Page 121 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2024 LIMA

In San Martin Tilcajete, we toured the
workshop of Jacobo and Maria Angeles,
where 220 artists work painstakingly to trans‐
form chunks of hard copal wood into intricate
Zapotec figures known as alebrijes. We
watched master carvers and practiced
painters who worked with minuscule brushes
and vibrant colors to bring that wood to life.
At the workshop store, we found magnificent
museum-worthy finished products that can
sell for thousands of dollars.
A few miles away, we met the artists of
Santo Tomas Jalieza who make magic on
their backstrap looms. At the town’s Mercado
de Artesanías coop, we watched locals
demonstrate their work, creating textiles in
ancient geometric Zapotec designs. Shop‐
ping was great fun – and affordable.
Before heading back to Oaxaca city, our
driver made a final stop at Museo de Arte
Popular de Oaxaca in San Bartolo Coyotepec.
The state-run museum showcases folk art
from throughout the region – from textiles
to tinwork, puppets to paintings. San Bartolo
Coyotepec is best known for its barro negro
pottery; the museum exhibits of huge collec‐
tion by the region’s best potters.
But, there was more.
Our most memorable encounter at the
museum was unplanned and unexpected. In
a quiet corner of an upstairs exhibit hall, we
happened upon a balding middle-aged man
in a plaid shirt and worn blue jeans with
rolled-up cuffs. He hunkered over an upright
piano, making exquisite classical music. A
few feet away, a young woman with the voice
of an angel, sang. Together, they were silk See an array of magnificent fabric art at the
and honey. We were transfixed Oaxaca Textile Museum (opposite). Then visit
We eventually learned that our exclusive, Santo Tomas Jalieza to see local artists at work
private performance was a rehearsal for a on their looms.
concert later in the week – but for us it was
more: another magical moment for our Oax‐
aca memory file.

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