This weekend we all met bright and early and went on a photography excursion to a Teotitlan de Valle. Teotitlan is a weaving village about 40 minutes outside of Oaxaca. We all piled in 2 taxis that offered us the same rate as the local bus. It was a fun day full of giggling and creativity. When we arrived, we met Josefina-a local woman whose family is deeply involved in the tradition of weaving rugs. She was so sweet and gave us all a general tour of the town. We visited the local church-which was full of flowers for a Quincera that day. She then brought us to her friends house-who makes homemade candles out of beeswax and wonderful ornate colored wax flowers.
The woman showed us the process of heating the wax and then making candlesticks by pouring the wax over and over again. It was really a cool local house and was neat to be a part of the daily activity for this family. They had cactus in their front yard and a flock of turkeys that all gobbled when you whistled. The students found that hilarious! They would all whistle and the turkeys would gobble back. When they asked the woman why these crazy birds did this, she responded that they are happy.
Afterwards we all went to Josefina's house to watch the process of how they make ´tapetes´. The white bugs on the cactus (see photo) are cochineal. When they are smashed they create a red color-used for dye. It was neat to see these teens be a part of this tradition and document what is authentic to their country. It was fun to watch 10 students snap Josefina's mother weaving. She smiled and laughed as she was bombarded by cameras-like a swarm of papparazzi.
This is our last week of class and next Tuesday we have our photography exhibition. The students are all producing excellent work and I am continually impressed and proud of what they are able to create. It is exciting! I have been videotaping interviews with the students and when asking one student, Mayra, about her future and her hopes she said in Spanish ¨I am studying Architecture and enjoy this subject. But now I want to further my education in photography and maybe become a photographer¨. What sweet music to my ears:)
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