Huatulco Eye Living and Loving the Oaxacan Riviera Issue No. 3 April, 2011
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Huatulco Moment by Frances Lopez In this issue... Shopping guide Baseball Whales Green team Volleyball Cacaluta Ambulante Film Fest
All day Happy Hour on Select Cocktails Maguey Bay, Huatulco
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Around Huatulco... Gabriel... Winner of the Old Road Bike Race
Hemingway`s Oscar Party Best Dressed Winners
Wes and Neal
Valerie
Artesanos Event at Villa Aurora
Alfredo, Ron and Greg
M贸nica, Jacobo and Maria
Hosts Howard and Julie with Bulmaro and wife
Maguey Fun Celeste Mezcal Tasting
Shopping Huatulco Those of us who live here have our own favorite places to shop for food and necessities. Most of us haunt the same stores with some regularity, and each has something to offer, yet not completely. Who among us has only made one stop on “shopping day”? More like 3-5 stops. It is completely subjective of course, my dependable standbys may not be yours, but eventually we get our routines down and know where to go and what to expect from those particular stores. There are always surprises though. Every now and then one finds something totally unexpected that it feels like a treasure hunt when we shop.
By Doreen Woelfel
tortillas are slapped up on the walls like tandoori chicken, and out comes these crunchy, slightly sweet, like a coconut/corn tortilla that hints of fortune cookie. One vender is often on the corner of Carrizal and Guarumbo. Occasionally, you can find these in Fruver, but they are best on the street. Also on Carrizal is the Abarrotes de Santa Cruz, another grocery store worth checking out when in need of all things Che doesn't have. Calle Carrizal is always worth a cruise, even on non-delivery days.
There is also in this vicinity a lovely woman, who sells her homemade pastries. They are light, flaky and delicious. There are more than a couple of good Every Tuesday and Friday we bakeries in town though. I'm not visit Fruver and/or Hermanos Lucas soon after the produce has saying Che is bad, but the guys in town are way better, way.... BC come in, to pick over the fresh, often local, fruits, vegetables, and (before Che) we had found Panaderia Alejandro on herbs, alongside our neighbours Flamboyant - fabulous bakery! and friends. You could delay the Then friends brought me a pie trip to say Wednesday or from Elschers on Macuitle. Saturday, but it's not the same. Another terrific bakery. Baking For us Northern Californians, here is left to the panaderias. If this is like farmers' markets on you visit the local's homes, you Saturday morning, and the will note not many have ovens. traditional markets in the local There are several other good communities around our area. bakeries in town, check them all There are several fruit and vegetable stores in the area, and out. They all have goodies that are particular to the baker, and we cruise them as well. there are some yummy finds. (Although a Monday trip to the Pochutla market is well worth the There is a little Italy, of sorts, effort, as they have an incredible over on Gardenia or near, and another Italian bakery is in the array of fruits and vegetables works on Gardenia. Giordana, as from the local farmers that are local celebrity goes, had a great not seen in Fruver or Hermanos Italian restaurant, but it took up Lucas). Tuesdays and Fridays her life more than she wanted. also bring people from the surrounding communities to sell Now she runs a pasta shop on Palma Real, around the corner their fruits, vegetables, pastries, from Mamma Mia (across from herbs, honey and my personal Hemingway's). I'm suspicious favorite street buy, the coconut though, as I see she has added a tortillas. The ritual of baking these disks of coconut cookie-like couple of tables; that's how the tortillas (a pleasure with a cup of last restaurant started. coffee), is unique. Ovens in the ground,
Pane Italiano on Ocotilo, sells the best foccacia in the world--try the tomato or black olive. Stefano also has great Italian breads and pizzas. Soon gelato will turn up in Little Italy (we hear) --we are missing Franco's former life (as a gelato maker). There is fish street (Macuitle), and chicken and meat markets tucked in here and there in this area around the public mercardo. We buy fish at the local markets here. It is almost always caught that day (or night before, whenever they fish), they filet, scale, etc. You can smell the fish and check the eyes like you were taught. As for chicken, Mexicans like their chicken fresh. My Mexican friends scorn me when I say we buy chicken at Che. It's old they tell me, not good. I like the chicken from Che, and chicken here is quite good by the way. Buy any of those fresh roasted chickens in the shops in La Crucecita and they will tell you all you need to know about chicken... it's all good (even Che's rotisserie chicken). We do try to stick to locals when shopping, places like the store we all call “Colorin” (what is that store really named?) on Colorin, which carries such items as 3 kg (6.6 lbs!) Nestle chocolate bars for cooking (a steal), frozen meats (thanks to Enrique when he closed his freezer store) that can include hard to find items like duck, and yeast when you can't find it anywhere else. Also, in an emergency search for a plunger, (ahem), it was Colorin that had it! But some chain stores are in the mix, like Che, because they are easy, and shamelessly sell things that lure the Canadians and Americans, like real maple syrup, blue cheese, all things Thai, and a conveniently located
imported/domestic wine section, right near the front door. They know their market. I get my cake mix there, I admit it. But Che does have a pharmacy (so convenient), and always interesting seasonal stuff that lets you know that almost everything is commercialized here too. (See my collection of world cup soccer beer mugs.) For meat like “home” Papaloapan, on Bugambilia, fixes us up with prime rib, rib eye steaks cut to order, bacon and other cuts of meats that Canadians and Americans might be more familiar with. As North Americans, we often ponder cuts of meat here. Read “The Sausage Rebellion: Public Health, Private Enterprise, and Meat in Mexico City, 1890-1917 by Jerry Pilcher, if you really want to know what's what with meat in Mexico. We have favorite coffee stores (if we haven't been up to Pluma Hidalgo recently and need coffee now), popsicle stores (because those Michoacan stores have really amazing popsicles and they are a perfect desert on warm, sultry nights). There are so many great little stores that sell specialty items, and the public mercardo is a must (worth a visit even if you live here), it has things like mole, tamarind paste, hard to find herbs, and other Mexican cooking essentials with vendors eager to educate you on the finer points in Oaxacan cooking. Huatulco is full of stores and sometimes you have to make an effort to locate your favorites, but that's the joy of living here. Please feel free to let me know what your favorite shopping find is, as I don't think I'm done with this topic yet.
