31/10/10

I'm back in Oaxaca, which is supposedly where I'm studying, though I haven't been spending much time here these days. Between trips to DF, the beach at Huatulco, and the nearby mostly indigenous town Teotitlan, this is the first weekend in 5 weeks that I've been here. It's nice to be back. I was starting to forget what normal weekends are like here! Not that this is a normal weekend, exactly. We're smack in the middle of Muertos celebrations (that's Day of the Dead for you cuadros who don't know), so it's been pretty crazy here. But more on that later. Here's what I've been up to the past few weeks:

El DF, Round II:

Hanging out with fellow rubio
and Utahn Pabio O'Higgins in
the Public Education building

Two weekends ago I made a return trip to DF with a few friends to do some of the things we were unable to during our trip with Witness for Peace. Mostly, that meant redeeming ourselves from all of art failures the first time around. We were only there for three days, so that meant packing in a lot, but with lots of ganas and our new mastery of the metro system, we were able to do pretty much everything we were hoping to do. Our first day there we went to the Palacio Nacional (the Mexican equivalent of the White House) and the Secretaria de Educación Pública, both of which house some awesome murals (mostly Rivera, some Siquerios). The Public Education building was cool because literally every square inch of the three floors of wall space facing the giant inside courtyard is covered with Diego's paintings. The paintings reflect the themes of social reform dealing with education, indigenous rights and land appropriation that surged during the Mexican Revolution, which began about a decade before the work was commissioned. In the Palacio Nacional, we got to see one of Diego's most famous works, The history of Mexico: From the Conquest to the future. It is a HUGE painting that surrounds the main staircase in the Palacio, depicting exactly what the name suggests. I can't express how amazing it was to see in person, along with all the other murals we witnessed. In our visit to the Palacio we were also subjected to the strangest propaganda film I have ever seen. After passing security but before being released to explore on our own, we were herded into a room with other visitors that was made up of five giant projection screens on the four walls and the ceiling. We were locked in the room, and shown a five minute film with patriotic images from the past and present set to an intense, chanting beat (I think it was supposed to invoke thoughts of Aztec ritual, though I'm not quite sure. Maybe just intimidate us?). Becca asked her host dad about it afterwards, because we thought it was so bizarre, and after laughing he told her that the Mexican government has to invent ways to instill la patria, since they really have nothing to be proud of. More than a bit cynical, if you ask me, but still pretty funny.

Diego in the Palacio Nacional

The next day we went to Chapultepec, which is a giant park that houses a bunch of national museums. We decided to go to the Castillo de Chapultepec, a giant castle used by both Maximiliano and Porfirio Díaz back in the day that is now home to the national history museum. It was a long walk up a winding hill, and with all the tourists, music, and waiting lines with the view of the giant castle tempting us in the distance, I was reminded more than a little of Disneyland. The castle itself was stunning. I've never before been in a place so huge or so luxurious, I can't imagine living there! Staring off the balcony that overlooks Mexico City, I reflected on the contradictions that so often characterize Mexico. It's hard to believe that a place so beautiful and extravagant can exist in a city that is so dirty and slummy in some places. That's actually one of the things Díaz was criticized for most during his dictatorship (ok - while he didn't build the castle he did live there, and I think it serves as a pretty good symbol for his reign during the Porfiriato): while he helped modernize Mexico in many ways and commissioned a lot of really cool infrastructure projects, he neglected the well being of the masses, and tons of people lived in poverty. The same contradiction exists in Mexico today; while the daily minimum wage is less than the equivalent of five American dollars, the country is also home to Carlos Slim, the wealthiest man in the world. But I digress from my trip... 

Later that day, we finally got to go to the house where Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera lived! While there weren't too many of her actual works there, it was cool to see her personal belongings and living space. There was also a neat photo exhibition - not sure if the photos belonged to Frida or if they were just visiting - with photos by the likes of Tina Modotti and Manuel Álvarez Bravo, some of my favorite photographers. For our last big stop in DF, we tried to go to the Palacio de Bellas Artes (one of Porfirio's cool projects I mentioned earlier), which houses works by some of the most famous Mexican artists, including the recreation of Man, Creator of the Universe, one of Diego's other most famous murals that I was really hoping to see. Unfortunately, the Palacio was closed for what looked like the setup for a concert, so I missed out for the third attempt in a row. Ah well, besides that our trip was quite successful.

Best damn tacos in the world!

The final, and debatably most important element of our trip? The street tacos. During our first trip to DF, we happened upon a taco stand that truly changed our lives called Taqueria el Progreso. I'm not sure how many of you are Food Network fans, but they put on a program called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," in which famous chefs talk about the best [fill in the blank] they have ever eaten. If I were a television chef, these tacos are what I would talk about. They are quite possibly the best thing I have ever eaten, period. They are super hot corn tortillas filled with delicious greasy thin-sliced "bisteak" meat. I topped mine with nopales (cactus), SPICY guacamole, and peppery potatoes. Top off your meal with a liter of horchata or a freezing glass bottle of coke to cool your mouth, and you will find yourself in taco heaven. We returned there every single day of our trip without shame, despite the many jokes and stares from the men who worked there. After long days of sight seeing from which our legs ached from walking around for hours, we didn't even mind standing in the street and eating off of water barrels while being stared at. It was, without a doubt, totally worth it.

Huatulco:
After our successful DF trip, we could hardly believe that four days later it was time for another vacation to the beach, this time with the entire group. I endured the most miserable seven hour unpaved van ride of my life that not even Dramamine could improve, but it was worth it in the end. I was super excited to go swimming at the beach, since the only beaches I've gone to in years are far too cold to swim. And that's exactly what I did for three days straight - swim, with a little lounging in the sand and piña coladas thrown in to mix things up when I got tired. Although I'm not sure I really needed a break from life and school in Oaxaca, it was certainly relaxing. Since it's the off-season for tourism, we were practically the only ones staying in our hotel (or any hotel, from the empty looks of the beaches). It was a little eerie, but mostly fun to have free run of the place. Also, our hotel rooms were air conditioned, a luxury that I had forgotten about during my time here, but welcomed with open arms as it was about 80 degrees with what felt like 1000% humidity. But since when I wasn't in the hotel room I was usually in the water, it wasn't too much of a problem. Unfortunately, on our last full day at the beach, I got a pretty terrible sunburn, which is still wreaking havoc on my poor peeling face a week later. Usually I'm pretty good with the sunscreen, but on the last day I foolishly decided to try out some of Brad's hippie "all natural" sunscreen, with disastrous results. The sunburn made the terrible 8 hour drive back home even worse, but all in all it was a very relaxing weekend.

So that's what I've been up to for the past few weeks. Sure, I guess I've also gone to class in between, but that hardly compares to bulk of my adventures. I think I need a little vacation from vacations, but I have to say that the opportunity to travel is one of my favorite parts about my stay here. Next up? Día (but really more like Semana) de los Muertos. The good times are killing me.