Wed 13
New Moon in Pisces at 8:02 p.m.
Sun 17
St. Patrick's Day
Break out the green and enjoy a traditional corned beef and cabbage
feast at Art & Harry's on Playa Zicatela
Mon 18
Anniversary of the Nationalization of the Oil Industry
The great populist president Lázaro Cárdenas signed the proclamation for
Mexican ownership of its national resource in 1938 after the foreign oil
companies refused to accept arbitration to end a long and bitter strike
by oil workers. The anniversary is celebrated with civic events
nationwide as an important milestone for Mexican economic independence.
Sun 17 - Tue 19
Fiesta of Saint Joseph
Countless towns and neighborhoods are named for San José, the great
patriarch, and many will be celebrating their patron saint. This is the
principal fiesta in the region this month. The traditional fiesta on the
coast begins with the festive calenda parade (Sun 17), fireworks and
dancing take place on the saint's day eve (Mon. 18). There are also
sports contests, sometimes cockfights, horse racing and rodeos.
The closest San José to Puerto Escondido is San José Manialtepec, about a 10 minute drive past the recreation areas around Manialtepec Lagoon. There's also San José del Progreso about an hour's drive further west on the Coast Highway (Rte. 200) near Chacahua Lagoon National Park. San José Pacifico is about two-hours drive up into the pine forests of the high Sierra.
Tue 19 - Sun 24
Central Surf International Longboard Invitational
Tube Riding Contest
The third running of this event was canceled in the wake of 9/11. But
this month the world's leading longboard professionals get their chance
to compete against the capricious breaks on Zicatela.
Details below
Wed 20
First Day of Spring
It begins officially at 1:15 p.m.
Thu 21
Birthday of Benito Juárez
Oaxaca produced two dominant figures in Mexican history. One is Porfirio
Diaz, the president who didn't know when to quit and whose excesses gave
birth to the Mexican Revolution. The other is Benito Juárez, the
Zapotec Indian who rose from humble origins to become one of the most
revered leaders in Mexican history.
Benito Pablo Juárez Garcíía was born on March 21, 1806 in the village of San Pablo Guelatao, Ixtlán, Oaxaca. Orphaned at age four, he learned to speak Spanish and to read and write at the age of 12, when he was sent by his impoverished relatives to Oaxaca and taken into a seminary for an education.
He went on to study law and at age 28 began his career in public office as a councilman in the town. He later served as state deputy, a civil and finance judge, secretary of state, governor and, seven times, president of Mexico.
During his long political life he encountered jail terms and exile. He led the resistance to the French invasion under the Emperor Maximilian and guided the country through a time of vicious, internecine struggles to establish La Reforma, the series of reforms that limited the powerhold of the church, foreign business interests and the old ruling class.
Most of all, Juárez is remembered for his honesty, integrity and patriotism. His quote "Respect for the rights of others brings peace" (El derecho ajeno es la paz) is the motto on the seal of the state of Oaxaca. This statesman is honored throughout Mexico and indeed the world.
A national holiday, banks and government offices closed.
Sun 24 - Sun 31
Holy Week
It starts with Palm Sunday observances and culminates in Easter weekend,
the busiest holiday weekend of the year. Apart from the religious
rituals, there are plenty of profane diversions offered to amuse the
horde of visitors, including the Fiesta del Mar, a three-day program of
music and games on the main beach, a beach fiesta at Barra de Colotepec
and something new this year: the Ecology and Folkloric Fiesta in Barra
de Navidad.
(For more on these and other Holy Week festivities see the story below)
Sun 24 Palm Sunday
Commemorating Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, a procession of
the faithful bearing palms fronds passes from the Mission Cross (on
Avenida Oaxaca between 8th and 9th streets) to the town church at 6 p.m.
Thu 28 Holy Thursday
Religious observances include a representation of the Last Supper and
the ritual of Washing the feet of the disciples.
