Sam's Club

Someone told me there was a Sam's Club in Oaxaca, so I looked it up on Google, and, sure enough, there is.  I live in the southern part of the historical district and Sam's Club is two miles further south in an area of town I had not explored yet.  It was an interesting walk.  Some areas were obviously poorer than the center.  (There is a lot of deep poverty on the edges of the city.)  And then, surprisingly, a typical suburban sprawl, with a McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Pizza  Hut, Office Max and a whole host of Mexican equivalents.  I would say I was disappointed, but Mexicans have the right to create big ugly spaces just as much as North Americans do. (Mexicans are Americans, as are all the residents of Central and South America.)

I walked around the Sam's Club for the heck of it.  And although I have no need for a case of liter bottles of ketchup, I did find a small package of index cards.  I use these a lot.  When I went to buy a cellphone, for example, I looked up Spanish cellphone terms and wrote down the ones I thought I would need to use.  Very handy.  But when I went up to the register, I couldn't buy them without a membership card.  I thought maybe I would have to pay a higher price than members, but I was wrong.  I seem to remember being to do that in North Carolina, but it's been many years.  So I left the index cards and walked back home, taking a different route.  I got back home just before it started to rain.

Street scenes

Anything is possible

I have been asked for directions twice in the last 3 days by Mexicans.  They are probably in town for Guelaguetza.  I could dismiss once as a fluke.  But twice?  I suppose this means that my attempts to "fit in" are working.  But maybe too well, since the second time all I could do was say, "Sorry, I don't understand Spanish very well."  I really did not understand what the lady was saying.  The first guy I helped somewhat by pointing him in the right direction for the Zócalo.  In any case, I don't quite know what to make of this.  If this keeps up, I will have to start wearing shorts all the time to identify myself as a gringo.  At least until my Spanish improves a whole lot.

Llano park during Quelaquetza

Llano has been transformed.  A couple hundred vendor booths have been built, along with stages, lights and sound systems.  One area that has not changed is the street between the park and the neighborhood church whee there are two ground fountains.  The street is permanently closed to all but pedestrians because of the fountains.  Kids love the fountains, which shoot up randomly, and during the festival there is always a crowd around them watching a very entertaining show.

Not all the fountain runners are small children.  Teens and adults get involved, usually by trying to wrestle someone else into the spray.

Guelaguetza breaks out!

Now I know what all the fuss is about.  The first parade was tonight, and the schedule says there will be parades the next seven evenings.  It was simply awesome.  I don't know how they can top it, but I am sure they will.

There were thousands of people lining the parade route and it was a long parade.  Most of the tourists were Mexicans who came from all over the country.  Those of us from Europe and the US were a tiny minority.  This festival celebrates the Mexico that existed before the Spanish Conquest, so there is an immense sense of national pride.  And a striking sense of joy.  (And unlike the US, there is no need for any military display.)  This is not a drunken party (at least not yet).  It's a family event.

All these groups were dancing as they went by.  Many of the dances were obviously courtship dances.  My favorite group was the pineapple dancers.

And of course there were fireworks and ear-splitting firecrackers.

Street scenes

It's always fiesta time in the Zócalo

I walked to the Zócalo just because there's always something happening there, and guess what, a fiesta broke out.