Category: Mexico

Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Richness of contemporary art scene evident at MUPO

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Above: Detail of “Aborregados 6” by Soledad Velasco

The works with acrylic and India ink are a mixture that balances the safe and the unsure, the spontaneity and the calculated. While acrylic is more stable and gives solidity to the work, the pen and water give that feeling of chance, of an accident that must be controlled…. The immediacy and freshness, the lack of control when one decides to drain the water and the necessary control that ends up being exercised, all of this is a metaphor for what each day has in store for us. And in my case, a reminder that nothing is entirely predictable or certain.”

Soledad Velasco

Originally hailing from Oaxaca, artist Soledad Velasco spent 25 years working in Spain before returning home in 2019. Earlier this year, we saw the fruit of her time spent since then in a one-person show, “A Eva,” at Museo de los Pintores Oaxaquenos, or MUPO.

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Postcard from Morelia, Mexico: Festival marks walls with color

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Above: Part of a community art project of Color a Mexico

Sharing snatches of artwork brightening up walls and doorways we encountered while meandering the streets of Morelia. Some of these murals resulted from Morelia’s Festival Internacional del Arte Urbano in 2022. These photos were taken prior to the fall 2023 event, so presumably there is a fresh crop greeting visitors now.

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Postcard from Morelia, Mexico: Polishing off a few more meals

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Above: Chiles capones filled with salsa de guacamole at La Guarecita de San Agustin

The first time we peeked into La Guarecita de San Agustin, I rejected it. Having lived in San Antonio for about four decades, the restaurant’s interior decor, waitress uniforms and even logo reminded me too much of some old-school, Tex-Mex restaurants from home. In other words, it gave me the impression it was designed to attract gringo tourists. But later, some friends wanted to try it, and we found it packed with locals.

A platter of plump fried charales caught from nearby Cuitzeo Lake as a starter improved my attitude. Then, La Guaracita introduced me to stuffed chiles capones (the featured photo), which I loved. Instead of a specific type of chile, the name is derived from “gallo capon,” a term for a rooster emasculated for fattening. For chiles, emasculation refers to reducing the heat factor by removing the inner ribs and seeds. The chiles in this case, I believe, were regional dried chilacas – pasillas – deeply rich in flavor but not overly spicy.

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