El Tecolote San Francisco and Oaxaca are places with a lot in common and it’s in this American city where Vladimir Cuevas This painter and sculptor made a boyhood dream of his come true: attending the Guelaguetza the most important indigenous cultural festival in Latin America within the framework of this world-renowned celebration Cuevas inaugurated his sculpture “El Danzante.” The Oaxacan artist—who has a predilection for the Dance of the Feather whose most striking element is the feathered headdress—recalled that as a child “[I] thought that by wearing it I could fly.” It took him 10 years to develop the idea for ​the sculpture of “El Danzante,” and it took four intense months to construct it Cuevas is now the creator of the largest “El Danzante” sculpture in the world The sensation one feels when seeing “El Danzante” atop the hill as if it were in charge of remembering the identity of the Zimatecos It is said that the sculptures are irremediably linked to a place or a person “El Danzante” is linked to the childhood of Cuevas and Zimatlán I have no doubt that with time it will become the identifying symbol of the Zimatecos longings and memories through the modeling we can think that the sculpture continues to have the power to explain to the town part of its history “El Danzante” represents the Dance of the Feather a majestic and historic Oaxacan tradition of Zapotec origin I agree with those who consider sculptures as books sculpted in stone or metal it’s also a piece that embellishes the magical hill even more Anyone visiting the land of the green quarry can enjoy this work that measures more than 42 and half feet high Cuevas contemplates the greatness of his work and says he fills with emotion and that he is willing to put that same faith into other projects “I worked hard so that ‘El Danzante’ could be inaugurated during the Guelaguetza 2018 festival My work and the great festival came together making this great moment something like I have always dreamed it.” the magnitude of the emotions that flutter in his mind and heart for which he has mixed feelings when his work is concluded I see the color in life and with a lot of peace The Zimatec painter has had exhibitions in the Philippines Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts and at the recently closed Polanco gallery He is currently planning an exhibition that will open on Nov where he’ll display the molds used for the “El Danzante” sculpture and some countries in Latin America and Europe In his art you’ll find abstract works and figurative pieces His paintings demonstrate his great handling of sands with which he develops colors and creates part of the universe known as Oaxaca As with “El Danzante,” Cuevas highlights his interest in pre-Columbian culture The Oaxacan artist works in various formats and has more than a hundred religious pieces some in churches and others in the hands of private collectors Cuevas has also illustrated publications such as The Prayer Book for which he made three altarpieces: “The Last Supper,” “The Resurrection” and “The Virgin of Guadalupe.” this Oaxacan will continue to inspire with his work just as he has been inspired by great masters such as Da Vinci Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Celia Florián sums up Oaxacan cuisine with the words mole But the cuisine and the culture behind it are a complicated tapestry of local and seasonal ingredients that distinguish dishes among the many small valleys of this mountainous state Florián is the owner and inspiration behind the Las Quince Letras restaurant which she opened with husband Fidel Méndez in 1992 in the center of Oaxaca city but its signature dish is the mole negro that she grew up with “Cooking is for me an encounter with myself,” Florián says “It has been my refuge; it is my home and it will continue to be my everything.” That passion for cooking began early in life Born into a rural farm family in the La Ciénaga community of  Zimatlán de Álvarez her early childhood revolved around the cultivation and preparation of food Her culinary foundation is the work she did with her mother and grandmother learning tasks such as prepping vegetables we eat well as families because of the variety of ingredients there are very healthy because of the plants and other ingredients that the earth provides They give the dishes their distinctive flavors.” The family moved to the city of Oaxaca when she was still in primary school but her love for the cuisine of her childhood led her to take the plunge and open Las Quince Letras a lifelong project of bringing the home cooking of Oaxaca’s kitchens to an appreciative audience Her knowledge comes from her personal experience and her contacts with many She did take some classes in restaurant operations but tries to keep cooking techniques as close to the original as possible This includes an aversion to exact measurements and preferring to cook by sight “You need to cook with your own hands,” she says traditional wood fires are out because of city regulations means depending on what is available locally and almost never using prepackaged items Cooks like her grandmother use few oils and fats She finds that avoiding the fat does not mean lessening the flavor Las Quince Letras (The 15 Letters) has been in the same location since it opened 28 years ago it was locally known as “La Esquina” (The Corner) a local landmark it had been a tenement with various businesses occupying the space by the street The then-owner had these tenants use “Las Quince Letras” as the business name something that was done with the small grocery store that occupied the space before the restaurant but Florían decided to keep the naming tradition It does not hurt that the words Cocina oaxaqueña has 15 letters Although it has never wavered from traditional Oaxacan food the menu has evolved to include dishes from just about all over the state This work has made the restaurant a point of reference for educating not only tourists but locals as well Younger Oaxaqueños come to the restaurant to get a better appreciation of their cuisine bringing Oaxacan flavors to Mexico City and Washington The restaurant’s success made Florián one of Mexico’s leading experts on Oaxacan cuisine Inspired by her attendance at Slow Food’s 2018 event in Italy she decided to organize traditional Oaxacan cooks The result is the Asociación de Cocineras Tradicionales de Oaxaca (Traditional Cooks Association of Oaxaca) which sponsored an event called the Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales for three consecutive years before the pandemic hit Both the organization and event seek to connect cooks as well as educate the general public about the value of Oaxacan food through tastings It resulted in the publication of a book entitled Las cocinas tradicionales de Oaxaca featuring both recipes and the cooks that provided them The 2019 version of the Encuentro demonstrated over 200 dishes but the 2020 and 2021 versions were canceled due to the pandemic The hope is that the 2022 version will be a go Florián’s work with these cooks is personally satisfying “These women have been my “maestras” (teachers/masters) not only in relation to cooking but about the greatness of Oaxacan women Visiting any traditional kitchen is like entering another world techniques and even rituals related to preparation and eating.” Florián’s work has been recognized with memberships in national organizations such as the Conservatoria de la Cocina Mexicana with the restaurant listed as one of the 120 best restaurants in Mexico by Pellegrino/Nespresso and was the 2021 Artisan & Authenticity Award winner of the World’s’ Best Restaurant Selection of the French organization La Liste including appearances on Netflix’s Street Food Latinoamerica series She was also a judge of the MasterChef México TV series in 2020 Oaxaca is a seemingly infinite number of tiny valleys and hamlets that would take multiple lifetimes to explore “Oaxaca’s cuisine is a jewel,” says the chef and certainly it has a long and bright future Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico 18 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019) Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC