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Archive for October, 2006

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Police Take Over Zocalo

Monday, October 30th, 2006

Late in the night of October 29, the Federal Preventive Police (PFP) took over the Zocalo with tear-gas and tanks. The next morning there was an impromptu march with marchers confronting the police at every street entrance to the Zocalo.

Day Of The Dead, Black Mole, Hookah Pipes

Sunday, October 29th, 2006

Went to my landlord’s home yesterday morning to make black mole…pronounced “molay” a Oaxacan specialty that is always made for the Day Of The Dead and served exactly at 11:00 on November 2 for the spirits of the dead who come back to eat with the family. It’s a relief to be away from the phone and the computer and the Zocalo that seems only to be giving me bad news the last few days.

A life-long friend of Gerardo’s, a newly minted teacher that will be teaching in the Mixtec about four hours away, was already there visiting. He majored in English which was quite good.

Joe, the other tenant in my apartment building who is here teaching English. arrived soon after. My landlord, Gerardo (another Gerardo from the one I have been hanging out with) and his mother Socorro put us all to work. She put a skinless chicken with onion on the stove to boil. Joe was in charge of charring the dried black Ancho & Pasilla Negro seeded chilis on the hot ceramic comal and putting them in water to soak. Then we fried dried French bread chunks, banana slices, garlic, cinnamon bark, some almonds, a cup of raw sesame seeds, a cup of plumped raisins, oregano, thyme, cumin and some pepper corns, cloves and salt in a bit of oil. Then fried some tomatoes and tomatillos. We put all the fried ingredients together with the chilis into a pot and drove to a nearby torilleria where they ground everything together making a thick paste. Then back to the house where we put the paste into another bit of oil in a huge ceramic pot…stirring constantly…watching the paste turn dark. Then Socorro slowly added cups of the broth from the boiling chicken…Joe stirring for about a half hour with a huge wooden spoon. At the last minute Socorro added a bit of wonderful Oaxacan chocolate.
[read on]

Car Finally Retrieved

Tuesday, October 24th, 2006
The car will be ready Saturday at 11...the mechanic said. Then on Sat a call came...there has to be some modification in order to set the domestic alternator. Mechanics don't work on Sat afternoon so the car will ... [Continue reading this entry]

Late Saturday Night Out

Monday, October 23rd, 2006
Saturday afternoon, Gerardo and I went by collective taxi to Huayapam to take some cds full of Mike's pictures he had taken of the soccer game to Bardo's son Pavel. Returning to the city about 9pm we decided to stop ... [Continue reading this entry]

Wouldn’t You Know It…Car Trouble

Sunday, October 22nd, 2006
Gerardo and I were going to take Max (who in his 70's uses a cane) to the Abasco Market Friday to find tobacco economico. The car died before we got it out of the courtyard. Needs a new ... [Continue reading this entry]

Conversation In The Zocalo

Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
It is creepy odd...the dirty war at night we don't see...the bustling life of the Zocalo by day. Monday was Mike's last day in Oaxaca. Merilla & Peter, expats from Australia, Mike and Gerardo and I met for coffee at ... [Continue reading this entry]

Funeral & Friends In The Zocalo

Sunday, October 15th, 2006
After getting home from the trucha dinner Saturday night, Gerardo had called me. He had just heard on the radio that one of the APPO guards at a barricade had been shot and killed early Saturday morning. 7am this morning ... [Continue reading this entry]

Soccer & Trucha In Huayapam

Saturday, October 14th, 2006
After getting in at 3am early Saturday morning, Mike and I returned to Huayapan at 7am Saturday to take Bardo's son's soccer team to a tournament...all 12 of them...in my car. You can watch a soccer game just so ... [Continue reading this entry]

International Tourists

Thursday, October 12th, 2006
Tomorrow Thursday at 10 AM there will be a people's consulta at Santo Domingo Plaza in front of the church, which the "international tourists" will attend, carrying their cameras and wearing a hat and sunglasses." Note: I will not ... [Continue reading this entry]

Monte Alban & Huayapam

Thursday, October 12th, 2006
Yesterday morning Mike and I drove 30 minutes to Monte Alban...a gigantic Zapotec ruins on top of one of the mountains surrounding Oaxaca City...passing early morning walkers along the way. We were the sole visitors this morning in this ancient ... [Continue reading this entry]