Zapotec Post-Earthquake Reconstruction | Oaxaca MX

I have great news for you! There are two new amazing murals to visit in our town. Really! you have to visit us soon, to enjoy their beauty and to meet the people who inspired them. 

Both murals were made in honor of the crafts that represent, not only arts, but wisdom and traditions. This time the guards of traditional crafts were Na’ (Mrs)  Alicia, a traditional stew cooker and Gamaliel, a pottery artisan. 

We asked Na’ Margarita, a traditional cooker, what inspired women like she and Na’ Alicia to cook, and she told us “I learned from my mom, one day she told me: Girl! if you don’t learn how to make the estofado (stew) we will lose the seasoning of your grandma. So, little by little I learned, and I think that now, what I cook tastes like grandma’s”. 

In the mural you can see all the vegetables, fruits and ingredients of the estofado. That is what Mar de Lío, the painter of this mural, explained “I named this mural as Estofado, a family treasure, because the recipe of this typical dish is only share between the closest members of the families. The mix of ingredients is something amazing because the variety of colors that compose it. I think color, is the way that stew dishes fill the traditional parties with life and taste.” 

People say: “Estofado for the parties, bread and wine to reaffirm the commitment and clay pots for the sones de mediu xhiga (a typical dance during weddings)” 

During the weddings stew is essential, but the products of many other artisans are fundamental too. That is the case of the other craft of the day, the pottery. It is one of the most ancient productive practices of mesoamerica, the indigenous people of America used pottery for tell their stories, it is the only art that use the classical elements of the nature: earth, water, wind and fire. 

That is why Oscar Axo, was chosen for represent another face of this traditional craft  “I made this mural in honor to the alchemists of Ixtaltepec who shaped with clay the colorful dreams of the zapotecas hearts. Inspired in the work of Sergio Cabrera  or Tata Dios one of the most important sculptors of the region. In other hand I included the work of Gamaliel, who represents all the artisans that design pots, jars and comales, painting them all around with flowers.” Oscar named his mural as Binni hraapa beñe"  that means the guards of clay, masters of earth and fire. 

For us, Gamaliel and his family are examples of constance and discipline. Many years ago Gamaliel traveled to San Diego, to live the american dream, there, he learned about ceramics, new technics and design theories. He decided to return to his home and combine the ancestral pottery knowledge, that’s why his work is so detailed and innovative. 

Supporting this campaign made this two new emblematic murals in our town to be real. Thank you! 

Zapoteca* original culture of the region

Links:

• Esta manana News, a note from Gerardo Valdivieso