IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO TODAY . . No that's not right. It was actually 11 years ago this month that I first produced a local mag, which would morph into El Sol de la Costa. It was a 12-page English-language rag called the Puerto Escondido Sun.

Of course I covered the Fiestas of November events, which, although they seemed pretty exciting at the time, were rather modest in scope. But Puerto has grown and so have the Fiestas, and this magazine. I'm still here; my love affair with this special place continues. And, since November here. It is truly is the best time of year, we hope that you, too, will fall under its spell.
- - Warren Sharpe, Editor

While You Were Gone

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Baches: If you think the potholes are bad now, you should have seen them a few weeks ago. Potholes - - baches in Spanish - - are part of the eco-system; they come with the rainy season. The taxi drivers couldn't wait for the city to fix them - they were the ruining their suspensions. So, Puerto's taxi drivers volunteered to donate their labor to fill them with cement paid for by the county and water brought in by the fire department. Meanwhile, we spotted Puerto's mayor (agente municipal) helping fill in a pothole on the highway at 11 p.m. Astounding!

Tequio, a community work project, goes back to pre-Colonial times, it's particularly important in indigenous communities, but even in cosmopolitan Puerto, the people know that if we pull together, things can get done.

On the wild side: We like the fact that we live in close proximity to nature here, but this might be too close: Two crocodiles, each over two metres in length, were captured by the fire department last month and released in the ecological reserve in Ventanilla, Tonameca. One was found in Punta Colorada near where new houses are being built; the second was on the patio of a house in Ventanilla, Colotepec (near Los Naranjos). Crocodiles are common here, and have been even been found on the Playa Principal. But, the best way to see them is by taking a canoe trip on the laguna in Ventanilla, (Take the Coastal Highway east to the turn off for Mazunte. Follow the signs. There's a restaurant and an ecology center which arranges the lagoon tours.)

Healthcare: Crocodile attacks are very rare, but serious health problems will soon be attended to at Puerto's new 30-bed hospital. The hospital, scheduled to open its doors in December, will provide a range of medical specialties including dermatology, orthopedics, ophthalmology, pediatrics, and internal medicine, as well as gynecology, traumatology, cardiology, and diagnostic services.
At present, the closest general hospital is in Pochutla.

To market, to . . The street vendors who used to sell fresh fish and vegetables on 3a Poniente near the main market have a new market just to themselves. The Mercadito (little market) is on a lot on 3a Norte between 2a and 3a Poniente (a block south of the old Ahorrará), The stalls are simple, like farmers' markets; the produce is all locally grown, and the fish is the catch of the day, there are meat, flowers, dry goods, even great tamales. And no fighting the traffic congestion further up town.

This Month in Puerto

Tuesday 11
Collegiate Dance Contest
Original costumes and choreography
7 p.m. City Hall Plaza

Wednesday 12 - Sun 16
PXM International Surf Tournament
7 a.m. Playa Zicatela

Thanks to some big-name sponsorship, primarily surf wear company Vans, the fall surfing classic spreads over five days and has a 3 star ASP rating and a US$50,000 purse. Organizers offer lots of other beach activities, including concerts, Vans PXM SK8 skateboard contest and, of course, the obligatory Miss Bikini pageant. Among the scheduled events:
Thursday 13, - Sunday 16
8 p.m Rock Concerts
Friday 14 - Sunday 16
10 a.m. Beach Volleyball Tournament
11 a.m. Skateboard Contest
Saturday 15
2 p.m. Miss Bikini Preliminary
Sunday 16
2 p.m. Final of Miss Bikini Contest

Thursday 13
Martial Arts
Nippon Kempo Exhibition
7 p.m. City Hall Plaza

Thursday 13 - Sat 15
Cock Fights
Not for the faint of heart, but it is spectacle and a staple component of many local fiestas.
8 p.m at the entrance to Puerto Angelito

Friday 14
Calenda
Colorful folkloric parade by costumed students of Colego Calmecac
5 p.m Starting at the CFE electric co. offices on Avenida Oaxaca
Guelaguetza
The students perform the dances of the seven regions of the state of Oaxaca
6 p.m. City Hall Plaza

Saturday 15, Sunday 16
Motocross
4 p.m., Track at the entrance to Puerto Angelito
This extreme sport has seen huge growth in popularity in Puerto, thanks in large part to this annual meet which includes categories for all age groups and skill levels.