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Fish Talk By Kathy Taylor I love fish, and I love fishing. One of the wonderful aspects of life in Huatulco is the abundance and variety of fresh fish available. I am particularly lucky because I have great friends who love to fish, are great fishers (the new PC term for fishermen and women); they are great friends who take me fishing, and when they have their fill, give me fish. I also have a new hobby. I smoke fish, here in Huatulco, mostly billfish. This past season I have smoked blue marlin, striped marlin, sailfish and Dorado. The most popular by far has been the striped marlin, with the sailfish coming last in popularity. That I have a smoker in my courtyard is yet another of those miracles of circumstance that occur while living in Huatulco. I literally put my request into the Universe, and poco a poco, an unused Little Chief smoker was unearthed. Experiments with a variety of marinades has resulted in one clear winner – equal amounts of soya sauce and brown sugar, add enough water to cover, a bit of Chinese five spice, a handful of peppercorns, and a few star anise. Marinate for 24 hours, smoke with Jack Daniels flavoured chips for about 8 hours. We have been serving it with cream cheese and crackers for a handy hors d'oeuvre. I have also chopped it into mashed potato, added some finely chopped onion and fresh parsley, shaped into patties and fried to a golden brown, marlin hash patties, a wonderful supper with a poached egg on top. But the hands down favourite has
been a quirky recipe I found on the smoked fish forums, a quirky place for quirky smokers. Here is the recipe for Smoked Fish Dip (aka sailfish “crack” – so good you'll get addicted!) 6-8 ounces smoked fish, skin removed, meat chopped in coarsely (so as not to burn out the motor on your food processor!) 1/2 block (4 oz)cream cheese (most Mexican cream cheese comes in 190 grams (6.5 oz)packages vs the northern size - 225 grams (8 oz)) 2 jalapenos (I often use rajas) juice of one lime 1 tablespoon old bay seasoning 1/4 cup light mayo (or less, depending on how wet your mixture is and how well it is blending) salt, pepper to taste Puree ingredients in a food processor until well blended. I like to make mine almost whipped so as to easily spread on crackers. Smoked or fresh, there is little of any fish that is not used by local cooks. Even the prize billfish that are caught during fishing tournaments are donated to local kitchens, or in some coastal cities, auctioned for charity to high end restaurants. But it is the fish palapas on Huatulco's beautiful beaches. What to buy? What to order?
This month I have included a guide to Mexico's most popular eating fish. There are others that are eaten, others divers get to enjoy, and some that get away! But these are the ones most often found in the market and on the menu. To buy fish in the market, apply the old adage of appearance and smell. If the eyes are clear, flesh firm, and there is no “fishy smell” then buy it. I like mahi mahi best of all, and usually treat it like halibut or sablefish- marinated or simply seasoned, then grilled. Make an Argentine style chimichurri and drizzle it over to take the fish to a completely different level. Combine some salsa with cream and spoon over the fish – delicious. A chipotle mayonnaise makes a great dip, or baking sauce. (Try it at Caray Beach Bar at Maguey Bay). A whole Sierra or Red Snapper split and grilled with lime and butter and garlic, zarandeado style, is one of the coolest ways to entertain your friends. But the quintessential test of fresh fish is ceviche. As many ocean states as there are in Mexico, there are styles of ceviche. Almost all of them share the same basic list of ingredients –raw fish “cooked” in lime juice, salt, onion, cilantro, tomato, and chile. Jalisco style ceviche is usually very finely chopped, and includes the usual cast of characters, but often with the addition of grated carrot. The Oaxaca/Guerrero style is “tiritas” with the fish cut into long strips, marinated, and then dressed with
a healthy amount of chile, onion and cilantro. My favourite ceviche is a cross between recipes from Rick Bayless and my good friend Guadalupe Dipp, owner of the ecoresort Los Arroyos Verdes in Puerto Vallarta. My Ceviche About 1 kg of fresh white fish – sierra or mahi mahi - cut into ½ inch dice. Lime juice to cover. At this point, mix it around a bit, and put into the fridge to marinate for a few hours. When the fish becomes “cooked”, no longer rawlooking, strain and add the other ingredients which you have prepped. About a kilo of tomatoes (around 5), chopped about the same size. A small red onion, chopped or sliced (I tend to slice it thinly – easy to pick out if you don't like it) A chopped bunch of cilantro. One or two jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and chopped. Juice of one orange. Salt to taste, about ½ to 1 tsp. Optional ingredients: chopped avocado, sliced manzanillo olives. Serve with tostadas or saladitas. All of these ingredients can be adjusted to your personal taste. Buen provecho! Eat more fish. Check out www.rickbayless.com and www.losarroyosverdes.com . Smoked Fish Dip courtesy of www.grillgrrrl.com Kathy Taylor is a freelance writer who arrived in Huatulco in December 2007 by sailboat. She writes about life in Huatulco on her blog, www.lavidahuatulco.blogspot.com
