Casa de la Mujer:  Benefiting Indigenous Oaxacan Women for 35 Years

Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.

Casa de la Mujer is arguably the most important resource available to young, bright indigenous women who would otherwise not realize their full potential as contributing members of Oaxacan society.  The charity’s reach extends throughout all eight regions of the state.  Its mission is to contribute to the transformation of a more just and equitable society respecting women’s rights.   

The umbrella organization is comprised of three intertwined programs:  Grupo de Estudios sobre la Mujer “Rosario Castellanos” which was founded in 1977; a research and development arm known as Investigación-Acción; and a scholarship fund known as el Fondo Guadalupe Musalem A.C., formed in 1995, and for more than 15 years boasting internationally renowned singer-songwriter Lila Downs as its most prominent supporter and promoter.   

Every April Casa de la Mujer announces in rural communities throughout the state of Oaxaca the availability of scholarships to assist students in obtaining their high school education.  The prerequisites for acceptance into the program are: 

·        Being a woman less than 20 years of age who is native to Oaxaca, and of either indigenous or African descent

·        Successful completion of junior high school with an average GPA of 9

·        Having the desire and willingness to work with women in their community

·        Making a commitment towards solidarity with the tenets of Casa de la Mujer

·        Periodically complying with requirements established by the scholarship fund

Those accepted into the scholarship program receive 2,000 pesos per month for each term of 12 months, during which they are required to attend high school either in their communities, or close to their homes in cases where higher education is not available in a particular village.  In many cases the transportation alone required to enable a student to attend high school in a distant town is great enough to dissuade parents from encouraging their children have their sights set on high school.  Thus, many bright students have little if any incentive to even complete junior high.

The monthly stipend is intended to cover the cost of books and related educational supplies, inscription fees each semester, food and clothing, transportation and housing costs in cases where students must travel outside of their communities to attend school, and other sundry expenses.  Each month students must enumerate in writing expenses incurred, with balances carried forward to subsequent months, thus ensuring accountability.   Provision of medical, dental and psychological services are included as one of the scholarship benefits, generally provided by professionals practicing in close proximity to the Casa de la Mujer premises in downtown Oaxaca.  Each scholarship recipient is periodically assessed by a Casa de la Mujer staff member, an advisor of sorts. 

Students are encouraged to attend monthly weekend workshops in Oaxaca.  In many cases they spend six hours or longer on public buses on Friday getting them to Oaxaca, and again on Sunday returning them to their home villages.  Areas covered in the seminars include personal, social and cognitive development; artistic expression; and tools for working within the community.  Plenary sessions include strategies for dealing with insecurities; self-esteem and assertiveness training; life planning; women’s rights; and dealing with violence in the community.  The curriculum includes working in groups while focusing on theatrical expression.

Since the inception of the Casa de la Mujer scholarship fund, close to 100 young women have participated in the program, benefiting 58 indigenous and rural communities representing all regions of the state, including the coast.  Twenty-six alumni have gone on to university, and 16 have graduated, in fields as diverse as chemical engineering, psychology, law, history and anthropology, mathematics, biology and architecture. Some have received national recognition for their achievements, and others have been awarded scholarships to study in universities in the United States.  

Donations to the fund are deductible from US income, and it’s anticipated that in the near future the same will hold true for Canadians.  You can donate as little as 100 pesos per month to the fund.  At last count there were 190 individual and corporate sponsors donating over one million pesos annually.   For those wanting a more direct involvement in the success of a bright indigenous Oaxacan woman, arrangements can be made to donate 2,000 pesos per month to cover all of the expenses of a particular student. 

In addition to the foregoing revenue generated for Casa de la Mujer, every year Lila Downs, husband and musical director Paul Cohen, and the rest of their band, hold a benefit concert in Oaxaca.  Last year’s performance raised over 122,000 pesos.  During the concert Lila calls all of the current scholarship recipients to the stage, at which time they are congratulated –  with the strongest heartfelt and emotional applause imaginable.  Sometimes alumni who have gone on to establish careers are given special recognition.

