Thu 8
New Moon in Leo at 2:15 p.m.
Birthday of Emiliano Zapata
The most appealing figure of the Mexican Revolution was born on this day in 1879 in San Miguel Anenecuilco, Morelos. Under his slogan "Land and Freedom!", he became the apostle of agrarian reform and was perhaps the purist of the heroes of the revolution.
Lured into a treacherous ambush by Col. Jesús M. Guajardo in Chinameca, Morelos on April 10, 1919, he died with ten of his followers. Time has not diminished the appeal of Zapata or the nobility of his principles.
Fri 9
Birthday of Vicente Guerrero
The hero of México's Independence struggle was born on this day in Tixtla, Guerrero in 1782. As the early leaders of the 1810 insurgency were captured and executed, it fell to Guerrero to keep the uprising against Spain alive.
Guerrero was president of the young volatile republic in 1829. Forced again to take up arms against the government, he was betrayed by a Genoan ships captain who turned him over to his enemies on what is now called La Entrega beach in Huatulco. (La entrega means the handing over or the delivery). Guerrero was executed at Culiapan, Oaxaca on Feb. 14, 1831.
Sun 11 - Tue 13
Meteor Shower
The annual summer appearance of the Perseid meteor shower can offer quite a show, depending on weather conditions, finding a place away from city lights and being able to stay up late: best viewing are the hours before dawn.
Mon 12
Taxi Driver's Day
Every profession and trade in México is honored with a day to celebrate their contribution to society. Today, Puerto's cabs are bedecked with flowers and streamers as the cab drivers take their turn. See story below.
Mon 12 - Sat 17
International Boards Championship 2002
The fourth edition of the Mexpipe Open has morphed into this week-long celebration of the rapidly growing Extreme Sports phenomenon. Besides the US$10,000 surfing tournament, there will be a skateboard contest (US$3,000 in prize money), exhibitions of paragliding, sky diving and ultralite flight, plus lots of music and after event partying.
Playa Zicatela
(See below for more.)
Tue 13 - Thu 15
Feast of the Ascension Of the Holy Virgin
This is the Annual Fiesta in Santa Maria Tonameca (near Pochutla) with parades, fireworks, dances and rodeos, as well as the religious observations.
The lighting of the castillo (castle or tower) of spectacular fireworks always takes place on the verbena or saint's day eve (Aug. 14).
Santa Maria Tonameca is off the coast highway between San Antonio (where you take the road to Mazunte) and San Pedro Pochutla.
Other communities will celebrate with fiestas including Santa María Colotepec and San Pedro Mixtepec.
It's also the Annual Fiesta in the attractive Mixtec town of Huazolotitlan, just four kilometers off the Coast Highway from Huazpala.
See El Sol page 22 for more.
Sat 17
Veterinarian's Day
See Mon. 12
Thu 22
Full Moon in Aquarius at 5:29 p.m.
Fireman's Day
See Mon. 12
Wed 28
Grandparent's Day
There's a Children's Day, as well as Mother's and Father's Days, but today is for los abuelitos.
Wed 28 - Thu 29
The Martyrdom of John the Baptist
One of the most important festivals of the year in the Chatino town of Lachao Pueblo Nuevo, on the road to Oaxaca via Sola de Vega. (There are some cool waterfalls nearby.)
Thu 29 - Fri 30
Feast of Santa Rosa de Lima
Like México's Virgin of Guadalupe, this religious figure came out of the New World and is venerated throughout Latin America. There's a town named for her near just past Rio Grande on the coast highway towards Jamiltepec and Pinotepa Nacional. The Chatino community of Santa Rosa near San Juan Lachao Pueblo Nuevo, on the Oaxaca road via Sola de Vega, will also host fiesta activities on these days.
Etc.
Frisbee Golf: Wicked sand traps and a huge water hazard.
Wed and, Sat at 4:30 p.m. The Split Coconut, opp. Hotel Sante Fe
Radio, Radio
Helena Szutska, known to her listeners as "Lucy Sonido", presents bilingual world-music radio shows on local FM radio station Esmeralda, 94.1FM.
"Chiles y Chocolates"
8 to 10 p.m. on Sundays
"La Luciernaga"
3 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays
11 a.m. to noon on Saturdays
And now another show:
"Amnesia", remembering the music from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
4 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays
In many cases it means a day off, at the very least it's cause for a special lunch or dinner, or a full-blown, boogie-til-dawn party.
As well as Mother's Day (May 10) and one for Fathers (third Sunday in June), there is a Children's Day (April 30), a Student's Day (May 24). And this month, there's Senior's Day, Aug. 29.
But that's just the beginning: Aug. 4 is Day of the Priest; Aug. 17 is Veterinarian's Day; Aug. 22 is Day of the Fireman. But the big day in Puerto Escondido is Aug. 12, Taxi Driver's Day. As Puerto is a resort town, the cab fleet has a bigger than normal role and a higher profile. And on Aug. 12 is higher still.
