World Shibori Network
Celebrating the visual languages of PEOPLE, COMMUNITY, CULTURE, and ENVIRONMENT through the global practice of resist-dye traditions and innovations, keeping in mind authenticity, reciprocity, and networking.
Travel Tips: Mexico
OAXACA REGION
- Museo Textil de Oaxaca: Wonderful textile museum in Oaxaca
- Los Baules de Juana Cata inside the entrance to Las Danzantes’ Restaurant on Alcala #403 – 2 – near Santo Domingo church. Web link courtesy of oaxacatips.com
- “Evenings after 8pm, there is a woman who sells tamales on the corner in front of the pharmacy in back of the Monte Alban Hotel off the Zocalo. All of her tamales are WONDERFUL. People line up. I’ve never heard of anybody getting sick eating them. Get a tamale or two, walk over to the Zocalo and eat it on a bench, maybe listening to the live music or watching people go by.”
- Tlamanalli Restaurant, Avenida Juarez 39, Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca Phone: 951-524-4006. Trip Advisor profile
- The most amazing weavers and natural dyers in Teotitlán del Valle: Jacobo and Maria Luisa Mendoza. Featured in our NDW 2 DVD.
SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, GUANAJUATO
From the notes of Masako Takahashi:
La Gruta Aguas Termales: A fun hot spring, where both adults and kids can enjoy.
Bakery on the corner of Coreo and SollanoSollano 16: a nice upscale shop and restaurant
The famous San Miguel Shoes— find them all over town, but the main shop is on Calle Relox, a block and a half from the Jardin.
They sell for about $80-$100 in the States, more like $30-40 in San Miguel.
Take the morning Pyramid tour that leaves at 9 or 10 am. From BajioGo up the street on calle Jesus in the La Parroquiana restaurant entry. That’s where you can book your van for the return trip to the Leon/ Guanajauto airport, too.
Buy an Atencion on the East side of the Jardin from about 10 am to 3 pm. Look for the newspapers lined up in piles.The Tuesday Market El Tianguis de los Martes is very Mexicano, everything from antiques to socks. Like Toji Temple flea market in Kyoto.The Jardin Botanico is nice–take a taxi up and walk down. Just keep walking down. If you get at all lost, just ask for the Jardin.If you go to the Cafe Parroquiana on Calle de Jesus for breakfast or lunch, and you see Francoise, the owner, please say hello for me if you feel like it. She is very nice, from Belgium, originally. I like to order the green drink, and huevos albaniles con nopales in red sauce. For lunch or dinner I usually have the Prix Fixe. Valeria, Francoise’s daughter, runs the Brasserie in the same place, at night. Her Prix Fixe dinners are lovely. Greetings to Valeria, too!The soups at the Rincon de Don Tomas on the corner of the Jardin, are wonderful. All the food is good. The tortillas are hand made(!). There is a vegetarian restaurant run by some Argentinians, on calle Mesones, called El Tomate. Between Relox and —I just forgot the name! towards Hernandez Macias.Take a look at art exhibits at the Bellas Artes and see Siqueiros’ Mural. El Centro Culturál Ignacio Ramírez “El Nigromante” Bellas Artes at Hernández Macías 75 and across the street there are some shops and cafes and a bakery.There is a shopping street behind the Mercado lined on both sides with lots of the local crafts and things from Oaxaca. Artesanias (hand made stuff). This is a hit or miss bunch of stuff, but there is a shop that sells cut paper pictures and cards that are marvelous. I have many of them, made by Marguerita Fick. If you find them, I recommend buying some, at least the cards.If I were there with you we could hire a driver to take us to Santa Maria Del Rio, a town a couple of hours away that is famous for their fine ikat rebozos. Some are for sale in San Miguel, but it’s really fun to go to that town and see them work. There is a weaving school there too, which is terrific to see. They make a special inlay box to hold each rebozo. The silk rebozos are so fine they will fit through a wedding ring.
