Attractions in and around Oaxaca, Mexico

Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.

Fried grasshopper and tamarind ice cream? Well, actually it’s a sherbet, but nevertheless it’s one of the more exotic treats available at the annual Festival de la Nieve, Mezcal y Gastronomía in Tlacolula, Oaxaca.

This exquisite extravaganza of flavors, aromas and unmatched color and pageantry, takes place each year at the end of the Easter celebrations. For 2013, it will take place from April 5th through 7th.

Tlacolula de Matamoros, a 30 minute drive from the city of Oaxaca, is best known for its vibrant Sunday marketplace where women dressed in traditional native garb come down from their hillside villages to buy and sell all manner of products.

But many visitors to the state’s central valleys are not aware that there are other customs associated with the city and environs, and it’s those rituals which are precisely what organizer Alvino Cruz Melchor wants both tourists and Oaxacan residents alike to experience, to appreciate and to delight in:

“At the conclusion of Semana Santa processions and masses, it’s customary for friends, family and compadres to gather and enjoy homemade nieves, and sometimes aguas frescas [fresh fruit juices] as well as a variety of local fruits marinated in vinegars. But it’s the nieves which are the most traditional, popular and provide a sense of pride in and for our community. Just look at all the nieve stands along that that one walkway, popular for Sunday market visitors.”

In 2012, approximately 30 nieve producers participated in the festival, with more than 50 flavors available for sampling and for sale, ranging from the more common flavors such as those found in downtown Oaxaca neverías, to the more exotic, both water and milk based. For 2013, the target is to have as many as 60 different sherbet producers in attendance.

“Our goal is also to celebrate and promote the longstanding mezcal, handicrafts, music and broader gastronomic traditions in the district of Tlacolula, and hence while nieves are the main impetus for the festival, we can’t forget the rest; they deserve our support and our promotional efforts,” Cruz Melchor continues.

In 2012 there were 15 mezcal producers exhibiting at the festival. For 2013 there will be a photography exposition outlining the history of the region’s mezcal production, as well as a conference centering upon the spirit’s past, present and future.

In 2012, 20 craftspeople exhibited their artistry, and for 2013, organizers’ goal is to substantially increase that number. Nearby San Juan Guelavía is noted for its fine basketry made of carriso (bamboo-like river reed), San Marcos Tlapazola for its red clay terra cotta pottery, and Teotitlán del Valle for its tapetes, carved gourds and handmade beeswax candles.

Other foodstuffs for which Tlacolula is noted include tejate, the pre-Hispanic corn and cacao based drink; pulque, the fermented beverage derived from the honey water of the pulquero class of agave; its own unique formulation for making barbacoa of goat and sheep in an in-ground oven; and scrumptious pan de Tlacolula, loaves of egg bread made with any combination of chocolate, raisins and cinnamon swirled through the center.

The annual Festival de la Nieve, Mezcal y Gastronomía de Tlacolula, like most grand Oaxacan fiestas, includes much more. As tradition dictates, towards the end of the merriment there is a Guelaguetza, that uniquely Oaxacan celebration of the state’s broad diversity of cultures, expressed through song, dance and vivid indigenous dress. For 2013, the Guelaguetza begins at noon, Sunday, April 8th.

Anyone for nieve of mango, chile piquín and worm salt?

The following is the schedule of events for the 2013 festival, the principal venue being the area around the esplanade in front of the Tlacolula de Matamoros municipal offices:

Friday, April 5
10:00 – Festival inauguration
11:00 – Photography exhibit; the history of mezcal
12:00 – Nieve tasting and presentation of artisans
14:00 – Mezcal tasting; producers of the region
17:00 – Lace trimming and weaving exhibition; Casa de la Cultura
20:00 – Film screening: “Animus Trujano”

Saturday, April 6
10:00 – Chess discussion; Casa de la Cultura
11:00 – Exhibition of modified automobiles; state’s auto clubs
12:00 – Performance by the San Jacinto Amilpas orchestra
13:00 – Mezcal tasting; producers of the region
15:00 – Honors presented to participant owners of the modified cars
18:00 – Evening music concert

Sunday, April 7
08:00 – Taw Kwon Do; state schools competition
10:00 – Conference on the history of mezcal
12:00 – Guelaguetza
14:00 – Traditional nieves tasting
15:00 – Mezcal tasting; producers of the region
16:00 – Prizes and honors ceremonies for participants

Alvin Starkman operates Oaxaca Culinary Tours with Chef Pilar Cabrera Arroyo (http://www.oaxacaculinarytours.com) and Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast with his wife Arlene (http://www.oaxacadream.com). He is an aficionado of mezcal as well as of other beverages produced in Oaxaca, in particular pulque and tejate. Alvin often assists visitors to the central valleys who are eager to learn about the state’s distilled and fermented drinks.

Valentín Rodriguez stands 10 yards away from Juana, who is peddling a large, thick wooden wheel with long strands of fine fiber attached. Don Valentín is nimbly twisting the threadlike filaments, known as ixtle, almost magically transforming them into rope, known as mecate. Remember when twine was made of light colored fibers such as hemp, linen, cotton and sisal, before the Western marketplace became flooded with brilliantly colored polypropylene and nylon cord of varying calibers sold in hardware stores from large rolling spools? For the time being, at least in Oaxaca, it still is.

Producing rope from the broad, spiny leaves of a particular class of agave plant is one of the oldest surviving manufacturing industries in Mexico, dating back well over 2,000 years. And in the southern state of Oaxaca it today represents yet another dimension of sustainability relating to the production of mezcal and pulque.

The 70-year old Zapotec craftsman is making rope out of the pencas of pulquero agave, as he’s been doing for the past 55 years. The only difference is that now Don Valentín buys the fiber in 150 or 200 kilogram bales. When he first learned his trade he fashioned the fiber out of fresh, green agave leaves, using an extremely labor intensive process. Some folks in his hometown village of Santa Domingo Xagacía still do it the old fashioned way, from scratch.

Valentín Rodgriguez and Family; From Santa Domingo Xagacía to Colonia Yasip, Tlacolula

In 1984, Don Valentín moved from Xagacía to his current homestead in Colonia Yasip, a neighborhood in the foothills above Tlacolula de Matamoros, about a 40 minute drive from the state capital, Oaxaca de Juárez. Tlacolula is best known to both visitors to Oaxaca and residents of the state for its vibrant Sunday marketplace.

Don Valentín lives with his wife, five children and grandchildren. A sixth, Simón, lives directly across the street, with his own family. Simón and his wife also make mecate. Altogether there are a half dozen families in the colonia and surroundings making mecate and other ixtle by-products. They sell them mainly to stores and in regular weekly and livestock marketplaces in cities such as Oaxaca, Zaachila and of course Tlacolula.

“”We used to make a lot more products other than just rope; mecate is now used mainly for tying farm animals and sometimes as clotheslines and the odd other assorted use,” laments Don Valentín. He still produces the mecapal, a long piece of twine affixed to a woven forehead band, employed by campesinos to carry mainly firewood on their backs; from the forests, through the fields, along dirt roads and pathways, and finally to their homes. But the days of producing clothing, footwear, floor mats, netting known as ayates utilized primarily for harvesting crops and holding and carrying infants, and even hammocks, are fast disappearing.

Early Production of Ixtle and Its By-Products in Santa Domingo Xagacía

Don Valentín’s father taught him how to make mecate, and several other types of utilitarian products once needed for day-to-day living in Oaxaca; all from the fiber of the agave leaf. His father learned from his father; and so the tradition was passed down from generation to generation, beginning in the region once a sedentary lifestyle had been established by early Zapotec inhabitants.

Don Valentín recalls:

“Until I moved to Tlacolula we made mecate the way it’s still made today in my village. I learned every stage of the process from my father; but of course sometimes others taught me when the two of us couldn’t do everything by ourselves. We would bake about 20 leaves from the pulquero agave, piled on top of one another in a narrow pit, flipping them once after they turned yellow, making sure not to burn any too badly to render them useless for turning into mecate. Once we had a big pile of them we would pulverize them using a large, heavy wooden mallet, exposing the fiber. We then put big heavy rocks on top of them to squeeze out any remaining juice. We would bring down fresh water from the spring or stream, and leave the mashed fiber in the water for a couple of weeks until it began to rot. Later we mashed it again and left it for a further 15 – 20 days. Finally we would use a metal scraper to get off all the remaining flesh, then leave the completely fibrous material in the sun to dry for one or two days, depending on the time of year.”

