Day 67: Monday, March 9
On the Monday of our final week in Oaxaca we visited Teotitlan del Valle to speak about usos y costumbres with members of the cabildo. The cabildo is made up of men that govern Teotitlan. The president spoke to us about his role in the village and how the village operates. As mentioned before, the village operates largely independently of the nation and state. Their government is led by men elected into positions every few years. Only men serve in the cabildo. The president told us that the people of Teotitlan start preparing for their adult responsibilities as children. Therefore, boys follow their fathers, perhaps learning how government works, and women follow their mothers, perhaps learning how to sew. Women are not expected to aspire for political leadership rules. The president told us that it is best for people to stick to their roles, and this statement went along with the idea that women should be contained to the domestic sphere.
The views that he expressed are not specific to Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, or Mexico. The idea that someone’s gender can determine their societal role/abilities is common. However, this idea does take a special shape in Latin American communities, often times known as machismo. In Oaxaca I witnessed the effects of machismo. Machismo is derived from the word macho, which means male, specifically in reference to animals. Machismo is the idea that men are protectors and defenders. This type of masculinity takes pride in aggressiveness, braveness, and dominance over women. Throughout my time in Oaxaca I was constantly catcalled. Men whistled at me, drivers flashed their lights, other men called at me, taxi drivers, waiters…the list goes on and on, but basically I encountered dozens of men every day that called out for my attention. All of the women I encountered in Oaxaca, except maybe two, also experienced this street harassment. Fortunately, unlike in the States, men did not grab at me or tell me to smile. However everyone was aware of the liberties men took when it came to expressing themselves.
While machismo encourages gender stereotypes just like sexism in the U.S., the way that machismo and U.S. sexism are countered differ. In the States, feminism centers around promoting the idea that men and women are capable of doing the same things. For example, American feminism says that the ability to be a defender, a nurturer, a nurse, or a marine, are not biological or gendered abilities. Rather everyone-regardless of their gender-is capable of pursuing whatever they want. In Mexico, and Latin America in general, the issue of gender roles is looked at different. Multiple Latin American countries have had female presidents. Women serve on various governmental offices as political leaders. Women are business leaders and academics, as are men. Therefore, feminism ideas in Latin America are more focused on destroying the idea of machismo. I saw posters challenging machismo in Latuvi (where I went horseback riding). The posters called for an end to sexual violence by encouraging people to respect consensual sex. Other PSA encouraged respect among people and shamed men that exhibited machismo culture. Rather than encouraging women to protect themselves from gender-based violence, Latin American anti-machismo, or feminism, encourages men to not commit gender-based violence.
I think that is worth repeating.
Rather than encouraging women to protect themselves from gender-based violence, Latin American anti-machismo, or feminism, encourages men to not commit gender-based violence.
Through my experiences day in and day out it is obvious that machismo is alive and well. However it is encouraging to know that at least some people are concerned with stopping-rather than simply avoiding-violence.
Day 68: Tuesday, March 10
my art!
Espacio Zapata is an art collective in Oaxaca, Mexico. It is such an awesome space!!!!!! The young artists create graphic prints, murals, stencils, and other forms of art. Much of their work is motivated by their political opinions on the state of Mexico. They believe in the right of free artistic expression and denounce capitalism.
art from Espacio Zapata
Originally opened in 2006 as ASARO, or Asamblea de Artista Revolucionarios de Oaxaca (Assembly of Revolutionary Oaxacan Artists) they changed their name to Espacio Zapata in 2008 to better represent their values. The artists believe that many other artists give in to the horrors of capitalism. But, like Zapata, they believe that the people should not be under the dictatorship of the corrupt state and capitalism. Both perpetuate inequality and work to primarily serve the bourgeois. Recently, Ayotzinapa has been an important part of their work. They combine ideas associated with Zapata and the Mexican Revolution with modern day issues. For example, as mentioned before, Zapata advocated for indigenous land rights. Artists symbolized his work through images of Zapata leading groups of people on horseback through indigenous lands. Similarly, this art collective uses imagery associated with indigenous groups to express their support for the underrepresented and dissent of the Mexican government.
art from Espacio Zapata
Espacio Zapata offers art classes, talks, and events to educate people on their beliefs and art. They also sell their art. During our excursion we spoke to an artist and then made our own stencils. During a question and answer session, one of the artists was asked if he believed that capitalism could work if the rich weren’t so corrupt. He answered that «El capitalismo es un cáncer.» It cannot be corrected or serve the working class appropriately. By its very design, and it is very successful at this, it works to improve the standard of living of the wealthy by exploiting the poor and disadvantaged. History has shown this, as have its leaders in business, the government, and other areas. (Fun fact: This person went on to stencil a huge dollar sign.) I stenciled a puppy. One of the artists helped me take my stencilling a step farther-we made three different stencils from one design! It was very fun! Also, many of the people we met at Espacio Zapata were people that we ran into in El Centro throughout our time in the program.
Such fun times 🙂
Later that night I met with my friends Diego and Saul. Saul helped me prepare my Spanish presentation. After taking care of business we spent the night requesting throwback jams for the DJ to play on the big screen. I also ran into a University of Michigan graduate from Chicago. He was taking a few years off to travel before heading to work. What a small world!
Day 69: Chill Wednesday, March 11
After so much excitement on Monday and Tuesday I took Wednesday day to chill and focus on my homework assignment. But we only had like four days left so I went out again that night and enjoyed what little time I had left in beautiful Oaxaca.
73 Aventuras 