Mexico: Spotlight on Oaxaca

I just came back from spending five weeks in Oaxaca, Mexico. This region of Mexico is absolutely stunning and rich in culture, history, and natural resources. I was a part of a National Endowment for the Humanities Program led by outstanding professors from the University of Oregon. I learned so much, not only about the history of the region, but about the current day successes and hopes of the people living in Oaxaca today. I highly recommend teachers who are interested in teaching about meso-American cultures and histories to visit Professor Stephanie Wood's blog for our program. She has done a tremendous job of amassing and organizing resources. In this post I am including very few highlights of interesting traditions, foods, and political issues that I encountered in Oaxaca.
In my next posts I will be sharing some of the curriculum that I am building around essential questions about Mexican society and history.

Calendas are a fundamental part of life in Oaxaca. They often mark the beginnings of festivals and festivities. These parades are filled with people dressed in traditional regional outfits, musicians, dancers, Matmots (giant puppets), and fireworks!

Oaxaca is known as the "land of the seven moles". I tried several types of moles while I was living in Oaxaca. I also had a couple opportunities to take cooking classes and make an almond (Mole de almendras) and green mole (verde).

Cochineal is an insect that grows on nopal cactus. When it is harvested and ground it turns into a brilliant red that can be used for dying food, textile, and canvas. When mixed with acids like lemon juice or sodium bicarbonate the color of the cochineal can change shades.

The threat of privatizing oil is a growing concern for many Mexicans who have benefited from Pemex, Mexico's nationalized oil company.

While I was in Oaxaca, many teachers were camped out occupying the main square known as the Zócalo. They protest regularly against a number of issues concerning education in the region. Many of their complaints revolve around the lack of resources allocated for schools and against standardizing of teacher evaluations and student assessments.