Imagine the feeling of being at a Lila Downs concert, and seeing this group of young women on stage, proudly clad in their traditional regional dress, knowing that you have played a part in their personal, social, emotional and educational development.

To inquire about donating to Casa de la Mujer, email [email protected] or call (951) 516-6810 (http://www.gesmujer.org). You can also email me at [email protected].

Alvin Starkman operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com) with his wife Arlene, and Oaxaca Culinary Tours (http://www.oaxacaculinarytours.com) with Chef Pilar Cabrera.  Alvin frequently assists tourists in planning their visits to Oaxaca and the sights in its   central valleys. He is a director of the Canadian charity, CANFRO (Canadian Friends of Oaxaca Inc.)

Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.

Mezcalaria, Cultura del Mezcal, The Cult of Mezcal (Farolito ediciones, 2012) is the third edition, first bilingual (English-Spanish), of the seminal 2000 publication by author Ulises Torrentera.  The book is highly opinionated on the one hand, yet on the other contains a wealth of both historical and contemporary facts about agave, mezcal and pulque.  Torrentera places his subject matter within appropriate social, cultural, ethnobotanical and etymological context, at times referencing other Mexican as well as Old World spirits and fermented drinks.  And where fact is uncertain, or when Torrentera feels the need to supplement in order to hold the reader’s interest, he infuses with myth and legend. 

Torrentera takes the reader far beyond the decades old introductory book, de Barrios’ A Guide to Tequila, Mezcal and Pulque and much deeper into the field of inquiry than the more recent series of bilingual essays in Mezcal, Arte Traditional, although the latter does include excellent color plates (the Spanish first edition of Mezcalaria contains a few color plates). It stands at the other end of the spectrum from the monolingual coffee table book Mezcal, Nuestra Esencia and is far more comprehensive than the English portion of Oaxaca, Tierra de Maguey y Mezcal.

Torrentera’s passion for mezcal rings loud and clear.  In discussions with him and in the course of hearing him hold court, he has repeatedly indicated that it’s crucial that more aficionados of alcoholic beverages taste and appreciate all that mezcal has to offer.   That’s his motivation for writing, speaking, and exposing the public to mezcal in his Oaxaca mezcaleria, In Situ. The spirit, paraphrasing his viewpoint, leaves its main rival tequila behind in its wake, primarily because of the numerous varieties of agave which can be transformed into mezcal, the broad range of growing regions and corresponding micro-climates, and the diversity of production methods currently employed,  the totality yielding a plethora of flavor nuances which tequila cannot match.

His treatise, on the other hand, to some extent does his raison d´être a disservice. He is overly critical of mezcal that is not to his liking.  For example, in the Prologue to this first English edition (don’t let the poor and at time incomprehensible translation of the Prologue dissuade an otherwise prospective purchaser; the balance of the book is well translated) Torrentera writes of mezcal with more than or less than 45 – 50% alcohol by volume:  “above that graduation [sic] the flavors of mezcal are lost and there is more intoxication; if it is below this one cannot appreciate the organoleptic qualities of the beverage.”  He also writes that unaged or blanco is the best way to appreciate mezcal.  He continues that in his estimation “cocktails are the fanciest manner to degrade mezcal.”

Indeed, I regularly drink one particular mezcal at 63%, which is exquisite, and numerous other mezcales in the 52% - 55% range which my drinking partners and I enjoy; we appreciate flavor nuances without becoming overly intoxicated.  At the other end of the spectrum, a recent entry into the commercial mezcal market, produced in Matatlán, Oaxaca, is 37%.  The owners of the brand held well over 50 blind taste testings in Mexico City, including mezcales of less percentage alcohol, of greater potency, and of popular high end designer labels; 37% won out by a wide margin.  In the first year of production it shipped 16,000 bottles of 37% alcohol by volume to the domestic market only; not bad for a mezcal lacking organoleptic qualities.