Wednesday 19
Traditional Music & Dance
from the state of Zacatecas
7 p.m. City Hall Plaza

Thursday 20
Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution began on this day in 1910, thus ending 40 years of the Porfirio Diaz dictatorship (el Porfiriato). During the Diaz years, more than 1/5 of Mexico's land was directly owned by foreigners, mostly from the U.S., as was much of Mexico's mining, oil and industry. At the same time, a large part of the country's rural population lived in a state of servitude on large plantations (haciendas), industrial workers were impoverished with no rights, while a small upper class enjoyed great luxury and wealth.

The revolutionary period lasted until 1917. The democratic government of president Francisco Madero was overthrown by the reactionary forces of Victoriano Huerta in 1913, which lead to another armed uprising. Madero was assassinated while in prison.

While the 1910 revolution had been fought by peasant soldiers under the leadership of Emiliano Zapata in the south and Pancho Villa in the north, the fight against Huerta was also an armed struggle between two revolutionary factions: the conservatives led by Venustiano Carranza and the more radical forces of Villa and Zapata. In 1914, the Huerta regime fell and Carranza took power. At that point the country was divided between the followers of Zapata and Villa and those of Carranza. Fighting continued until 1920, but some stability was restored with the adoption of the Constitution of 1917.

The Mexican Constitution was the most progressive of any nation at that time.
Revolution Day Parade to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the start of the Mexican Revolution
8 a.m. Leaving the Sports Complex near the market, making its way down Avenida Oaxaca to City Hall
Manialtepec Dugout Parade & Contest
The local fishermen adorn their launches and dugout canoes as animals, birds or tropical and topical tableaux in a fun and colorful day by the lagoon.
1 p.m. La Isla del Gallo, Manialtepec Lagoon

Thursday 20 - Sun 23
15th Coast Festival of Dance
The Coast Festival of Dance is a showcase for the vigorous and enduring traditions of this area's cultural mosaic of Indigenous, European and African peoples. This Afro-Mestizo heritage is a diverse patchwork of semi-mystical, semi-religious, profane and satirical performance rituals.
8 p.m. City Hall Plaza

Friday 21 - Sun 23
20th International Sailfish Sports Fishing Contest
Early registration suggests that this year's contest will will surpass the previous record of 105 participants in what is becoming one of the most prestigious sports fishing events in México. It doesn't hurt that winners' prizes total a million pesos - - VW cars, Suzuki motorbikes and engines, rods, reels and such. Contestants leave the Bahía Principal at 7 a.m. and must return by 3 p.m.
Thursday 20
Pre-contest briefing and your last chance to register ($9,000.00 per boat for three fishermen.)
7 p.m. Rest. Junto al Mar
For the landlubbers there will be the usual line-up of music, games, contests and prize giveaways on the jetty. Other activities include:
Saturday 22
10 a.m. Kids' Painting Contest
3:30 p.m Miss Sailfish Pageant
Sunday 23
11 a.m. Kids' Fishing Contest
5 p.m. Prize Ceremony

Saturday 22
Fiesta for Santa Cecilia
patron saint of musicians and Annual Fair in Las Carretas, Colotepec

Saturday 22, Sunday 23
Fiesta of Christ the King
Annual Fair in Sector Reforma, sección C and Junta del Potrero, Colotepec

Monday 24 - Wed 26
Book & Writers Fair, 2008
The event gets underway at 8 a.m. Lic. Adolfo López Mateos School, Calle 1a Poniente

Tuesday 25
"Telling Tales"
5 p.m. City Hall Plaza

Wednesday 26
Calenda, festive parade
5 p.m. Leaving the Benito Juárez Sports Center

Thursday 27
Happy Thanksgiving
If you have a hankering for Turkey and all the fixings, try our friends at the Split Coconut, La Torre or Flor de María
Quiz: How do you stump a turkey?

Folkloric Presentation by the Cultural Center of Puerto Escondido
7 p.m. City Hall Plaza

Friday 28
BMX Extreme Sports Fest 2008
will feature BMX, that's daredevil bike stunts, Skateboarding and Break Dancing.
5 p.m. City Hall Plaza
Calenda
Folkloric parade
from the Central Valley town of San Antonio Castillo Velasco
6 p.m. Leaving from the Benito Juárez Sports Complex.