Agave, Sustainability & Loss of Tradition

Sustainable industries in Oaxaca have been documented elsewhere as relating to the production of both mezcal and pulque. In the case of mecate and mecapales currently produced in Tlacolula by Don Valentín and others, there’s been a dramatic change since these rural villagers began to develop a more urban lifestyle facilitated through emigrating from Santa Domingo Xagacía.

“In the olden days, after making mecate and other products with my father back home, we would fasten it all onto our backs and walk a whole day to get to Tlacolula for the Sunday market,” Don Valentín explains. He continues:

“But after I moved, I learned about a tractor trailer that had begun to come to Oaxaca from Yucatán, filled with ready-made ixtle for sale. So I started buying bales rather than making it myself. The ixtle I used to make from local pulquero agaves was and still is much better than the industrialized Yucatán stuff we now use, but this way it’s much easier and quicker. Now, every two or three months I simply have a light transport truck pick up the ixtle from the trailer in Oaxaca.”

Don Valentín says that the industry is changing even more dramatically, with less Xagacía villagers producing mecate: “I think there are fewer than 800 people in Xagacía now. The older generation is dying off, and youth are leaving, either coming to Oaxaca, going to other states altogether, and of course many head to the US.”

There isn’t the demand as there was before, perhaps because of the lesser quality of the mecate made from imported fiber, inexpensive imported synthetic product, or the inability of men like Don Valentín to compete with rope of varying thicknesses which can be cut to any length in a matter of seconds. Yes, he does do custom work, but orders are few and far between. And how much can he charge, when his price for a dozen, four-and-a-half foot lengths of one-third inch mecate is only 20 pesos, about $1.70 USD?

Ixtle & Mecate in Oaxaca a Generation Hence

If Don Valentín and his family are any indication, in less than a generation a sustainable Oaxaca industry may have vanished. Five of six progeny do not maintain the tradition. Four are employed operating small, motorized three-wheeled taxis known as moto-taxis. The fifth, who is a chauffeur for a van company which transports residents between Oaxaca and the coast, is even more pessimistic: “I don’t think it’ll be around in even ten years, the way things are going.”

Don Valentín does now have a permanent Sunday stall at the Tlacolula market; but in addition to mecate and mecatales, he’s now making 100% synthetic carrying bags and selling them from his market stand. “That’s my bread and butter,” he bemoans.

Alvin Starkman is a contributing writer for Mexico Today, a program for Marca País – Imagen de México. Alvin has written over 270 articles about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca and its central valleys. Alvin has a particular interest in mezcal, pulque and all agave derivatives. He enjoys sharing his passion for Oaxaca with tourists to the region. Alvin and his wife Arlene operate Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.oaxacadream.com).

The competitive crafts industry in Oaxaca, Mexico, has a new art form to compete with barro negro and alebrijes, and perhaps more significantly the handcrafted colorfully painted clay sculptures of the Aguilar sisters of Ocotlán. Las hermanas Aguilar have a longstanding tradition of fashioning figures representing women in Oaxacan regional garb. But add the image of famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo to the mix, and make dolls out of cloth rather than clay, and you have Friduskas.

La Casita Azul Grupo Friduskas Casa Taller de Tradiciones (Friduskas) is a small scale craft enterprise owned and operated by transplanted Veracruzana designer – artisan Dolores Leycegui. In her workshop just outside of the town of Arrazola, near the city of Oaxaca, Leycegui creates, hand embroiders and paints cloth dolls in a variety of sizes, each with the uni-brow facial feature of Frida Kahla. And when she makes male figures, they of course have a likeness to Diego Rivera. In both cases dress is true to local custom, thus wholly representative of the region (and era) which Leycegui seeks to portray in her artistry. The authenticity is remarkable.

The multi-talented Leycegui began sewing at ten years of age. She explains:

“I knew from an early age that I’d end up with a career using my hands, especially sewing and embroidering. For about 30 years I’ve been making embrooidered cloth dolls, and for the past 18 years I’ve have had my own business; initially in Veracruz, subsequently in Chiapas and Michoacan, and now here in Oaxaca. I plan to stay in Oaxaca for the rest of my life. The state is so stimulating for me; at least sixteen distinct indigenous cultures, each with different dress; and there have been so many changes over the generations and the centuries in the clothing styles of both native groups and the Spanish.”