Popular Fish In Mexico Popular Fish In Mexico English - Spanish Anchovy - Anchoa Sea Bass - Mero Carp - Carpa Clam - Almeja Crab - Cangrejo Crayfish - Langostino Eels - Anguillas Grouper - Garropa Lobster - Langosta Mahi Mahi – Dorado Manta Ray – Mantaraya Tilapia - Mojarra Needlefish - Agujon Octopus - Pulpo Oysters - Ostiones Perch - Perca
Pompano - Pampano Red Snapper - Huachinango Sailfish - Pez Vela Salmon - Salmon Scallop - Callo de Hacha Skipjack - Barilete Shark - Tiburon Shrimp - Camaron Sole - Lenguado Spanish Mackeral - Pez Sierra Shark - Cazon (Tiburon) Snook - Robalo Squid - Calamar Swordfish - Pez Espada Trout - Trucha Tuna - Atun Yellowtai l Tuna-Jurel
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Pochutla Market Quintessential Mexico! That is the Pochutla Market on Mondays experience. See the colourful bags, shoes and produce on display down corridors of tarp covered stalls. Vendors come from the Oaxaca Valley to sell their goods. This is not a tourists market- no shot glasses or tshirts emblazoned with 'Mexico' on them here. This is a market for things that you live with, necessities. Hear the vendors calling to you with their best auctioneer voices as you pass 'Epazote Guera, Flores, Sopes....' Bargain if buying several items, however, respect the sellers. Listen to what the person in front of you is paying to get an idea of the price. The sounds of women laughing and children playing- these are the small business owners that make this country so diverse and interesting.
By Jane Bauer
Smell the salted barrilete stacked in baskets, fresh flowers, the hanging meat (not for the feint at heart), shrimp, fresh herbs you have never heard off and pine furniture as clever as IKEA.Walk through the market and your body will invariably brush up against others; all of you sticky with sweat from the hot sun. Human contact is unavoidablethere are no shopping cart boundaries here, it is pushing, shoving and bargaining and always with a big smile. Taste the fresh masa. Women selling fresh street food- warm tortillas, the saltiness of the lard as it heats up- best sopes hot off the comal. Spicy salsa, always several kinds available; habanero, jalapeno, chile de arbol. Feel the excitement of the sale, the vendors at work, the promise that all your purchases holdmeals to be made throughout the week and served up with love.
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www.hemingwayscantina.com Huatulco Eye Collaborators Welcome to the Huatulco Eye. If you are reading this then you know what a paradise and vibrant community Huatulco is. Huatulco Eye is an effort to integrate and inform the English speaking community about what is happening around town, with the hope of getting this important section of Huatulco involved. This is the work of many people. Contact us if you would like to be a collaborator.
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Opinions and words are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Huatulco Eye. To be a collaborator please send us an email huatulcoeye@yahoo.com
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Why a Golf Course in Cacaluta is Bad Business By Jose Maria Filgueiras Nodar Cacaluta Bay, a virgin beach, is one of the most beautiful places on the Oaxacan coast. Sadly its future is under discussion and could be changed into a luxury condo site and golf course. The biological wealth of the Cacaluta area is impressive; 40 species of mammals among them the fishing bat, the pigmy skunk, more than 110 species of birds, 35 species of mollusks, 145 flower species, amazing water vegetation that includes 43 species of macroalgae and the most well preserved coral reef along the Pacific coast. From an ecological point of view, the development of Cacaluta would be barbaric and cruel. Sometimes the projects turn out bad or don´t have the expected outcome.
bring about some sort of economic benefit for a while. Although golf tourism is currently in good shape, there is the risk that it will collide head-on against a new trend that numerous experts are talking about: the emergence of the new tourist, very different from the old models, a tourist who is very concerned about the social and ecological impact of his behavior. How many of these tourists will be willing to play golf on a course that is located in a protected natural area?
