Curt Rosengren on sat 3 oct 98
No doubt everybody here is familiar with Eric Mindling and his
upcoming pottery workshops in Oaxaca. I have nothing to do with Erik
or his workshops, but I'd like to give them an unsolicited plug.
More accurately, I would like to plug the people who will be teaching
it, and the opportunity to experience life in a Zapotec village from
the inside.
Since I've not actually participated in any of them, I can't plug the
workshops themselves. I have, however, spent time in San Marcos
Tlapazola, the tiny Zapotec village where the workshops will take
place. I am also lucky enough to call the wonderful women who will be
teaching the class my friends. The opportunity to spend time with them
and experience Zapotec life firsthand is well worth it.
I first came in contact with Erik when I was researching my first
Oaxaca trip in February of '98. For several years, he has bought
pottery from artisans in various villages around Oaxaca for export to
the US, so he is intimately familiar with the indigenous population in
the area. In
an e-mail, he suggested that I visit San Marcos Tlapazola if I wanted
a great taste of authentic Oaxaca beyond where the tour buses ever go.
I took his advice, and spent time in San Marcos on two successive
trips. On my first visit, I had the good fortune to meet Alberta and
Macrina, the women who had taught last year's workshops (and will
teach this years again), and quickly became enamoured with them and
their family. They were a big part of what drew me back to Oaxaca a
second time just a few months later.
Whether potting is your passion, or you are simply interested in
gaining an extraordinary cultural perspective, this is an incredible
chance to immerse yourself in a completely different world.
If you do decide to go, give them my warmest regards. They were warm,
funny, generous, and made me feel extraordinarily welcome. I miss
them.
If you would like to see some pictures of San Marcos Tlapazola, go to
http://www.accessone.com/~curtr/tlapazola.htm
- curt rosengren
I have included Eric's contact information below:
Eric Mindling & Rachel Werling
Manos de Oaxaca
AP 1452
Oaxaca, Oax.
CP 68000
M E X I C O
http://www.foothill.net/~mindling
fax 011 52 (952) 1-4186
email: rayeric@antequera.com
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