Tennis Anyone?

Musings from the Feb 2011 Chiripa buying trip to Mexico.

One of our favorite workshops in Oaxaca is that of Jacobo and Maria Angeles in San Martin Tilcajete. It is a beehive of activity. In the midst of carving and painting and selling beautiful alebrijes (the colorful animals famous in this area), day to day life activities go on. 

We were fortunate to stop in the day some workers and friends were getting ready for a big game. The explanation of the game was that it is a kind of Zapotec (the indigenous people of this area) "tennis." 

The gloves caught our attention. They are made of leather with nails and weigh between 8 and 10 pounds. The solid rubber ball weighs between 2 and 3 pounds. Unfortunately, we were not able to come back the next day for the big match. I resolved to learn more when I came home. (Big mistake!)

The young man on the left is one of the stars. He's traveled to compete against teams in California. Jacobo sits on the couch. The young man in the white shirt wears a glove in the right hand and holds a ball. The young man on the right is Jacobo's son.

I have found very little online about the game and how it is played. The website www.oaxaca.travel has a page called "Did you know that in pre-hispanic Oaxaca tennis was played?" The game is called "juego de Pelota" (ball game)—not too descriptive. [This site may no longer be live/available.]

A book at books.google.com called: Tennis: a cultural history by Heiner Gillmeister has a good photo of the glove on a hand with the ball on p. 73.

I'd love to learn more about the game as it is played today. Please share if you have played or know something about it. Thanks. -kl

Fine Food and Fantastic Crafts

From the log kept by JM on the Feb/March 2010 Chiripa buying trip.

March 2, 2010.  This morning we traveled south to the villages of San Bartolo Coyotepec, San Martin Tilcajete, and Ocotlan. We picked up a good selection of Oaxacan black pottery at the Dona Rosa workshop in San Bartolo, where Dona Rosa's son still presides. 

Dona Rosa was, of course, the woman who discovered the technique for making the famous shiny black pottery (you can find it at Chiripa) and a piece or two online.

In Ocotlan, we stopped at the tiny home workshop of the famous Guillermina Aguilar, where we picked out as many clay figures as we could carry. 

But the main event was in San Martin Tilcajete, where we met Jacobo and Maria Angeles for breakfast at their restaurant, Azucena Zapoteca (Zapotec Lily). The day was already hot, but there was a cool breeze under the veranda. Jacobo and Maria offered us a spectacular array of traditional Zapotec and Mexican dishes. The food was fabulous, and the presentation reflected Maria's artistic touch (Rick Bayless take note!).

 The restaurant, magical as it was, was just a prelude to the workshop. Jacobo and Maria are among the most highly regarded artisans in all of Mexico producing exquisitely carved and painted alebrijes that are in great demand by collectors throughout the world.

Jacobo and Maria with a lion in progress March 2010.

The carved wooden animals have an uncanny lifelike but abstract quality, and the painting--well, you must see it to believe it: elegant designs are executed in unbelievably minute and precise detail, using traditional Zapotec motifs and stunning natural colors. The colors are from natural ingredients grown in the Oaxacan countryside. You can see some beautiful examples at Chiripa. 

We also hope to bring Jacobo to Madison in October, so you can meet this great artist (and wonderful human being) in person.

Home Again

Those following this blog will have noted that I did not post anything while on the Chiripa buying trip to Mexico. We set an almost impossible schedule with little time to find and use a computer.

Future posts will lead you through some of the highlights of the trip. But, because it is still tourist season in southern Mexico I wanted to promote a favorite artist and a favorite restaurant.

Maria and Jacobo with their new Chiripa caps!

Jacobo and Maria Angeles of San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca, Mexico create stunning alebrijes and run one of the finest workshops in Oaxaca. And we will write more about it in a future post. But, who would have guessed that their restaurant (at the junction of the main highway and the road that leads into San Martin) offers some of the finest food we've tasted in Mexico.

Azucena Zapoteca
Cocina Tradicional Oaxaquena
Carretera Pro. Angel Km. 23.5
San Martin Tilcajete
Ocotlan, Oaxaca
Tel. 52 49 227 / 52 49 228
email: angeles@tilcajete.org

DON'T PASS BY. STOP, EAT, ENJOY.

This was one dish that included a delicious mole and that amazing stringy Oaxacan cheese. What a treat!

Next to the restaurant you'll find a gift shop with a wonderful sampling of Mexican artisan crafts. You may also get to watch some of the master painters working on their alebrijes.

And in the near future you'll be able to see some of their fine pieces at CHIRIPA.

Chicago Visit

We interrupt the Chiripa buying trip log to tell you about a fantastic opportunity in Chicago. The National Museum of Mexican Art is hosting a Folk Art Festival from now until Sunday, October 25.

We took the opportunity to drive down and visit two of our close Oaxaca friends who are part of this special exhibit and sale. Jacobo Angeles (carved and intricately painted wooden figures-alebrijes) and Bulmaro Perez (hand woven and naturally died wool rugs) have brought dozens of samples of their expert craftmanship.

Jacobo is always laughing;
he's holding on to the loom that Bulmaro shipped to the museum to demonstrate his craft.

If you have the opportunity to visit Chicago and the museum you won't find a better place to see their work in the Midwest (except at Chiripa, of course!) and to meet with the artist and learn about the natural die processes that they use. Please tell Jacobo and Bulmaro that we sent you! When the museum closed we took Jacobo and Bulmaro to dinner. They chose the cuisine (Mexican, of course) and we headed for Frontera Grill, the Rick Bayless restaurant on Clark St. in downtown Chicago.

Jacobo and Bulmaro at Frontera Grill, Chicago.

From the mezcal apartif and through the meal we caught up on each other's businesses and learned about their family traditions for the coming Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations. By chance, Rick was at the restaurant that night and Jacobo and Bulmaro were fortunate enought to meet him and invite him to their homes when he travels to Mexico. It was a very special night!

All camera's came out for the photo op with Rick Bayless.
Jacobo is holding some of his work.

I can't say enough good things about the National Museum of Mexican Art. This is the very best time to see it if you are interested in Dia de los Muertos. A large exhibit space is dedicated to altars (ofrendas) that honor individuals or groups of people who have passed beyond this world.

Other exhibitors at the Folk Art Festival: Guillermina Aguilar from Ocotlan, Oaxaca (clay figures); Miriam Castaneda from Xoxocotla, Morelos (paper Mache); Florentina Lopez de Jesus from Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero (back strap loom weaving); Jose Jorge Garcia from Oaxaca, Oaxaca (silver filigree jewelry) and the Mondragon Family from Toluca, Estado de Mexico (sugar skulls).

The Mondragon family comes to the museum a month before Dia de los Muertos to make 20,000 sugar skulls. They will write a name on the skull if you wish. The museum sells out.

The photogenic Gillermina Aguilar graciously consented to a photo.
Her family's work can be found at Chiripa.

It looks like a cold and rainy weekend ahead. Our Mexican friends are shivering. Go say hello from us and spread some warmth!