The night before, the cabs are adorned with flowers, ribbons and streamers. Then at 8 a.m. the entire Puerto Escondido taxi fleet assembles near the church for a special mass and blessing of the cabs. Then the vehicles parade through the streets of town, sometimes preceded by the truck carrying the banda traditional brass band.
There's a special lunch for the drivers and private parties later when the shifts change. Don't be surprised to find fewer vehicles on the streets today. If you can find one, give your driver a tip and tell him "felicidades!"
They hold up to 5 passengers, two up front with the driver and three in the back. (Tip #1: always choose the back seat if you have the choice.) It cost 2 1/2 pesos to ride. Pay the driver when you get out, as close as he gets to your destination. The "covered wagons" and the minibuses also cost 2.50 pesos per ride within Puerto.
A regular cab will charge you 15 pesos for a ride from, say, the commercial center of town to the Adoquín or one of the nearer colonias. But for longer trips, from Zicatela to Bacocho, for example, the rate might be 20.
At night, expect to pay more, starting at 20 pesos for short trips and up to 30 for longer ones. For multiple stops, you will probably be charged the minimum fare for each stop.
For out of town journeys, negotiate a price with the driver, or call the radio dispatch office at 562-0990 and ask them the going rate.
With the increase in rainfall that we can expect during the month of August more sea turtles can be seen along Oaxaca's beaches. It's a ritual older than man's history on the planet. Thousands of female marine turtles will laboriously drag themselves from the sea onto the beaches of Oaxaca to lay their eggs.
They arrive during the late evening and through the night. The female will dig a hole in the sand and deposit an average of 100 eggs, then meticulously cover the nest before returning to the sea. The process takes about one hour.
The species most commonly seen along the coast of Oaxaca is the Olive Ridley, although the Leatherback and the Black turtle also inhabit these waters.
The Olive Ridley, which has a life span of up to 35 years, begins to procreate at eight to 10 years of age. The females may, during the course of the season, nest up to three times. The incubation period is 45 days.
During the course of the season an enormous number of eggs are produced, but, says Javier Vasconcelos Pérez, head of the Mexican Turtle Center, only 3 to 4 percent of the hatchlings will reach maturity.
And, although it is against the law, nests on unprotected beaches are routinely raided for the eggs. Dogs also destroy nests; pollution and environmental factors further reduce the turtle population.
These magnificent creatures, which scientists estimate have been on Earth for 150 million years, were being harvested to near extinction. In 1990 the Mexican government afforded marine turtles total protection, making it illegal to kill or even harm these creatures. Shortly thereafter the Mexican Turtle Center was formed, under the aegis of the National Fisheries Institute, to study and protect the species and to raise consciousness about the importance of conservation efforts.
Mazunte, site of the center, near Puerto Angel, was a center for harvesting the animals. Some 50,000 turtles were slaughtered each year as they came on shore to nest, and their weathered white bones and shells were strewn about for the tides and storms to remove.
The center includes an aquarium displaying all varieties of marine turtles found in México. The guided tours will tell you more about the annual nesting cycle.
The center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m Tuesday through Saturday; Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
If You Come Across a Turtle:
The August Mexpipe Open returns for its fourth edition with plenty of company. The surfing tournament will form just part of the action on Zicatela when the International Boards Championships (IBC) 2002 hits town.
It's planned as a celebration of Extreme Sports and will include a skateboard tournament, sanctioned by the United Skateboard Federation, and lots of daredevil displays by pros Bobby Pulido, Omar Hassan, Dustin Dolin and Geoff Rowley.
The ramps will be set up opposite the Hotel Arcoiris, which will be the headquarters for this event. The major board companies and other event sponsors will have their booths set up in the Hotel gardens.
Parachuting, parasailing and ultralight will also form part of the action during the International Boards Championships, plus a daily schedule of concerts, parties and other activities.
The Mexpipe Open 2002 is open to any surfer willing to challenge Zicatela's famed Mexican Pipeline. The contest will have a 10-day period of opportunity (August 7 to 17) to take advantage of the best possible conditions. Deadline for signing up is August 6.
The format will depend on the number of entrants, but each participant will surf at least three qualifying heats, accumulating points to advance to the next rounds. The semis and final will be one-on-one 45-minute heats.
Entry fee is US$80; Prize money is US$10,000
Last year's champion, Puerto's rising surf star David Rutherford, will be back to defend his title against challengers from around the world. The event has previously attracted surfers from Brazil, New Zealand, South Africa, Peru, Venezuela, as well as the U.S., México, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
For more information contact Mexpipe (582-0759), Hotel Arcoiris (582-0432) or via the IBC website: www.internationalboards.com
