Update - January 19, 2009
Haruko and I arrived in Mexico city on Jan 11 to a temperate evening with surprisingly little air pollution. After almost falling victim to a rogue taxi driver, we were soon saved by airport staff and set on our way to a licensed operator. The licensed taxi driver, a woman, told me that the air pollution in Mexico had gotten better,and indeed it was quite different than my memories of 1986.
Our hotel near the Zocolo, or main square, offered a free historic tour of the area so we took advantage of the chance to orient ourselves. I discovered that Mexico city had been a huge lake with only 2 small islands where the indigenous people lived-namely the ruins near the Zocolo. Our guide told us that because the city was built on the bottom of the drained lake bed, (drained thanks to the conquerors) the buildings were now starting to sink. "Mexico city is sinking" he declared. The Cathedral, however, has had extensive restoration and reinforcement to prevent this from happening. Inside we saw a huge lead plumb ball hanging from the ceiling that paid tribute to the comings and goings of the centre over the years. Standing outside the cathedral and looking in almost any direction, you can see the slight roller coaster appearance of the streets and several leaning walls. Apparently the inner walls of most building s have been reinforced over time even tho the outer appearance is suspect.
We decide that after a day of gallery hopping we were ready to head to Oaxaca. Hoping for a slower pace, we have both enjoyed Oaxaca immensely but arrived in the middle of the festivals for the Virgin of Soledad (solitude) which equates to huge parades, and festivities including firecrackers and fireworks into the wee hours. Quite entertaining.
We spent a wonderful day in the Botanical garden attached to the Santo Domingo Church and another day in the ruins of Monte Alban, high above Oaxaca City gathering drawings and photos and soaking up the atmosphere. I have been interviewing people about the protests which seem to be occurring daily in the Zocolo here regarding various political issues. The teachers went on strike for the day on Friday, blocking all of the major highways in the area. It has been interesting getting the local point of view and helping me put things into perspective.
The artists have all been in touch now and we are slowly making plans to meet. Maria Luisa will be back in Mexico at the end of the month and Patricia and Cesar are due near the end of February or early March.
We all have individual works to research and I feel confident that our time together, will be interesting and inspiring.
Until then, Haruko and I will be meeting with Lorena within a day or so and will sort out our long term accommodation and studio. More updates will come.
Joyce Majiski, January 19, 2009