Valentín Rodriguez stands 10 yards away from Juana, who is peddling a large, thick wooden wheel with long strands of fine fiber attached. Don Valentín is nimbly twisting the threadlike filaments, known as ixtle, almost magically transforming them into rope, known as mecate. Remember when twine was made of light colored fibers such as hemp, linen, cotton and sisal, before the Western marketplace became flooded with brilliantly colored polypropylene and nylon cord of varying calibers sold in hardware stores from large rolling spools? For the time being, at least in Oaxaca, it still is.

Producing rope from the broad, spiny leaves of a particular class of agave plant is one of the oldest surviving manufacturing industries in Mexico, dating back well over 2,000 years.  And in the southern state of Oaxaca it today represents yet another dimension of sustainability relating to the production of mezcal and pulque. 

The 70-year old Zapotec craftsman is making rope out of the pencas of pulquero agave, as he’s been doing for the past 55 years. The only difference is that now Don Valentín buys the fiber in 150 or 200 kilogram bales.  When he first learned his trade he fashioned the fiber out of fresh, green agave leaves, using an extremely labor intensive process.  Some folks in his hometown village of Santa Domingo Xagacía still do it the old fashioned way, from scratch.

Valentín Rodgriguez and Family; From Santa Domingo Xagacía to Colonia Yasip, Tlacolula

In 1984, Don Valentín moved from Xagacía to his current homestead in Colonia Yasip, a neighborhood in the foothills above Tlacolula de Matamoros, about a 40 minute drive from the state capital, Oaxaca de Juárez.  Tlacolula is best known to both visitors to Oaxaca and residents of the state for its vibrant Sunday marketplace. 

Don Valentín lives with his wife, five children and grandchildren.  A sixth, Simón, lives directly across the street, with his own family.  Simón and his wife also make mecate.  Altogether there are a half dozen families in the colonia and surroundings making mecate and other ixtle by-products.  They sell them mainly to stores and in regular weekly and livestock marketplaces in cities such as Oaxaca, Zaachila and of course Tlacolula.

“”We used to make a lot more products other than just rope; mecate is now used mainly for tying farm animals and sometimes as clotheslines and the odd other assorted use,” laments Don Valentín.  He still produces the mecapal, a long piece of  twine affixed to a woven forehead band, employed by campesinos to carry mainly firewood on their backs; from the forests, through the fields, along dirt roads and pathways, and finally to their homes.  But the days of producing clothing, footwear, floor mats, netting known as ayates utilized primarily for harvesting crops and holding and carrying infants, and even hammocks, are fast disappearing.

Early Production of Ixtle and Its By-Products in Santa Domingo Xagacía

Don Valentín’s father taught him how to make mecate, and several other types of utilitarian products once needed for day-to-day living in Oaxaca; all from the fiber of the agave leaf.  His father learned from his father; and so the tradition was passed down from generation to generation, beginning in the region once a sedentary lifestyle had been established by early Zapotec inhabitants.  

Don Valentín recalls:

“Until I moved to Tlacolula we made mecate the way it’s still made today in my village. I learned every stage of the process from my father; but of course sometimes others taught me when the two of us couldn’t do everything by ourselves.  We would bake about 20 leaves from the pulquero agave, piled on top of one another in a narrow pit, flipping them once after they turned yellow, making sure not to burn any too badly to render them useless for turning into mecate. Once we had a big pile of them we would pulverize them using a large, heavy wooden mallet, exposing the fiber.  We then put big heavy rocks on top of them to squeeze out any remaining juice.  We would bring down fresh water from the spring or stream, and leave the mashed fiber in the water for a couple of weeks until it began to rot.  Later we mashed it again and left it for a further 15 – 20 days.  Finally we would use a metal scraper to get off all the remaining flesh, then leave the completely fibrous material in the sun to dry for one or two days, depending on the time of year.”