Indeed, with only two years of residence in Oaxaca under her sash, Leycegui has already begun to further tap her creative energies. Her first collection of dolls epitomized the dress of the eight regions of the state. It’s her initial, and naturally still best – selling series. However she’s more recently begun working on a compilation of outfits customarily worn by the women of African – Mexican culture living in the Costa Chica of Oaxaca, near its border with Guerrero; and on a collection from the Porfiriato (1867 – 1911), the era of Mexican president Porfirio Díaz. “For decades to come I’ll have the inspiration all around me,” she explains, “to produce dolls based on the different designs of dress of this one state alone. I travel around the different cultural, climatic and physical regions, and meet with and learn from the people; and of course I also read and look at photographs and drawings of how people of both indigenous and immigrant roots used to dress. Just like we’ve changed the way we dress over the years, so have many of the peoples whose ancestors arrived in Mexico thousands of years ago.”

In addition to her doll collections, Leycegui also makes wood and fabric marionettes, often with the images of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, some in regional dress, and others with different imagery such as Día de los Muertos (day of the dead). Her talent extends even further. Just as a hobby, the collector of vintage sewing machines makes her own machines from clay, papier maché , fabric, and even by using recycled materials, exemplified by the miniature made using a plastic bottle cap as its base. “The bodies for this pair of dolls are made from plastic soda bottles,” she divulges with pride while revealing their hollow undersides.”

Virutally all of her ideas emerge from the deepest recesses of her soul, at the outset as dream revelations. She believes that hers is a pre-ordained mission. She thanks god on a daily basis for setting her on a particular path of continual creativity.

But the founder of Friduskas fulfills yet a further calling, one advanced through secular not spiritual assistance. Leycegui’s workshop is federally sponsored by FONAES (Fondo Nacional de Apoyo par las Empresas en Solidaridad), a branch of Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy. One of its missions is to aid small rural businesses in their efforts to assist specified sectors of the populace in self – determination.

In her own workshop Leycegui conducts classes for the local population and for urban Oaxacans, as well as for tourists to the region, in both making dolls and as an integral part of embroidering. She has coined the phrase “bordaterapia,” (embroider – therapy) which she explains as relaxation and development through the creative art of embroidering.

Through the auspices of downtown Oaxaca’s Casa de la Cultura (house of culture) she instructs a course known as Bordando Jugando y Rescatando (embroidering, playing and rescuing). The thrust of the project is to preserve the art of making traditional, regionally based hand – embroidered products including, of course, dolls. But just as importantly, she teaches Oaxacans of extremely modest means, those with special needs, and single mothers, segments of society often forgotten or allowed to wallow in predicaments often resulting from circumstances beyond their control.

Leycegui’s work with these less fortunate members of Mexican society began several years ago, prior to the birth of her own special needs child. Sebastián is the youngest of her four children. He has Downs Syndrome. “He’s the most beautiful person I know,” she gleams, then continues. “Yes, it was a turn of fate that I gave birth to a child with a condition I had already dedicated my life to helping through providing these classes. This workshop in now for Sebastián, and through it I’m training him to be an artisan, to be self – sufficient.”

Sebastián is symbolic of but one category of beneficiary of Leycegui’s artistry. Others include tourists to Oaxaca wanting to take home a colorful, 100% handcrafted memento of Mexican indigenous cultures; collectors of ethnic dolls of the world; and visitors to Oaxaca interested in commissioning a custom piece of Mexican folk art, with the face of Frida, Diego, or perhaps based on their own self – image.

Alvin and Arlene Starkman operate Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com). Alvin has written over 250 articles about culture and life in Oaxaca. He assists visitors to Oaxaca to plan their excursions through the state’s central by helping them to plan tours, including for a visit to Friduskas.

The reclusive US based Sociedad de Mezcaleros began and ended its insatiable exploration in the city of Oaxaca de Juárez, as should any tour focused on an in depth education of the manufacture of mezcal (aka mescal), its use as a cooking ingredient, and of course flavor nuances and tasting notes – based on varietal of agave, means of production, terra firma, altitude, water source and aging. After all, the world’s finest mezcales are distilled in and around the central valleys of the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca.