Huatulco already has a beautiful golf course in Tangolunda which is almost always empty. Building a new courses, in Cacaluta, Conejos or between Huatulco and Puerto Escondido–simply means that a bad business will be Consider Fonatur´s Master Plan. multiplied by the number of Huatulco should be a place of courses. Although many golfers international class and a beacon don´t like to go to a place where of economic development for the there is only one golf course as whole coastal area, but in reality, they want to vary their game and it is a tourist destination that have choices where to play. simply hasn't taken off. There's However, right from the start, no doubt that building a golf club this place would have to be made and living spaces could
known as a great place for golf, an ideal golf destination. It would take huge investments to convince people play to golf here. But so far it just hasn´t happened; in the last twenty years, not even half the expected tourists have arrived. The lack of tourists is due to lack of effective marketing that has been missing in the development of the Bays of Huatuclo. This is a fact that even Fonatur admits to in its document about the first “relaunching” of Huatulco, where they recognize that more aggressive marketing needs to be carried out. Marketing that effectively promotes the tourism market, that defines promising goals, that is capable of giving tourism product designers the information needed to create attractive offers and that is capable of giving Huatulco an image that is clear in the minds of the prospective tourists. Without this type of marketing, whether there is one golf course or ten, people will keep on travelling and golfing, but they won´t come to Huatulco!
With the right marketing, we can see a future for Huatulco much more interesting options than golf, such as building a convention center or exploring eco-tourism options that will not cause the destruction of a truly exceptional natural area like Cacaluta. Dr. José María Filgueiras is a Tourism Marketingprofessor and founding member of the Red Sustentable Ocho Venado de Huatulco, A.C., an environmental group.
Above: Cacaluta Bay Below: Green TeamMonica De La Peña, Lorenzo Alfaro Ocampo, Maricruz Melchor Miz, Feliciano Calderon Nava, Verónica R. Gómez Rojo, Cecilia Flores, Hugo Montejo, Virginia Hernández Viera
The Team that Keeps Huatulco Green and Pristine By Marcia Chaiken The Huatulco Green Team (Equipo Verde) Coordinating Committee is a group of representatives of key organizations and volunteer community leaders, including the group's President, Monica De La Peña, who have taken on responsibility for maintaining the wonderful environment in Huatulco that so many of us cherish and tend to take for granted. In 2002, core members began discussing how to promote education and activities for sustaining our natural resources and enhancing our economic and communal development. By 2003, Green Team was formally organized and decided to associate with the international organization, Earth Check, formerly called Green Globe, which certifies tourist facilities for compliance with its standards in seven categories that include energy use, emissions, community involvement, and waste handling.
passion as key to the remarkable coherence of the group membership over the last eight years. And she justifiably points to the long-term cohesion of the group as a major accomplishment.
and training of hotel staff and administration in practices for conserving the natural environment, including composting of organic waste.
By June 2005, the hard work was rewarded. Huatulco was awarded the Green Globe One of the first steps the group Sustainable Tourist Community took was to agree on a mission International certification. The statement: “To be a leading Green Team began to spin off citizenship group in the some of their initial activities to integration and organization of the different social participants of other agencies. For example, beach clean-ups were taken over the Huatulco Bays tourist destination, generating synergies as a municipal function. However, Green Team continued that allow to define a procedure year after year to pursue the towards sustainability in joint coveted Green Glove Award. and strategic manner.” To achieve this mission, the Green Team divided into seven working According to a 2008 case study conducted by Earth Check, the groups, each focusing on a community more than meets different set of activities needed to achieve one of the seven Earth major benchmark objectives. The Check benchmarks, with the goal study noted that energy of having Huatulco certified as a consumption was 64.3% better than Earth Check's best practice model community. standard with 23% of used energy produced by renewable Residents still remember the flurry of initial activities launched sources; according to Kraak, by the Green Team. Schools were primarily by the windmills in According to Yvonne Kraak, Ventosa. For the Green Team organized to clean up beaches, Managing Director at Camino members, Green Globe Real Zaashila, who is considered FONATUR provided recycling certification is important, yet not containers, and an intensive the spiritual leader of the Green as important as the ongoing publicity campaign was carried Team, motivation for practices that keep Huatulco a participation consists not only in out to educate the community commitment to achieving specific about the value and necessity of sustainable community. They know that continued efforts are recycling, weekly events were Earth Check benchmark needed to maintain and improve held to promote responsible use objectives but also a shared passion for sustaining a very high of natural resources. Less visible sound practices. Ongoing efforts include increasing recycling in to the community as a whole quality of life in Huatulco. She the community by creating a new were the still ongoing education sees this commitment and
recycling center located at the entrance to Sector N, and increasing community education. Every first Saturday of the month, beginning on April 2, at 9AM in Rufino Tamayo Park, across from the Pemex Station, the Green Team will have entertaining and educational activities geared to teach useful ways to recycle. All community members are urged to actively become involved in Green Team activities. In addition to decreasing our use of water and energy, increasing our individual recycling efforts and purchasing tree certificates, those among us who have special knowledge and know-how are invited to attend Green Team weekly meetings held on Wednesdays, at 5PM, at the Camino Real Zaashila. Please confirm that the meeting will take place by contacting the coordinator, Lorenzo Alfaro Ocampo at coalmex@prodigy.net.mx. Marcia Chaiken, Ph.D. is delighted to provide information about the Green Team collaboration carrying out best practices in her home town in Mexico.
Erosion and Sediment Control in Huatulco and Surroundings It is important to distinguish between erosion control and sediment control. Erosion control is source control and the soil never moves in the first place. Sediment control is after the fact, clean up the mess after it moves, and this is much more expensive. There are rules and regulations in place for pollution control in many countries although enforcement varies. The United States of America began with the Clean Water Act (1977), and we now have the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs) that are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Mexico does not have this kind of regulatory structure, but I have developed two SWPPPs for projects in Mexico (Guadalajara, Justice Center for the State of Jalisco, and Bombardier factory, Queretaro), so they can be done. Erosion is a natural process, occurring over centuries. It is the human engineered infrastructure changes in land use that if the most detrimental; road construction, timber harvesting, mining, and especially agriculture, contributing to the loss of native vegetation. Although agriculture may be the
Although agriculture may be the largest source of pollutants, these other sources are also large contributors. What appears to me most problematic in this region are tourist developments, roadway projects, storm water control, and timber harvesting. A gross example of an unprotected site, with a huge potential to damage the environment, is the Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue) Project. Widening of this shortcut between the Bahia de Santa Cruz and La Crucecita began in 2009, and local outrage was reported in the Huatulcostas online paper in May of 2009
What can be done? There are lots of tools in the toolbox and not are all high tech or expensive. In the USA we are required to control temporary erosion, and use a lot of silt fences, which are expensive and not cost effective or really green as they are often left in place and become pollutants. We have switched to using fiber rolls or sediment logs, which are cigarshaped bundles (like a fascine) currently made out of a variety of materials such as straw and wood chips, usually with a plastic netting enclosing the material (not very green either!).
By Julie Etra
originally from Italian "gabbione" and means "big cage�). This is sediment control and not erosion control. There are a lot of 'green' changes that I hope are coming to Mexico soon, but until it's mandated, "That's the way we do it" (or don't do it) will probably prevail. Julie Etra, MS, Principal of Western Botanical Services, Inc., a 25-year old consulting firm located in Reno Nevada, is a botanist and restoration specialist with an avid love of flora and fauna and Huatulco. She currently serves on the International Erosion Control Association Board (www.ieca.org) of Directors as Director of International Development and is the liaison for the Iberoamerican Chapter
Here in Huatulco we could use palm fronds tied into cigarshaped bundles with native sisal from agave (Agave sisilana) and The site sits above the Santa place these in a keyed trench Cruz marina, and large stockpiles around the perimeter of the of soils and debris remain project. This would be a locally unprotected in the drainageway. available waste product (everyone www.iecaiberoamerica.org etra.julie@gmail.com The steep slopes themselves are has seen the Fonatur trucks largely granite, and "harvesting" the palm fronds) that geotechnically stable, but not the could be used. Gravel can also stockpiles. Although lack of be used as an infiltration berm, precipitation in the dry season is and gravel is certainly readily unlikely to result in massive available. Gravel berms are what pollution now, once the rainy my team designed for Copachisa season sets in the risks increase (http://www.copachisa.com) in exponentially. This is just one Guadalajara and Queretaro. It rather large example of this seems the only method I see problem; drive around town and around here are gabions, those it seems that every construction wire-filled baskets developed by site has similar issues. the Romans (gabion is descended originally from Italian "gabbione" Quinta Avenida www.huatulcostas.com/home/index.php ?option=com_content&task=view&id=235 &Itemid=1
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Presunto Culpable By Alfredo Patiño A Mexican documentary has been making international headlines. Not only as the highest-grossing documentary film ever screened in Mexico but for its provoking subject matter. The documentary examines the Mexican legal system in which you are presumed guilty until proven innocent, through one case. In the dramatic retrial for murder of Antonio Zúñiga, two young married lawyers, Layda Negrete and Roberto Hernández, bring cameras into Mexican courtrooms to expose a justice system which they see as corrupt and fatally compromised by a medieval concept of guilt and innocence. Convicted without any conclusive proof. Zúñiga was sentenced to 20 years to prison. Despite a temporary ban, which has now been lifted. Presumed Guilty has taken top prizes at several film festivals all over the world including London, Morelia, Dubai, L.A. and New York.
Each year, the AMBULANTE Organization, in collaboration with Canana, Cinépolis and the Morelia International Film Festival, organizes a travelling documentary film festival that tours to 12 cities in Mexico with a selection of over 50 documentaries shown in over 140 venues. It creates a space to exhibit ground-breaking documentaries, both current and classic, that we consider socially or cinematically relevant. Travelling with these works, sharing them in different cities, towns and communities, provides the essential ingredient for exchange, fostering a critical vision and generating a collective conscience around how we perceive and understand our realites. AMBULANTE is one of the film festivals with the largest scope in Mexico and an important platform for the exhibition of Mexican documentaries. th th Ambulante Film Festival is coming to Huatulco April 9 , 10 th. and 11
Quarteto Latinoamerica By Carmina Magaña “Matchless in tonal magnitude, tuneful fluency and concentrated teamwork,” says The Washington Post of the Cuarteto Latinoamericano formed in 1982. It is known worldwide as the leading proponent of Latin American music for string quartet. This award-winning ensemble from Mexico consists of the three Bitrán brothers, violinists Saúl and Arón and cellist Alvaro , along with violist Javier Montiel. The Cuarteto has recorded most of the Latin American repertoire for string quartet, and the sixth volume of their Villa-Lobos 17 quartets' cycle, recorded for Dorian, was nominated for a Grammy award in 2002 in the field of Best Chamber Music Recording as well as for a Latin Grammy. The Cuarteto has performed as soloist with many orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz, with the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México, the Dallas Symphony and the Símón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela. The Cuarteto has toured extensively around the world including performances in Europe and the
Americas, as well as in New Zealand and Israel; they have appeared in a wide range of venues and festivals like the Concertgebouw, the Kennedy Center, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Dartington International Summer School and the Ojai Festival. They have collaborated with many artists including cellist Janos Starker, pianists Santiago Rodriguez, Cyprien Katsaris and Rudolph Buchbinder, tenor Ramon Vargas, and guitarists Narciso Yepes, Sharon Isbin, David Tanenbaum and Manuel Barrueco. With Mr. Barrueco, they have played in some of the most important venues of the USA and Europe, have recorded two cds, and commissioned guitar quintets from American composers Miguel del Aguila, Michael Daugherty and Gabriela Lena Frank.
Sometimes you gotta create what you want to be a part of.
Geri Weitzman
Quartets, based in Caracas, which will serve as a training ground for five select young string quartets from the Sistema. The Cuarteto visits the Academy four times a year.
The Cuarteto was in residence at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh from 1988 until 2008.
The Cuarteto has been awarded for the third consecutive time the México en Escena grant given by the Mexican government through FONCA (National Fund for Culture and the Arts) for the 2009/2011 period. The project revolves around the Bicentennial Celebrations of the Mexican independence and features Mexican music for string quartet from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
Under the auspices of the Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles of Venezuela, the Cuarteto has created the Latin American Academy for String
...they play with more fire, precision and taste than most of their North American peers... one of the most satisfying performances of Schubert's music that I've heard.
- Houston Weekly An exceptional group because of their clean playing, energy, and freshness. - Le Monde de la Musique Not only do the members of this ensemble play with a rapport that verges on telepathic, but they investigate a repertoire of which most other such groups evidently are ignorant. - The Pittsburgh Press FRIENDS OF MUSIC HUATULCO are proud to present this exceptional ensemble with a wellbalanced repertoire on April 7, at Hotel Camino Real Zaashila, 20:00 Hrs. General Admission is a donation of $150 pesos/person and tickets are available at the Hotel itself, Foto Conejo, Residencial Chahué, Yamaha Musical and REMAX. DON'T MISS IT! By Carminia Magaña
Have a Whale of a Time in Huatulco! By Pat Hudson Humpback whales are mammals, and they are of the species of whales known as baleen whales. They are found all around the world, but most importantly for us, they frequent the waters in the Bays of Huatulco. They are well known for breaching, and their complex songs. The name humpback whale describes the motion it makes as it arches its back out of the water in preparation for a dive. The breaching and tail slapping we have been fortunate to witness is part of the mating ritual for these whales. They come to the warmer waters of Huatulco to breed, and to give birth. Humpback whales breathe air at the surface of the water through 2 blowholes located near the top of the head. Their blow is a double stream of spray that rises 10-13 feet (3.1-4 m) above the surface of the water and is easily visible from a long distance away. The tail flukes of a humpback whale, which are lifted high in
the air when they dive, have wavy rear edges. Their flukes (tail) are up to 12 feet (3.7 m) wide. An adult usually ranges between 12-16 m long and weighs approximately 36 tonnes. The pectoral fins are up to onethird of a humpback's body length, and have rough edges. They are the largest flippers of any whale. Humpback whales also have many throat grooves that run from the chin to the navel. These grooves allow their throat to expand during the huge intake of water during filter feeding. The female usually breeds every two or three years and they are pregnant for eleven months. Some females can breed in two consecutive years. A calf is about 4-4.5 metres long when born and weighs approximately 700 kg. Calves are nursed by their mothers for their first six months, they eat a mixture of mother's milk and independent feeding
From My Balcony Punta Santa Cruz A few Sundays ago in March when the newest of the Oceania liners Marina tied up at the dock in Santa Cruz, and I found out about the Lalique chandeliers and Ralph Lauren suites, the Wine Spectator “pairing” restaurant, the Bon Appetit onboard cooking school, The Studio where artists-in-residence teach fine arts, etc., etc… I thought, wow, there's the “Eye” story. And then, when the more “casual cruising” 965 foot Coral Princess sailed in and tied up on the other side of the dock, almost dwarfing the 782 foot Marina, I got even more excited. Here were two ships that represent the outermost styles of the broad spectrum of cruising options, together disembarking 3500 visitors into Huatulco for that day to enjoy its unique splendours. And if that couldn't get more interesting, we went for a sail on our little sailboat Paloma, and as we were rounding Punta Santa Cruz, we witnessed one of the most spectacular shows that nature has to offer – a breaching
By Kathy Taylor
nature has to offer – a breaching humpback whale splashing walls of water with each leap and fall, the emotional slap of one flipper over and over as she called her babies, her charging breach along a tour catamaran, thrilling and frightening the passengers, many from the big ships, with the big ships a backdrop for this extravaganza. Now, how can that story be beat? From my balcony, from the water - nature, technology, luxury, adventure, the big ball of wax that forms the anomaly that is magical Huatulco. More photos and stories about Huatulco at my blog http://lavidahuatulco.blogspot.c om
months. Calves leave their mothers at the start of their second year, when they are typically 9 metres long..Both males and females are ready to breed around the age of five. Full adult growth is achieved at around 15 years. The largest ever recorded specimen was 19 The pectoral fins are up to onemetres long and had pectoral fins third of a humpback's body length, measuring six metres each. A and have rough edges. They are Humpback Whale can live for 45–the largest flippers of any whale. 50 years. Humpback whalesfor a further six. the air when they dive, have wavy rear edges. Their flukes (tail) are up to 12 feet (3.7 m) wide. An adult usually ranges between 12-16 m long and weighs approximately 36 tonnes.