Agave, Sustainability & Loss of Tradition

Sustainable industries in Oaxaca have been documented elsewhere as relating to the production of both mezcal and pulque.  In the case of mecate and mecapales currently produced in Tlacolula by Don Valentín and others, there’s been a dramatic change since these rural villagers began to develop a more urban lifestyle facilitated through emigrating from Santa Domingo Xagacía.

“In the olden days, after making mecate and other products with my father back home, we would fasten it all onto our backs and walk a whole day to get to Tlacolula for the Sunday market,” Don Valentín explains. He continues: 

“But after I moved, I learned about a tractor trailer that had begun to come to Oaxaca from Yucatán, filled with ready-made ixtle for sale.  So I started buying bales rather than making it myself. The ixtle I used to make from local pulquero agaves was and still is much better than the industrialized Yucatán stuff we now use, but this way it’s much easier and quicker. Now, every two or three months I simply have a light transport truck pick up the ixtle from the trailer in Oaxaca.”

Don Valentín says that the industry is changing even more dramatically, with less Xagacía villagers producing mecate: “I think there are fewer than 800 people in Xagacía now.  The older generation is dying off, and youth are leaving, either coming to Oaxaca, going to other states altogether, and of course many head to the US.”

There isn’t the demand as there was before, perhaps because of the lesser quality of the mecate made from imported fiber, inexpensive imported synthetic product, or the inability of men like Don Valentín to compete with rope of varying thicknesses which can be cut to any length in a matter of seconds.  Yes, he does do custom work, but orders are few and far between.  And how much can he charge, when his price for a dozen, four-and-a-half foot lengths of one-third inch mecate is only 20 pesos, about $1.70 USD?

Ixtle & Mecate in Oaxaca a Generation Hence

If Don Valentín and his family are any indication, in less than a generation a sustainable Oaxaca industry may have vanished.  Five of six progeny do not maintain the tradition.  Four are employed operating small, motorized three-wheeled taxis known as moto-taxis. The fifth, who is a chauffeur for a van company which transports residents between Oaxaca and the coast, is even more pessimistic:  “I don’t think it’ll be around in even ten years, the way things are going.” 

Don Valentín does now have a permanent Sunday stall at the Tlacolula market; but in addition to mecate and mecatales, he’s now making 100% synthetic carrying bags and selling them from his market stand. “That’s my bread and butter,” he bemoans.

Alvin Starkman is a contributing writer for Mexico Today, a program for Marca País – Imagen de México.  Alvin has written over 270 articles about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca and its central valleys.  Alvin has a particular interest in mezcal, pulque and all agave derivatives.  He enjoys sharing his passion for Oaxaca with tourists to the region.

Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) in the City of Oaxaca is one of the most exhilarating and interesting festivals anywhere in the world.  While it’s difficult to miss out on any of the major "muertos" activities without pre - planning, most travelers to Oaxaca for Day of the Dead want advance advice and assurances, rather than wait until their arrival in the city.  Once you have your accommodations, and have selected a couple daytime tours in advance, all you’ll need is this primer to know what’s in store for you, and when; whether cemeteries, comparsas, altars or tapetes.

Visiting Cemeteries In and Around Oaxaca for Día de los Muertos

The main downtown Oaxaca cemetery to visit during Day of the Dead is the Panteón Municipal or Panteón de San Miguel, located near the east end of downtown, walkable from most lodgings.  For this cemetery, both daytime and nighttime experiences are equally impressive, from October 31st through November 2nd.

Of the village and suburban cemeteries, three stand out.  The most popular for tourists is at Xoxocotlán, a 20 minute drive from the city.  It’s traditionally visited on October 31st, from just after dusk until well into the early hours of the next day. As with other cemeteries, though not a requirement, many visitors bring a small bouquet of flowers to place on a selected grave. On the same night, but beginning much later (I tend to go after 11 p.m.), there’s the cemetery in the town of Atzompa, also a short drive from Oaxaca.  It’s a quainter experience. The pilot for the Festquest television series, and part of the feature documentary Acquainted with the Night, were filmed in these two cemeteries, respectively.