After well over a year of planning, the truly comprehensive mezcal tour of Oaxaca proceeded with flawless precision in March / April 2012; even through random heavy downpours and the occasional earth tremor. Every hour of the itinerary was scheduled with visiting palenques to expand mind and palate; sampling, eating and imbibing to often bacchanalian proportion; and visiting both off-the-beaten-track sights as well as a selection of Oaxaca’s not-to-be-missed traditional cultural attractions.

The Sociedad presidente had virtually demanded that his man-on-the-ground in Oaxaca maintain the grueling schedule for the group. “Leave it the way it is; I know these guys and they can handle it,” he exclaimed. “With each assembly of agave aficionados we bring down we have to look at their personalities and primary motivation; these particular people want to learn as much about mezcal in the shortest period of time possible, and most of them simply don’t have the luxury of touring at a leisurely pace.”

Indeed most of the charter members of the Sociedad spent only four full days in Oaxaca. But a few did stay on longer to take in what less than a week of intensive day and night activity could simply not accomplish.

In the end, most of the newly inducted members of the mezcal order:

• met with eight or more palenqueros ranging from producers using modern innovative roasting and fermenting techniques, to those employing more traditional methods, to purists distilling and storing utilizing only clay pots, known as cántaros;
• participated in the ceremonial filling of an in-ground oven with agave piñas;
• had the opportunity to ask their every question of palenqueros ranging from the most rural campesino to the most exacting and detail oriented chemical engineer;
• sampled from not only production facilities in Oaxaca’s central valleys, but also from downtown Oaxaca mezcalerias and tasting rooms, and restaurants noted for their diversities of mezcales using a cornucopia of agave types – arrequeño, cuish, tobalá, jabalí, mexicano, tobasiche, espadín, san martin, and the list goes on (pulque was also featured in selected rural and urban venues);
• ate in the most quaint comedores imaginable where they were invited into rural roadside kitchens, as well as dined in Oaxaca city’s upscale eateries oft reserved for politicians, literati and others in Oaxacan haute society;
• participated in the almost lost technique of making hot chocolate from scratch with a rural Zapotec family beginning with grinding toasted cacao beans on a stone metate over fire, and at the other end of the continuum learned from internationally acclaimed urban chef Pilar Cabrera Arroyo the art of preparing modern Oaxacan cuisine incorporating mezcal into recipes – marinated skewered shrimp, fruit and veggies al mezcal flambé, and requesón cheese pie with Oaxacan chocolate and mezcal;
• were the special invited guests at the inauguration of a photo exhibit entitled Mezcaleros de Oaxaca, by renowned Mexican – American photographer Spike Mafford;
• at their option participated in private guided tours of a smattering of Oaxaca’s UNESCO recognized sights, and in demonstrations by some of the most talented craftspeople in the state, the latter with either agave or mezcal thematically connected.

Organizers kept many details of the tour under wraps and unknown to participants until the hour dictated disclosure. “When it comes to mezcal and agave in Oaxaca, there’s just so much more we can do,” beamed el presidente, leaning over a fine oak bar one earlier morning towards the tour’s end. No doubt other surprises are in store for new initiates into the Sociedad de Mezcaleros.

Alvin Starkman operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.oaxacadream.com) with wife Arlene. Alvin’s interests lie in all things mezcal, pulque & agave; helping tourists to the region to get the most out of their Oaxacan vacation; and writing to promote Oaxacan travel and tourism.

When most visitors to Oaxaca think of Oaxacan art, the first thing that usually comes to mind is folk art; alebrijes (carved, fancifully painted wooden figures), barro negro (black pottery), tapetes (hand-made wool rugs), and other craft products. They don’t realize that Oaxaca has a longstanding fine art tradition which continues to thrive today. Indeed Oaxaca, the south central Mexico UNESCO World Heritage Site, has produced internationally renowned artists such as the late masters Rufino Tamayo and Rodolfo Morales, and contemporary artists Francisco Toledo and Demián Flores.

Within a ten block radius of the heart of downtown Oaxaca you can find well over 30 art museums and galleries, and spend half your vacation marveling and eventually buying. But many travelers to the city simply don’t have the time or patience to seriously tour all of Oaxaca’s galleries.