5 p.m. In front of town church
Fri 29 Good Friday
The day is marked by solemn processions, including El Encuentro,
representing "the encounter" between Mary and Jesus on His way to the
Crucifixion. That begins at noon.
Sun 31 Easter Sunday
Easter Masses are scheduled for 7 a.m., 12 and 7 p.m.
Thu 28
Full Moon in Libra at 12:25 p.m.
Radio, Radio
Sunday 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Chiles y Chocolates, a bilingual radio
program hosted by "Lucy Sonido", actually Canadian musicologist Helena Szutska, an eclectic mix of
music from around the world.
Wednesday 9 p.m.
La Luciernaga (Firefly)
Lucy's midweek, commercial-free hour of free-flowing music. Radio Esmeralda,
94.1 FM.
The brain child of Central Surf's Angel Salinas who has represented Mexico in numerous international long-board competitions, this tournament (by invitation only) is a tube-riding contest. Surfers will be judged on how well they maneuver their big boards (they must be at least 9-feet) through the famous pipeline.
Pros from Hawaii, Australia, USA, Japan, France, Tahiti, Brazil and Mexico are expected to attend.
This year the tournament will include the First Pro-Am Skateboarding Exhibition, slated to take place in Fraccionamiento Bacocho on March 22, 23 and 24.
The welcoming reception for the competitors will be held in the gardens of the Hotel Posada Real at 5 p.m. Mon. March 18. The following days (March 19 - 24), contest meetings will take place between 5 and 7 p.m. in the restaurant at the Hotel Arco Iris
Further details on the tournament will be available at the Central Surf store on Zicatela.
It is encouraging that the state government is supporting this year's tournament. Other sponsors include the Hotel and Restaurant Association and the Office of Visitors and Conventions. Veracruz Surf, Destination and Anderson boards are also supporters of what should shape up to be an amazing show as the world's best longboarders are challenged to the limit of the sport by the capriciousness of the Zicatela's surf.
Sooo L o o n g
All surf boards were longboards when the sport was born; the Hawaiians used long and extremely heavy slabs of tropical hardwood when they invented surf riding.
The development of polyurethane foams and epoxy resins after World War Two produced more buoyant materials for surfboards and a single wide base fin was added to the back and the modern longboard was born.
In the late sixties and early 70s the prospering sport of surfing underwent what is now referred to as the Short Board Revolution. New designs and materials reduced the average 9 or 10-foot boards down to 6 and 7 feet in length.
The primary difference between the two is that the rider moves up and down the board to control the longboard's movement, whereas the shortboard is maneuvered by shifting your weight while standing in the same spot on the board, much like riding a skateboard.
Shortboards are faster and more maneuverable; Longboards are best suited to small waves. You'll often see riders standing right on the nose of the board cruising a gentle wave into shore.
But this laid back technique isn't what you can expect to see when longboarders face the temperamental surf of Zicatela.
Think of it as a combination of Spring Break on a massive scale and Christmas. Like most Mexican religious observances, it is a mix of the sacred and the profane. Somber religious ceremonies mix with uninhibited partying.
It is the single busiest holiday period of the year. All the city folks who are able to, get out of town for the holidays. It is said that utility consumption, water, electricity etc., falls by 30 percent during this period in Mexico City. And the preferred destination, of course, is a beach resort.
Even the nation's most isolated beach destinations are likely to be
completely overtaken by large families of campers and day-trippers.
It is a good time to stay off the highways and to just enjoy the community in which you find yourself. Hotel rooms are booked solid, as are planes and buses, and shortages of supplies in the stores and cash at the bank machines are not uncommon.
During this week, the faithful throughout Mexico celebrate with great fervor the last days of Christ on earth. Palm Sunday represents Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem after His 40 days of spiritual reflection and struggle against evil and temptation in the desert (a period that is represented by the observance of Lent).
Processions take place through many of the main streets of most towns along with the blessing of the palms in the parish church.
Thursday and Good Friday of Easter Week are when things reach a peak of activity. During these days most communities hold religious processions and reenactments of events such as the Last Supper and the arrest of Christ and His trial before Herod.
