Election Day

Day 8: July 1, 2012

Today is Election Day! The Mexican people are voting to replace the current President Felipe Calderón who has served a six-year term.

Enrique Peña Nieto (is the favorite to win), Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and a woman candidate Josefina Vázquez Mota are in the running. Voting booths were visible throughout Oaxaca today.

Woodcarvings are very popular in Oaxaca. We visited a talented carver who demonstrated the process of carving a wooden dog.  These hand carved items are then hand painted with extremely detailed deigns. Wooden animals, jewelry boxes, crosses, and picture frames are among a few of the items for sale.

 

Our next stop was a workshop where black clay pottery is hand crafted. The artisan started by kneading a small piece of clay. Then, by stacking two plates together, created a pottery wheel. Within minutes he created a jug with intricate designs along the top.  Since I love decorating my apartment at home, I purchased several decorative balls for the center of the table in my apartment. 

For lunch, a few of the girls and I sat in the courtyard of our hotel and enjoyed tacos. Since it’s Sunday and also presidential Election Day here in Mexico, most of the shops in the city are closed. The Internet is down in our hotel so I am currently at a local coffee shop sipping on an iced latte and enjoying a free afternoon before our six-hour bus ride to Veracruz tomorrow.