Municipality and Fonatur Unprepared for Pilgrims By Alfredo Patiño It used to be one of the most important weekends in the predevelopment times in Bahia Santa Cruz; I remember all the prep that went in to getting ready to receive all the pilgrims that came to honour the Holly Cross of Huatulco. The pilgrims came from all over the Sierra Madre and even further, from Miahuatlan which took over a week of travel on mules, horses or walking and on the trucks that were used to transport the coffee to the Puerto Angel Port to be shipped out. It was so much excitement as a kid to watch all the people and rides arrive and get all the products that was only available this time of the year that my mother use to trade for dry-salted fish with the serranos and the people from the valley of Oaxaca. Now, I don't know if I'm getting old or it is the times that change or is it the development that took its toll on my perspective and feelings about these festivities, or is it that now I just see things differently, like all the mess Santa Cruz was during this celebration, It is sad for me to see the pilgrims been accommodated in an abandoned unfinished building
next to the banks where the conditions are so bad for them that it is putting them at risk of falling off, no doors or windows, getting sick because of the unsanitary conditions. The noise pollution is another great problem for the people that live or work in Santa Cruz area they had the worst weekend of the year, to the point that some businesses, like La Terraza Restaurant decided to closed in the last week of high season and some residents decided to spend the weekend elsewhere. It is time for the authorities to wake up and realize this is not a smalltown fair anymore; Huatulco deserves something better than this unsanitary, loud, disorganized, and not good business for anyone, fair. It is awkward to see places for sale in the hundreds of thousands of dollars next to where you can see people squatting and cantinas full of drunks when FONATUR and the Municipality are promoting a highend tourist destination. To convince people to invest we to find the balance of a commercially viable destination that has traditions and events which are enjoyable for everyone in Huatulco,
Sports Baseball on the Pacific coast By Caryl Delaney Four years ago, Giovanni Rodriguez, a first year student at the UMAR Huatulco, tried, without success, to start up a baseball team. Now, with the help of UMAR English professor José Ponce, the dream is up and running and Giovanni is back at bat. José Ponce has always had baseball in his heart. In the 90's, he played for Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) in New York City, where he went on to become assistant coach. In Huatulco, Ponce planned to just be a coach for this local team, but has ended up as player, captain and fundraiser. “There was some leftover equipment from the old team, but it was somewhat worn out,” adds Ponce. Although resources were scarce, enthusiasm was high among players. It was all about sacrifice. Giovanni Rodriguez, the assistant coach, said it best “This sport is not an obligation. We are here because we want to be here.” The team practices two days a week during lunch at their “home field” in Chahué. As expected, the majority of the players had to learn the game. “They were not conscious of the fundamentals and didn't realize just how difficult baseball actually is,” says Ponce, “but I like to teach the sport. I realize it is a gradual process.” During the Christmas holidays, Ponce traveled to New York City. He managed to get donations from the youth support organization C.A.R.E, run by fundraiser
Mr. John C. Calhoun and Juan Colon. The donations include bats and balls, gloves, helmets, and uniforms that bear the name “C.A.R.E Reds” – the former name of the team in the Hector O'Neill League in New York City sponsored by C.AR.E. They are used, about seven or eight years old, but worn with pride here. “The university donates water for the players for home games and gives us transport for the away games,” Ponce explains, “Thanks to a couple of players, Sol sponsors the team with 25-30 chairs and a couple of tarps for the sun during home games.” The police at the Municipal building have also been very supportive. The UMAR competes against other teams from Santa Maria de Huatulco, Pochutla, Barra de la Cruz and Puerto Escondido . “Win or lose, it doesn't matter, says Ponce, “the fact that we have an actual team and are able to compete is an accomplishment in itself.” The baseball team has received positive feedback from the UMAR and the Huatulco community, evident by the attendance at the games. The future certainly looks promising. Many students and professors are interested in forming a woman's softball team in the near future. Games are usually played on Sundays at the baseball field in Chahué, near the municipal building at 12:00. Check calendar in the Huatulco Eye for game times in April.