On November 2nd, the cemetery at San Felipe del Agua is the place to be, beginning anytime after dusk, although Oaxacans are still bringing flowers to decorate graves well after 9 p.m. Whereas at the two first mentioned cemeteries the municipalities pay for live music, at San Felipe music is heard from small bands, marimbas and groups of guitar strumming troubadours, all hired by particular families. San Felipe is about 15 minutes from downtown.

Photographing is both permissible and expected at the cemeteries, but it’s always prudent to request permission at gravesites.

Day of the Dead Comparsas / Parades

Comparsas are parades through the streets and neighboring villages, with participants often dressed in elaborate costumes, many of which are custom designed by expert craftsmen.  It’s not unusual for Oaxacans to spend 3,000 – 4,000 pesos to have a costume made.  Comparsas always include brass bands playing traditional songs, dancing in the streets, and of course imbibing mezcal.  You’ll encounter at least one man toting a bottle of mezcal and small plastic cups, passing out the spirit to everyone inclined to partake.

Comparsas usually begin in the late afternoon, and continue throughout the night.  In Oaxaca comparsas are encountered downtown, and in neighborhoods such as Jalatlaco.  In the villages comparsas are generally restricted to a particular night.  In Atzompa the comparsa occurs on November 2nd, and in the various Etla villages about a half hour outside of Oaxaca, on November 1st.  Regarding the latter, there’s generally a comparsa for each village.  Sometimes

They converge at or near a designated location for a spirited informal “battle of the bands & costumes” competition.

One characteristic of the traditional comparsa is its tendency to stop at specific pre-arranged households; playing music and dancing in a large courtyard, then returning to the streets for reveling, then stopping at another household for perhaps an hour for comida (late lunch), then at another later on for cena (dinner), then picking up again. This means that it’s sometimes difficult to select the right time to be heading out to a village.  But with a little patience one invariably comes across the comparsa. 

Altars and Tapetes for Día de los Muertos
 
Constructing elaborate altars to honor deceased relatives, and hiring someone to prepare a colored sand carpet or tapete, are common Day of the Dead practices.  Regarding the former, most households and many downtown Oaxaca businesses erect an altar, usually inside an arch made of tall upright sugar cane plants, elaborately decorated with flowers (always including marigolds).  The altar is adorned with a photo of the deceased being honored, and the person’s favorite food and drink – beer, mezcal, mole, cigarettes, fruit, and so on. A path of marigold petals leading from the street right up to the altar, guides the soul of the deceased into the business or household.

The City of Oaxaca and some commercial establishments prepare tapetes, sometimes with skulls and skeletons, often with religious imagery such as the Virgin of the Soledad or Guadalupe. Religious tapetes are also encountered in front of tombstones.

Innumerable Activities & Images in Oaxaca for Day of the Dead: Cemeteries & Streets, City & Villages and Much More, but Book Accommodations Early

Visiting cemeteries, participating in comparsas and searching out the most elaborate and thought – provoking tapetes and altars are but a few of the innumerable Day of the Dead activities available to tourists.  A visit to Oaxaca which includes October 31st and the first two days of November inevitably results in memories lasting a lifetime.  Residents are extremely generous with their time, and offer their beliefs, feelings and interpretations of the significance of Day of the Dead. Don’t be shy.  Learn how Día de los Muertos in Oaxaca represents a fascinating fusion of indigenous Zapotec tradition and Catholic religious belief, not to be missed; but book accommodations early so you won’t be disappointed.

Alvin Starkman and his wife Arlene operate Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com). Alvin is a contributing writer for Mexico Today.  Alvin often takes visitors to Oaxaca out into the central valleys to enjoy the sights, including craft villages, natural wonders, pre-Hispanic ruins, as well as for more off-the-beaten-track experiences.