Some are very elaborate pageants and Passion Plays with costumed characters representing biblical figures such as Pontius Pilate, the Virgin Mary and Christ Himself.
On Good Friday the procession known as El Encuentro, the meeting or encounter, takes place when Mary is reunited with her son during His passage along the Via Doloroso to His crucifixion.
On the Saturday before Easter, Saturday of Glory as it is known here (Sabado de Gloria), in some communities there's some comic relief to the general solemnity with the raucous burning of Los Judas, the Judases. These large papier maché effigies, usually painted in eye-popping colors, represent Judas Iscariot and other forces of evil, (doesn't that one look a LOT like ex-president Carlos Salinas? And there's Osama Bin Laden!)
Especially prepared by the local cohetero or pirotécnico who creates fireworks for all festive occasions, the figures are hung up in the street or the central town plaza. Once the public has gathered, they are ignited in quick succession and, to the delight of all, are literally blown to bits, thereby symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.
For all Christian churches, Easter Sunday is unquestionably the most important day of the entire religious calendar. Since all Roman Catholics are expected to attend mass and take Holy Communion to mark the holiday, every celebration held in each of the thousands of churches throughout Mexico will be packed with the faithful on this day.
The church bells will ring out to proclaim a day of joy and spiritual renewal, the promise of redemption symbolized by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It is a particularly interesting time to visit one of the nearby indigenous communities to experience the passion and faith of the people expressed in rites and customs that mix both Christian and pre-Hispanic beliefs.
One such place is Santos Reyes Nopala, an attractive hill-top town that is located in the coffee-growing foothills of the Sierra Madre del Sur, where the Chatinos from surrounding communities gather in huge numbers for this Spring celebration.
The area surrounding the town of Pinotepa Nacional with its mix of Mestizos, Mixtec, Amusgo and Chatino Indians and Afro-Mestizo communities also celebrates the season with particularly colorful ritual and pageantry.
Here in Puerto, to ensure that the hordes of visitors have adequate amusements, there will be lots of nonreligious activities taking place: carnival rides for the kids, beach festival, cock fights and rodeos among them.
They offer tours of the lagoons to observe the amazing bird life and crocodiles in their natural habitat. There's also an iguana and crocodile hatchery and an observation tower to view marine turtles.
On Easter Weekend the town will show off the improvements they're made to the preserve, including a palapa offering meal service, a camping area and the new launches. Besides eco-tours there will be beach soccer and volleyball, concerts of local music and other cultural presentations plus food and drink typical of the region.
Each night features a contest between two teams representing various communities around the state. Puerto's Easter Tournament (Sun 24 - Sat 30) takes place at a lot next to the Hotel Vista Hermosa, just a half block east of the crossroad, (where there's a traffic light). There's a modest entrance fee and food and bar service.
These bull-riding contests are a staple entertainment at holiday time
in communities throughout the state. Even the tiniest village has its
small corral where the sport takes place.
It is believed that it was the Indians who initiated the jaripeo, shortly after the Conquest when the bulls were brought into countryside by the Spaniards. They were forbidden on pain of death to ride horses because the colonizers believed it was this animal that helped them defeat the Indian armies.
The bulls, fierce, strange beasts, represented evil and subjugation for the newly enslaved Indians. So bullriding became a symbol of defiance and a mark of bravery, but it was permitted by the colonial authorities who saw it as harmless entertainment.
The major jaripeos have live bands playing chilenas and cowboy ranchero music and attract famous rodeo stars whose exploits are followed by the sport's legions of fans.
Puerto now has a brand new Jarapeo arena, "Monumental Plaza de Toros La Costeññita" thanks to Carbajal brothers, best known here as the amiable owners of Don Felix hardware store, where you are always welcome to serve yourself a shot of mescal while you wait to be served.
The brothers Carbajal, great aficionados of the Jaripeo, also own the Rancho "Los 3 Gavilanes", which raises bulls for the sport.