Regarding the blanco/reposado/añejo issue, why not encourage novices to try it all and decide for themselves?  Why dissuade drinkers of Lagavulin, or better yet Glenmorange sherry or burgundy cask scotch from experimenting with mezcal aged in barrels from French wine or Kentucky bourbon?  While I appreciate Torrentera’s zeal and his belief, his dogmatism may very well serve to restrict sales of mezcal and inhibit valiant efforts to find convertees.  Many spirits aficionados might prefer a mezcal which he does not recommend.  Furthermore, if mixologists and creative bartenders can increase sales and market mezcal through mixing mezcal cocktails, isn’t that what the Maestro wants?

Torrentera’s reflections are otherwise sound and should find broad agreement with readers, be they mezcal or tequila aficionados or novices, or those who are otherwise followers of the industry.  I’ve often expressed his point that far too many exporters and large scale producers are padding their bank accounts at the expense of campesino growers and owners of small distilleries, the mom and pop “palenques” as they’re termed in the state of Oaxaca.  He laments the regulatory direction mezcal appears to be heading, and pleads for change in the NOM (Norma Oficial Mexicana) and for a better and more discerning and detailed system of classification.  He warns of mezcal heading in the direction of tequila in terms of homogenization.

Torrentera’s work is the most comprehensive and detailed endeavor available in English, which combines and synthesizes literature about agave (historical uses and cultural importance), pulque (within global context of fermented beverages) and mezcal (as one of a number of early distilled drinks). He appropriately criticizes, mainly in the Prologue, academic studies which have provisionally concluded, using a bastardized form of scientific method, the existence of distillation in pre-Hispanic times.

The author shines in his compiling, extensively drawing from, and quoting diverse bodies of work; scholarly, historical anecdotal, as well as both secular and religious Conquest era laws and decrees.  His bibliography is impressive.  He correctly cites inconsistencies in and difficulties interpreting some of the centuries old references, allowing the reader to reach his own conclusions.  If a criticism must be proffered, occasionally it is difficult to discern when he is quoting versus using his own words.  But this is likely an issue with editing and printing than fault of Torrentera. At times he does neglect to indicate dates and sources, making it hard to determine precisely how much is independent research.  Footnotes would have helped in this regard, and also would have made it easier for the reader to go to the original source material.

Torrentera vacillates between seemingly attempting to write in an academic manner, and inserting intra-chapter headings and content which would appear to be attempts at humor.  To his credit, however, the difference is easily discernible, and accordingly the reader should have no difficulty distinguishing fact from lightheartedness.

Mezcalaria, Cultura del Mezcal, The Cult of Mezcal, is an important and extremely comprehensive body of work.  It should be read by everyone with an interest in agave, mezcal (or tequila) and / or pulque.  Torrentera is to be congratulated for compiling what no other writer to date has been able to do.

Alvin Starkman has been an aficionado of mezcal and pulque for 20 years.  A resident of Oaxaca, Alvin frequently takes visitors to the state into the outlying regions of the central valleys to teach them about mezcal, including different production methods, flavor nuances and the use of diverse agaves.  Alvin has written extensively about mezcal and pulque and has recently begun compiling a body of literature:   http://www.oaxaca-mezcal.com.  He can be reached at [email protected].

Over the past two years, mezcal’s star has reached new heights with each passing month. The incidence of its Oaxaca producers and exporters, acting upon knowledge of the pending arrival onto their turf of American and Canadian mezcal aficionados and connoisseurs, has been nothing short of remarkable, at times droll.

Bartenders, Bar Owners Included in Sociedad de Mezcaleros Tour of Oaxaca

In March, 2013, the secretive Sociedad de Mezcaleros embarked upon a major sojourn into the heart of Mexico’s agave producing country, a region so climatically suited to the growing of maguey, that some of Jalisco’s tequila producers have stepped up their pirating ways in trucking off multi-ton trailer loads of Oaxacan piñas.

The first wave of mezcal aficionados to arrive for the tour was an entourage of bartenders and bar owners, closely followed by architects, journalists, photographers, and those whose mere curiosity about the Sociedad had been too hard to resist. Almost all of the  Sociedad members had hailed from the American northwest, an area of the U.S. which, judging from the interest generated in the community of mezcal producers and their marketing arms, will soon overtake New York City as the country’s spirits and cocktails trendsetter.  In fact, La Carta de Oaxaca and Mezcalería Oaxaca, both based in Seattle, have been at forefront, doing more than their fair share.

