Oaxacan Folk Art Doll
Oaxaca, Mexico 2016
My daughter, Marie, blogs from her travels in Mexico.
Works of vegetal art appear at the zócalo in Oaxaca on December 23. Called Night of Radishes (Noche de Rábanos) men, women, and children of Oaxaca display their creativity by turning radishes from the red, sharp tasting salad ingredient we all know into sculptures and scenes from religious, everyday, and imaginary life.
In the morning the zócalo is formally shut down and then enclosed on all sides by the radish artists’ booths and an elevated walkway to allow the public to easily appreciate the artwork.
The radish sculptures are incredible. A radish Spaniard protected a Radish Santa María de la Soledad. Radish ladies sold vegetables in radish markets. Radish burros carried water to radish villages. Radish men danced traditional Oaxacan dances. There was a radish wedding, a radish parade, and a radish fiesta with a radish boy who held a radish boom box. At the end of my viewing, the wind picked up and I was quickly reminded by the strong peppery smell that these were true, made for eating radishes.
I still think of these radish people – five days later – and wonder what music the boom box is playing and if the market women sold all their vegetables that night.
Oaxacan Folk Art