesus...

It is no small feat to get to La Union.  It is not on the map.  None of us had been there before, including Eric who was born an raised in Teotitlan.  The little Chevy...

Augustin Ruiz Gutierrez is writing his thesis in preparation for graduation from the University of Oaxaca.   He is 24 years old, just like Eric Chavez Santiago, and they were school mates during their growing...

Mazunte (Mah-zoon-tay) is not for everyone — it is a small, quaint tropical spit of beach northwest of Puerto Angel, past Zipolite, where dreadlocks, drop-outs, and eco-travelers who want something more authentic than high-rise Huatulco...

Preface: The village just had an election and there is a new president and village council. They have renumbered every home on every street. Many homes will now have their “old numbers” and their “new...

Federico Chavez Sosa:  People here have at least two family names.  The first last name is the father’s name followed by the mother’s name.  Federico’s father was Jose Chavez Ruiz and his wife is Soledad...

Our friend Annie Burns has been living in Teotitlan del Valle for years. Every time she visited us at Blue Heron Farm in North Carolina she extended an invitation to visit her in Oaxaca. Finally,...

I have asked Annie if she would give me permission to publish her letter, which she did, happily. I am sharing it with you. ******** Dear Friends and Family, Well, this was a blessed Christmas...

Are there courses to learn weaving in Oaxaca? I don’t know. There was a fantastic exhibition of textiles at the museum in San Augustin Etla, including work my contemporary weavers who I assume are living...

Chismear (verb, meaning “to gossip”). A few days ago Janet (pronounced Yah-nette) and Dolores, her mom, and I are sitting around the table in the courtyard, gossiping about village life.  Dolores had just come back...

How much does a rug cost in Teotitlan?  There is no standard answer because cost depends on many variables:  quality of wool used, size, whether it was dyed with chemical or natural dyes, the complexity...

From time to time, I edit my collection and offer a small number of rugs, hand woven shawls, blouses, pillow covers and other Oaxaca textiles for sale. These include some beautiful cotton brocade blouses hand...

Las Abuelas (Ah-bway-lahz), the grandmothers, come together at Teotitlan market every morning to shop for the day’s meals for their families. The daily morning market is essential to the social fabric of village life for...

This is a delicious vegetarian, corn based soup that I adapted from the kitchen of Dolores Chavez. I guarantee you will love it. The tomatillo adds just enough of a bite to be satisfying without...

Oaxaca is famous for its Aguas Frescas … those sublime fruit drinks perfect for sipping while sitting on the zocalo or strolling down the Alcala Macedonia. Fresh fruit waters come in a variety of flavors:...

Walk down Avenida Benito Juarez, the main road of Teotitlan del Valle, or stroll through the central commercial market next to the church and village museum, or go down the side streets and walk into...

The fastest, easiest way to get to Oaxaca is to fly there directly from Houston via Continental Airlines — non-stop. The daily flight leaves around 9 a.m. and arrives into Oaxaca about 11:30 a.m. To...

The last few days I was in Oaxaca, I gorged on avocados — thoughts about calories to the wind. I mashed them, sliced them, added them cubed to soup, to eggs, to chicken tacos. One...

I bring one giant suitcase with me filled with good, clean used clothing for infants, children, and women size 10 and under.  Shoes, women’s size 6 and under, are useful, too.  I fill it to...

Teotitlan del Valle:  Casa Josefina “Las Granadas”, contact [email protected] or 5244232, $25 USD per night includes breakfast Hotel Calli, Tehuantepec, 800 pesos per night Hotel Grifer, Crucecita (Huatulco), 500 pesos per night Casa de los Sabores...