Oaxaca Mezcaleros Come a Courting

No less than six stakeholders, part-owners of an up-and-coming brand of the beverage, swooped down on Oaxaca, coming from their homes and offices in diverse corners of both Mexico and the U.S., to converge upon their new found land of gold, to meet, greet and court.  Now to be fair, a specific date had earlier been set for a visit to their palenque.  But they otherwise spared no late night energy in tracking down the spirits aficionados and imbibing with them, each to his fullest capacity.  Whatever food and watering hole the Sociedad recommended to its flock, the mezcaleros were sure to follow.

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A recent trend in not only Oaxaca, but also in other Mexican states, has been the emergence of young attractive women on the mezcal scene.  Some are distillery employees hired to market, promote and ultimately sell.  Others, and not to take away from their sometimes involvement in day-to-day distillery operations, are front (wo)men,  members of families which have either been palenqeros, or have  invested in the purchase of an existing mezcal operation.  Using sex to sell alcohol is not the exclusive right of breweries.

Now once the group had had an opportunity to personally meet Mademoiselle X at her family’s palenque, it didn’t take long for them to begin texting her, advising of their whereabouts for the duration of their visit, and suggesting a further rendezvous or two – notwithstanding that at least for this tour member it quickly became obvious that Mademoiselle X was not the one to consult with questions of a technical nature relating to mezcal, its production and its sale.  To her credit she readily acknowledged that she was a novice, with a lot to learn.  But the señorita tan güapa was up to the task at hand, and she both fit and fulfilled her job description to a tee.

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Señor Y was in a different category, and while wooing was no doubt part of the game plan, he played his cards well, coming across as and indeed being more of an educator and genuine host than a wolf pouncing on easy prey.  He, as was the case with our distillery conglomerate, had previously booked a date with the group.  But Señor Y managed to finesse a way to not only extend contact with the barmen and the rest, but also set up a meeting with Mr. Journalist and  Master photographer / videographer, a brilliant and calculating move which will likely pay off in spades, much more so than how the Group of Six and Mademoiselle X approached a marketing opportunity.

More Diverse Activities of Sociedad de Mezcaleros in Oaxaca than Exposure to Exporters

The Sociedad de Mezcaleros is a living organism, continuously changing through adaptation, meeting the needs and desires of a growing and thus increasingly diverse interest group. On earlier excursions the focus was largely exploratory.  This new itinerary was not entirely void of some of those past exceptional experiences:  revisiting memorable distilleries with a view to rekindling acquaintanceships with their colorful palenqueros; relaxing at and enjoy the higher end fare of well-known downtown Oaxacan restaurants; fulfilling the yearnings for a return to favorite roadside eateries; and of course showcasing emerging adventures.

The March, 2013, tour of Oaxaca by those intrigued with the Sociedad de Mezcaleros, succeeded in delving yet further into the related worlds of agave and mezcal, both directly and indirectly, nevertheless leaving a plethora of avenues unexplored.  As Sociedad presidente cryptically concluded in his trademark fashion, “you bet we have much more in store for both neophytes and seasoned mezcalytes alike, but those details are for another discussion; and don’t forget those producers who didn’t get their hands on our group this time.”

Alvin Starkman tries to follow the every move of the secret society known as the Sociedad of Mezcaleros.  He operates Oaxaca Culinary Tours with Chef Pilar Cabrera Arroyo (http://www.oaxacaculinarytours.com) and Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast with wife Arlene (http://www.oaxacadream.com).  He compiles a body of English works about mezcal and pulque (http://www.oaxaca-mezcal.com), and occasionally takes mezcal aficionados on visits to a diverse variety of distilleries, and out into the fields to harvest agave as well as aguamiel used in making pulque.  Alvin has written over 30 articles about mezcal, pulque and Mexican craft beer. Watch for his upcoming craft beer, mezcal and pulque tour of Oaxaca.