Life's a Beach and then you play…. VOLLEYBALL! Ten weeks of Monday Mixed Team Drop In Volleyball wound up on March 14th. From a few emails sent the first week of January, and a notice in the Huatulco Eye, sometimes over 40 people showed up on the Beach, players and fans!
See you next season!
Competitive Volleyball Players are invited to play on Sundays in Chahue at 4.30pm More info:mundoe_07@hotmail.com
Classifieds FOR SALE LOT FOR SALE Sector J, 150 sq meters Excellent location!! Residential Area Papers in Order 958 1096 489 – 9581007339 Invitation to BUY a piece of paradise Casa Cassandra in Sueno Real www.casacassandra2002.com Casa Anita and Los Suenos in Sueno del Mar www.casaanita2007.com www.lossuenoshuatulco.com contact owner directly, 312 698-4466 or villak@aol.com FOR SALE: 2 bdrm, 2 bath, ground floor, completely furnished, kitchen fully equipped. Sueno del Mar $375,000USD. Rental also. Contact Sue at sgoer44@att.net.
FOR SALE: 2bdrm, 2 bath, 2nd floor facing water, totally furnished, fully equipped kitchen. Real Marina Blue $347,000USD. Rental also. Contact Beatriz Blackstone cell (958)100-4389. info@blackstonerealestatehuatulc o.com.
SERVICES GARAGE SALE furniture gifts clothes accesories pillows, bed sheets, glasses, table, beds, tv All month, just knock on the door. 416 Chacah st. La Crucecita BIRDWATCHING TOURS Experienced local guide. English and Spanish. 250 pesos/hour. Call Pablo cel. 958 589 0866 or email pablo_rafting@yahoo.com
BUY - SELL - RENT - SERVICES 3 pesos / word Email huatulcoeye@yahoo.com Bill and Donna Feffer would like to meet other Christians to begin share time together with them for fellowship, Bible study and, perhaps someday, a church. They are non-denominational and do not push any denominational distinctive. They are available to anyone, regardless of beliefs, for prayer, counseling or any other need. Bill is an ordained evangelical minister. Local phone number is 958 583 4763 or they can be reached via email at billfeffer@gmail.com or donnafeffer@gmail.com.
21-day 200 hr. Yoga Teacher Training *Yoga Alliance Certified Thirty minutes from Huatulco International Airport at the base of the Sierra Madre, on the Pacific coast in Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico, is the ideal location for rest, relaxation and learning. SUMMER: July 4th- July 25th FALL: Sept. 5th- Sept. 26th Names of the ballplayers. Top row, from left to right: José Ponce, Omar Sanchez, Giovanni Rodríguez Paz, Alex Matos, Vladimir Iriarte, Octavio Gandarillas, Didier Espinosa Bottom row: Ismael Luis Pérez, Alexis Castillejos Fuentes, Raúl Valdivieso, José Edwin García * Players not in the photo: Mara Toledo, Luis Flores UMAR, Puerto Angel
Cost: $2400 USD includes course, all meals and accommodations Bahía Santa Cruz Calle Mitla, Oaxaca, Mexico. Cel. 958 100 7339
www.yogahuatulcomexico.com
April MON
TUE
WED
THR
FRI
SAT
1
2
Fool's Day/ Fair in Santa MarĂa
4
5
6
Every Monday 2x1 haircuts at Cronos in Madero Mall
11
12
13
14
3
Green Team Recycling workshop 9am Park Rufino Tamayo
8
9
Concert Quarteto Latinoamerica Camino Real Hotel
Festival Ambulante 8 pm Parque Crucecita
15
Competitive Volleyball Chahue 4.30 pm info: mundoe-07@hotmail.com
10 Festival Ambulante 8 pm Parque Central Sta. Maria Huatulco
16
17 Competitive Volleyball Chahue 4.30 pm info:
Copalita Duathlon Senor Puck's International Food Night
Festival Ambulante 8 pm Parque Teatro del Mar Sta. Cruz
18
7
SUN
mundoe-07@hotmail.com
19
20
Every Monday 2x1 haircuts at Cronos in Madero Mall
23
21
22
Senor Puck's International Food Night
Good Friday, Earth Day
24
8am Free Morning Yoga at El Faro
Easter Sunday Competitive Volleyball Chahue 4.30 pm info: mundoe-07@hotmail.com
25
26
27
28
29
Expo Cafe at Pluma Hidalgo
30
Dia del Nino
To announce your event for FREE on our calendar, email details to huatulcoeye@yahoo.com
Important Phone Numbers:
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PORT CAPITAIN 587-1674, 587 1013 Fax.587 0726
FEDERAL ELECTRICITY COMISION 071, 587 2664 587 1124
FIRE DEPARTAMENT 068, 587 0047 Tel. / Fax.587 0847
RED CROSS: 065, 587-1188, 587 1548
MUNICIPAL POLICE:587 0675
STATE TRANSIT DELEGATION NUMBER 30 Tel.587 0186
587 06 05
044 958 1060912
favito2602@hotmail.com COCOTILLO 218, LA CRUCECITA BAHIAS DE HUATULCO, OAX. C.P. 70989
Taxi 587 2217
www.kristalrose.com.mx