Sunday, November 3I wanted to see the cemetery north of the center of town, at Xochimilco. The little cemetery is beside my favorite organic tianguis, The Pochote. The Pochote pops up every Friday and Saturday, and is a good place for lunch and to buy organic produce. On my calendar, it conflicts with the organized Friday Hikes (see www.HoofingitinOaxaca.com), and my Saturday trip to the 5 Senores, but I get there, at least for lunch, when I can. Xochimilco (pronounced zo-chee-MIL-ko) is a quiet neighborhood, and if I lived full time in Oaxaca, I'd strongly consider living up here.
Like many other cemeteries, this one is behind a wall. It's quiet today, the day after the official Dia de los Muertos holiday, but a few families are here, fluffing the flowers and visiting. I found this cute little witch tucked into cluster of flowers.
This family must spend a lot of time here; they installed a bench to sit on, and a roof to shield them from the sun.
The flowers were pretty in this cemetery, not over-the-top in volume and arrangements, and not as rustic as Atzompa.
I love this decoration! It's drinking straws, pinched together in the center, and glitter glue on the tops. Can't you see some of these in my future?!?
Later in the day, we met Laura, and about a dozen friends/students at Conzatti Park. Several people who had said they'd join Laura for this trip didn't show up, so we all paid a little extra. It was worth it!
First stop, about 45 minutes from the city: Santa Ana Zegache. This tiny puebla is in the heart of the valley, where most of the flowers are grown for the city. We passed a few fields of roses, celosia, mums and gladiolus, some flowers left after the Big Harvest for Dia de los Muertos celebrations. The late rains have been good for the farmers.
The main street of Zegache is being repaved. I can see the paving stones piled along the side of the road, waiting to be laid. Our bus crept along the tiny, narrow lane, dropped us off at the corner of the tiny, well maintained zocalo.
The church towers over the town, and is one of the prettiest churches in the Three Valleys. Bright colors, flowers and smiling angels are the main motifs, very little gold leaf. Inside, the soft colors and simple flowers remind me of the church in Tlacochoaya, not far away. Someone said there is an old pipe organ upstairs, and Stuart and I wonder if the person who made that comment is confusing this church with Tlacochoaya...but then, maybe there are more organs in the Valley! 
Laura called to us, and we followed her up the street, to the cemetery. It surrounds the old church ruins, no one knows the date. We looked around at the tombs here, and a few locals invited us to stay for mescal, and when we declined, they invited us to return any time, but particularly for next year's Dia de los Muertos celebration. Such friendly people!
The flower business is good, judging by the condition of the zocalo, the covered ball court, the fresh paint on the church, and the amount of marble tombstones. It's getting dark, but the colors are vivid. Make', a friend of Laura's, told me that the white flowers on this tomb, which we saw growing on an agave-looking plant, are used for cooking in Veracruz, but they are not known for that use here. Again, Laura called to us to return to the bus. It's almost dark now, and the bus driver drives slowly back out to the main road. We are headed for San Antonino Castilo Velasco, and yet another cemetery. Sn. Antonino is known for it's Dia de los Muertos flower decorations on the tombs.
The bus can not possibly get close, the streets are too narrow, even though Sn. Antonino is larger than Zegache. Our driver drops us at a corner, about 6 blocks from the cemetery. We walk through the zocalo, and through a small church, then see a carnival set up at the end of the street. I can hear the trumpet player in the band, and smell cooking empanadas and quesadillas before we get to the crowd! In a huge truck, parked by the entrance to the cemetery, I see a bull. A large bull. Apparently, he is being auctioned. The winner of that bull will be rich person! I grabbed the arm of Make', who is ahead of me, and she turns and laughs. We squeeze through the happy crowd, trying to follow Laura into the cemetery.
Inside the walls of the cemetery, we find a big party. Families, walking vendors of nuts and drinks, all surrounded by the music from outside the cemetery walls. Luckily, I have the tiny flashlight GypsyGirl gave me, and we pick our way through the tombs. Our goal? To find the award-winning tombs, decorated with tapetes, or blankets, of flowers, among the several hundred tombs jammed in this place. We stumble and step on graves, and no one falls in the darkness.We are not disappointed in the art! They tapetes of flowers are incredible! Some are fresh flowers or flower petals, some of the flowers are dried. Incredible scenes and artwork. The proud creators and their families are sitting close by, enjoying all the ohhs and ahhs. We offer "felicidades" to the creators when we meet them, and they are all smiles, enjoying the moment. Later, I comment that offering congratulations for beautiful artwork on the tomb of a loved one seems, well, wrong. But, the artists are all understanding, and thank us for our wishes.
Look at this one, the woman with a fancy rebozo!
Everywhere we look, after our eyes adjust to the blackness of the night, we see intricately created flower artwork.
There is more...These cockscombs, grown here, are the size of a basketball. Gorgeous! The farmers save the biggest and best for their own celebration. There is even a competition this weekend, for the biggest and best. Sort of like the flower show at the State Fair.
This grave,in the picture left, is that of a 26 year old man. We met his family, who were terrifically proud of the artwork. The young man in the picture, holding a Big Gun, died three years ago. "Don't ask questions," Laura warned us, "just offer congratulations for the artwork.".
A detail of the above image...
Each piece of flower art makes me think, "this is the BEST!". But then, I see one more...
This man spoke spanish as his second language. He was the proudest of anyone we met. Maybe it was the few foreigners, admiring his work, but he was eager to talk about it. He told me that it took 6 hours to build this tapete, it's for his mother's tomb. He was prepared to show-off; you can see the flashlight in his hand! This tapete was intricate and thoughtful. He carved the skulls from various fruits and vegetables, picking the raw materials that had the correct skull shape.His daughter was there, her spanish was good, and she translated for him, telling us about the nuts, and grains, and corn he used for the borders. he was terrifically proud!
Yet another beautiful tapete, with giant cockscombs...
The detail in this one is awesome. The face is so detailed, made of tiny beige flowers.
Our little group tried to stay together, but in the dark and the crowds it was impossible. There are no taxis here, so if we don't get back to the bus, we're stuck. Without planning, we all met at the entrance to the cemetery a couple of hours later.
I wanted to look at the displays of fabulously gorgeous embroidered dresses and blouses for sale in the tianguis outside the cemetery walls. I've seen some in the style of Sn. Antonino, but have never looked at them closely. No photos, sorry. I can tell you they are far above my capability to pay; a dress is about 6,ooo pesos, or about 6oo dollars US. Worth every dime for the intricate hand embroidery and pulled thread work. Only in my dreams will I own one of these works of art! I settle for a sweet bread to share with Stuart,and we head home with visions of beautiful flowers in our heads. And, with a little relief that Dia de los Muertos is over. I'm looking foward to a couple of quiet days! Ohno,I have a spanish class tomorrow at noon. Laura is exhausted. She has been a wonderful guide, all in the name of improving our spanish. What a teacher!
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