So to get you started, here’s a summary of Oaxaca’s two most well respected art museums, and two galleries with stellar reputations for a broad diversity of fine art. I highly recommend visiting these institutions in order to get some initial inspiration, before beginning to pound the pavement in search of unique and provocative images to grace your home.

Museo del Arte Contemporáneo (MACO, Alcalá 202) has recently been refurbished. It’s housed in a large colonial building on the city’s main pedestrian walkway, Alcalá. The second floor retains some of the structure’s original frescos, adding to the sense of history which is imparted as you walk the hallways and gallery rooms. Colonial tradition is smartly juxtaposed against stark minimalist design. The placement of art provides both contrast and continuity, while at the same time enhances one’s ability to appreciate the art as well as the building. Exhibits of artists from both Mexico and abroad are changed bi-monthly.

Museo de Pintores Oaxaqueños (MUPO, Independencia 607) is located across the street from the cathedral and central post office. As its name suggests, it’s dedicated to celebrating the works of Oaxacan artists. It too has rotating exhibits, featuring up and coming artists, those who have already made their mark, and the grand masters of Oaxacan art. The current exhibition of the works of Rodolfo Morales runs through June, 2012. Once or twice a year the museum hosts fine art auctions to benefit worthy charitable causes, provide financial assistance to local artists and assist in enhancing their reputation.

Arte de Oaxaca (Murguía 105), just east of Alcalá, has been promoting the work of both upcoming and established Oaxacan artists since 1987. It has a permanent room dedicated to the work of Rodolfo Morales. Its range of reasonably prices lithographs is impressive. As in the case of the two museums, it’s housed in a typical two level colonial building with courtyard in the middle, though it’s physically smaller than the museums. There are rotating exhibitions of oils, watercolors, lithos and sculptures.

Galería de Rolando Rojas (Alcalá 102) is owned by artist Rolando Rojas who is also
the proprietor of the adjoining restaurant, La Catrina de Alcalá. It usually contains a mix of larger oils, both traditional in terms of Oaxacan style, and abstract which often pushes the envelope. At times one comes across large impressive pieces painted by a group of prominent Oaxacan artists. The gallery also contains smaller pieces including lithos and grabados, as well as rotating exhibits. As with the others, this gallery is a must.

And how do you go about buying art in Oaxaca? Here are few pointers, each of which has made me aesthetically wealthier:

• If you hesitate, it may be gone tomorrow;
• When something catches your eye, or better yet if both of you are drawn to it, buy at all cost…you’ll never regret it;
• If a piece seems absolutely enchanting but is curiously inexpensive, don’t shy away for fear you won’t be purchasing quality; next year you may not be able to afford it since the reputations of many Oaxacan artists shoot up meteorically as they encounter patrons is Mexico City, New York and other major urban centers;
• Never purchase for investment first; if you’re really lucky the piece will appreciate, but remember:
(i) you have to live with it;
(ii) your children may end up selling it in a contents sale;
• Compare what you see in terms of quality, imagery and price,
to what you already have; in my case, all I have to do is
recall my two pieces by the late R.C. Gorman, influenced by Mexican
masters such as Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros; and buying becomes
easier;
• Most of today’s promising artists have been influenced by the foregoing
masters as well as the likes of Oaxacan greats including
Tamayo, Morales and Toledo, so if a piece which draws you in
appears to have a special quality, it probably does;
• Resist snobbery; lithographs and grabados are originals, of a limited number. Even posters of exhibition openings and festivals constitute an art form unto itself. As with other mediums, they often evoke interesting images. They are affordable for the most budget conscious, and framing is modest. They provide at least some of what we seek when selecting our artwork – color and coverage.

Keeping these tips in mind, and spending a day or even a few hours visiting Oaxaca’s art museums and galleries guarantees that you’ll go home with at least one piece to grace that barren wall that’s been crying out. More importantly you’ll leave Oaxaca with an enhanced appreciation of an important part of contemporary Oaxacan culture, and more generally Mexican fine art.

Alvin Starkman operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (www.casamachaya.com). He has been collecting Oaxacan art for 20 years. You can email Alvin at oaxacadream@hotmail.com for gallery recommendations based on your particular taste. Alvin takes couples and families to visit artists outside of Oaxaca, as well as to craft towns. However he specializes in more off-the-beaten-track sights.