The Amazing One and Only Nim Pot

There is no other store in the world quite like this marvelous emporium of all things handmade and Guatemalan with an emphasis on all things textile

What Cargo is to Portland, what ABC Carpet and Home is to NYC, what Watson Kennedy is to Seattle,  Nim Pot, which is also the name of a full length Mayan ceremonial robe, is to all of Guatemala. Like all these stores, Nim Pot appears to be a la labor of love by a visionary owner who also has a little bit of the maximalist hoarder gene. 

At first glance you might think you’ve stepped into a giant  souvenir shop (which it is) but you’d be missing the probably single largest collection of Mayan textiles ever assembled in one place. And it’s not a museum,  you can touch and buy them too!   

This wall shown above, all organized by regions and very tidy, went on for a while. Be still my beating heart. Mostly huipiles but also ponchos, stacks of red and white striped handwoven men’s pants, children’s clothes and yardage. Everything is used but in good condition. Don’t have a photo but there were also two huge tables full of torn, extra worn, and stained pieces. Here’s a link to a video that presents a different side of the used textile business in Guatemala. Full disclosure  - I need to educate myself more about this sensitive subject. No one wants to be exploiting these talented weavers when buying huipiles so take a look and see what you think here  

Then two aisles of the best of the best, vetted, vintage huipiles, dancers outfits, and belts - all very tidy and hanging on display rods. Again, most of it was organized by community so you could really study the nuances and variations on a theme but get a sense for the overarching style. Yes we died and went to heaven. Frankly, it was more than I could take in. Heaven was exhausting. Went back the next day too. 

The whole back wall was filled with these beaded, sequined Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band meets Napoleonic French soldier in the highlands of Guatemala ceremonial outfits (photo above) which they described as warlocks outfits. I wanted to buy ALL of them in the worst way. If I still had the store at least one would have been coming home with me.

Then there were two floor to ceiling walls of masks almost all vintage. 

Then trinkets galore including this bowl of slingshots,

an old canoe full of hacky sacks,

and even hand rolled tobacco cigars. Plus kites, worry dolls, beaded jewelry and pretty much any kind of

souvenir ever made in Guatemala. Nothing about this store says restraint. Another notable thing about Nim Pot was that despite the fact that it looks like it takes a veritable army of elves to fold and stack everything, the salespeople were inconspicuous and low key. This is the opposite if the extra attentive sales pressure you find in so so many places here in Guatemala and a somewhat welcome relief  It was a great place to start our textile adventure. 

The Church at Teotitlan

The church in Teotitlan de Valle is one of my favorites.  It's a a very active church and there's always something going on. 

A Very Fine Collection of Ex Voto Paintings in Oaxaca

I was writing Susana Wald about visiting with her at her home in Huayapam about 20 minutes outside the city and she mentioned she could arrange for the village  church to be open for us.  Yes please. It's an early and old church and Susana says on a clear day you can see Mt Alban from the atrium. I'd only been there once before and remembered, among other things, their fabulous collection of ex voto paintings.  Really folk art at it's finest, up close and personal - some dating back as late as the early 1800's. There were paintings on metal,canvas,and wood all in various states of disrepair lined on both sides of the wall in the side chapel. ( Pro tip - most of the action in the churches happens in the side chapels.) Here are just a few of them.

                           

Oaxaca Historic Organ Tour

 

I completely forgot to tell you about the tour I took in Oaxaca last February.  It was fun to be participant instead of the organizer.  It was a tour of historic organs of Oaxaca (who knew?) and for me it was a chance to see something like 16 churches in 7 days.  That's my idea of a good time.

 Some of the places we went were barely even on the map and definitely not in any guide books. Oaxaca has seventy something historic organs scattered throughout the state. Of these only eight or nine have been restored to playable condition.   The IOHIO (the sponsors of the tour) has worked to document these remarkable treasures, help communities conserve their organs, restore some organs, organize concerts and educate young Oaxaqueno musicians to play.

  At times there were as many as 80 of us in four 20  person vans cruising the backroads of Oaxaca, climbing staircases and peering into side rooms. Musicians, art restorers, organ makers, Mexican students studying organ, snowbirds, and church geeks (that would be me) made up this multicultural bunch.

 We were greeted by locals everywhere we went, got up close and personal with organs, heard some great music, and ate some good food - one of those memorable meals will always be the sheep barbacoa we enjoyed in Tiltepec.

                  Click here if you'd like to see a total recap of the 2016 Historic Organ Festival and find out more about this most dedicated and amazing organization
And click here if you'd like to see a small album of photos from the tiniest church we went to.

It's a Big Art World Out There

 

I have been spending some time pondering the different roles and different status the artist occupies in the States and in Oaxaca.  And frankly, I think the Mexican artist is more revered. And  S/he has a stronger sense of identity and purpose. Plus they tend to be more articulate and prolific. It's fascinating.  And should you like to delve further and get a little wonky here's an interesting article about contemporary Latin American Art.

The photo is picture of a painting in the backroom of Santa Ana Zegache awaiting restoration

Fuzzy Heart Photo - Mexican Style

Happy Valentine's Day Amigos!

(Look, it's a heart with a flower growing out of it from the church in Teotitlan de Valle)

Happy Valentine's Day

 Happy Valentine's Day

 Or as they say in Mexico, Feliz Dia De Amor y Amistad  (Happy Day of Love and Friendship) because the Mexican psyche does not want anyone to be left out....

Yes, Mexico and her people, for sure, have a little piece of my heart.

Top and bottom image from the church at Teotitlan de Valle.....Both hearts have flowers sprouting from them!  :)

Looking Backwards, Looking Ahead

Hola Amigas, we're not in Kansas any more.  We have so enjoyed putting together these art making and cultural tours of Oaxaca.  We have met so many amazing people and been deeply inspired by the energy and spirits of the Oaxacan people.   At this point, the beginning of 2015, we don't have any plans for an upcoming Art Tour, but contact  and let us know if you're interested in future trips. Because there will be more trips, we're just not sure exactly when!  And if you have a group of six or more friends who want to experience the backroads of Oaxaca, let us know.  We'd be happy to arrange a private tour just for you.

Off the Beaten Path

Here we are at the lovely, old, colonial church of  Santa MariaTiltepec, built as a village church, no doubt by locals, sometimes around the late 1500's - it's exterior is elaborately carved on almost every surface 

and, if you look carefully, you'll see that it's not the same side to side, it's asymmetrical and then you'll see flowers, and vines, and serpents,  and mythical animals and the whole effect is kind of chunky and blocky as if the builders  have taken it apart piece by piece and and then reassembled it.  This is the folk art of the 16th century being built at the same time they were building magnificent cathedrals 20 miles away.

And then, if you turn away from the church and look in this direction, this is what you see!  Can we say, sort of the middle of nowhere!  But green and bucolic and peaceful and commanding quite the view.

We saw people picking avocados, herding sheep, and repairing roofs as we drove through this tiny little puebla.

 I was so excited to take the tour here because it's something special and it's off the beaten track. Many guide books don't even mention it.  And every time I have been to Tiltepec the church has been locked and not a soul in sight.  This time I was with our guide Pablo and was hoping he could find someone to let us in.  He went off on his errand and we sat and sketched. Some drew the church and some the countryside.

Then lo and behold, a mere forty five minutes or so later, along came Pablo, the caretaker, and his son, on a burro, who was holding the key to the 400 year old door.  I had one of those died and went to heaven moments when they opened the door, revealing candlelight flickering in front of all three of the 17th century altars inside this small village church.

Pablo and the caretaker, who was so kind to take time out from his busy day working his ranchito, to give us a private little tour.  You can see Jill & Victoria sketching in front of an altarpiece in  the background on the left.

Above photo is the retablo/altarpiece dedicated to the archangels. 

While we were there about five people from a nearby village came with flowers and candles and sat up in the front and said some prayers.

And here's  a super old baptismal font where you see carved legs made to represent serpents.

I saw another one kind of like this one at Cuilapan.

But I have never seen a column carved like a cactus like this one here.

This was one of the high points of the tour for me and a really special day.