Bicycle Pilgrimage
to the shrine of the Virgin of Juquila. (See below)
3 a.m. Leaving from Parque "El Idilio"

Saturday 29
Crafts Expo & Sale
The Central Valley community of San Antonio Castillo Velasco is best known for its textile arts - - colorfully embroidered blouses and dresses - - and for basketry. Local food specialties will also be offered
9 a.m. City Hall Plaza
Men's Basketball
10 a.m Benito Juárez Center
Martial Arts: Kick Boxing and - Wu Shu
7 p.m. City Hall Plaza

Sunday 30
Women's Basketball
10 a.m Benito Juárez Center
Mountain Bike Race
4 p.m. Starting at Parque "El Idilio"
Folklore Presentation
featuring several of the Cultural Missions from the state of Oaxaca
6 p.m. City Hall Plaza

Sat Dec. 6 - Mon Dec 8
Fiesta for the Virgin of Juquila
Early December sees the culmination of the pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of Juquila. Tens of thousands of worshipers, some from as far away as Chiapas, Puebla and Veracruz, descend upon this small mountain town. Before arriving at Juquila they stop at El Pedimento, 9 km from the city, where there is a cross and an image of the Virgin of Juquila. There they petition her for cures for infirmities, for a house, for a car, for work, and for the "impossible." Most bring a clay model of what they want. Each petitioner makes a private vow to return to Juquila the next year or even the next three years. And if, on a return visit, another request is made, then more pilgrimages are required.

The pilgrimage can be made at any time of the year, but the days leading up to December 8 are the most popular. On that day, there is a great celebration with music and dance.

It's only 2½ hours by car from Juquila to Puerto Escondido; so many families come here after making the pilgrimage. Thus, all the cars with the wreathed image of the Virgin on the front grill.

The diminutive statue of the Virgin was made in Spain and brought to the Chatino village of Amialtepec, a village near Juquila, by the Dominican friar, Jordán de Santa Catalina in the mid 16th century. When he left, he gave it to a pious Indian who then made a shrine for it. In 1633, the village was destroyed by a brush fire, but the statue miraculously survived with its face blackened.

It immediately became a special object of veneration and was soon moved to the larger town of Juquila. The statue is only 30 cm in height, but her beautifully embroidered gown is two metres in length and is accommodated by a specially built room in the neoclassical-baroque, late 18th century church.

Every year since 1989, a contingent from Puerto has made the trip to Juquila by bicycle. The first year, there were only four cyclists, but the numbers have grown to over 1,000. This year there will be four groups from Puerto, including one supported by the Puerto Fire Department which is providing a truck and an ambulance.

The cyclists leave Puerto Escondido on Friday, Nov 28, at 3 a.m. They sleep in El Vidrio Saturday night, leaving there on Sunday, at 4 a.m. From El Vidrio, it is only two hours to Juquila. The return trip is mostly down hill and the cyclists are back in Puerto by 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Among the communities that will host fiestas to honor Juquila this week are Puerto's Colonia Aeropuerto and Hidalgo Tututepec. (Fireworks and dancing on Sunday 7th.)

La Vela Istmeña
A Zapotec Fiesta
THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC is famous throughout Mexico for its colorful fiestas, gorgeous costumes and its Zapotec traditions. But, you don't have to visit the Isthmus to get a taste of their culture in December, when the Vela (festival) Istmeña is celebrated here, by natives of that region who live in Puerto.
Thursday, Dec. 4
The four-day celebration begins with the Calenda - a parade through the streets with a brass band, rockets and colorful lanterns. The parade begins at the Benito Juárez market and continues down Avenida Oaxaca to the Virgen de Soledad church above the Adoquín.
Friday, Dec. 5
Today is the convite - another colorful parade, this time with floats from which candy and fruits are tossed, along the same route.
Saturday, Dec. 6
The fiesta queen - Miza-Rintani I - is crowned at the City Hall plaza and there is a ceremony presenting the patrons (mayordomos) of next year's Vela. Then there is a gala dance.
Sunday, Dec. 7
Finally, on Sunday there is the Washing of the Dishes. It used to be the time for the clean-up, but today it's a party in honor of the organizers and sponsors.

Read last Month's Featured Articles:
The Day of the Dead
Playing with Fire
Trips, Santiago Jamiltepec