Tag: oaxaca

Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: How many stamps does it take to mail a Beetle?

postcardsfromsanantonio1 Comment

“Vocho Mufi,” 1993 Volkswagen Beetle covered with postage stamps, 1999

I know, I know. Visiting a stamp museum seems about the nerdiest, most boring thing to do, but exhibits at the Museo de Filatelia de Oaxaca are truly interesting. The museum doesn’t simply display stamps, it exhibits postage art. And there are a surprising number of imaginative artists who work in this medium, naturally including postcards sometimes.

Take the Volkswagen Beetle above. Not withstanding that all vintage Beetles are cool to begin with, weaving a complex design based on the distinctive needlework of regions of the state of Oaxaca found in the collection of Museo Textil de Oaxaca into this collage of 50,000 stamps stuck on a Bug? That’s pretty impressive and should certainly be enough postage to mail a Beetle almost anywhere.

Continue reading “Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: How many stamps does it take to mail a Beetle?” →

Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Food with a Castilian accent

postcardsfromsanantonioLeave a comment

Above: Camarones Gaditanos at El Olivo Gastrobar

With almost every “postcard” from our 2022 trip to Spain delivered, these photos should smooth your, and our, transition to Mexico.

Relatively new on the scene is Casa Celia on Quintana Roo. Although Mexican, the chef spent ten years in restaurants in Barcelona. The menu changes weekly, with paella served most weekends and always options for vegetarians.

Continue reading “Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Food with a Castilian accent” →

Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Ceramics, film posters and photographs fill former convent

postcardsfromsanantonioLeave a comment

Above, plate by Rafael Jimenez on exhibit in “Ceramica de la Familia Jimenez” at Centro Cultura San Pablo

Opening his own workshop in Oaxaca in 1925, Ignacio Jimenez soon realized that the talavera technique he had learned for applying paint did not work with the finer clay he desired using. Seeking a solution, he developed a new method for adding decorative designs and color to clay – ceramica escurrida, best translated as “drained” ceramics.

The skills he perfected were passed on to his wife and children, and his distinctive style continues to flourish as the Taller de Ceramica de la Familia Jimenez. His children employ the technique to create traditional patterns as well as their own more contemporary artistic designs.

Continue reading “Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Ceramics, film posters and photographs fill former convent” →