August 23, 2002
cartoon mural
A cartoon superhero mural by the market in San Cristobal: Thalia
Chamula Market
El mercado de Chamula. El domingo, 18 de agosto. Kaceeny
The market of Chamula. Sunday, August 18th. Kaceeny
We arrived at the market early Sunday morning. Chamula is a Tzotzil town just outside of San Cristobal. On this day the market was espcially packed. The church, beside the market, was celebrating two saints (which were being transferred to near by towns) and batisms for many Chamulan babies.
August 18, 2002
black doorway with frame
On Saturday, the assignment was to take pictures of signage and facades of San Cristòbal. It was a fairly easy assignment when you consider that this picture represents the typical colorful homes found here.
multi-colored buildings
An example of the multi-colored buildings of San Cristòbal.
Green Building
A bright green building in San Cristòbal.
The colors of the homes and businesses of San Cristòbal are very bright and cheerful. Many buildings have two colors, one on the bottom and another on the top.
yellow sign
"Creations and Something More" - an example of the colorful signage found throughout Mexico.
Lyn
Lyn, the Executive Director of the Girls Club, with a long time friend and pottery maker in the village of Amantanango.
spotted leopard
Here is a statue of a spotted leopard. This animal holds a great deal of importance in Mayan folklore.
pottery maker
Una a mujer tzotzil quien està haciendo una olla en el pueblo de Amantanango, Chiapas.
A Tzotzil woman making a pot in the village of Amantanango. This is a famous pottery village in Chiapas.
procession of people
On our way to the pottery village of San Ramòn, our collectivos (vans) got stuck in traffic behind a religious procession passing through the streets.
Jenny and Penelope jumped out of the car to snap some pictures. People watching the procession turned their heads and focused their attention of Jenny. People are facinated by her body piercings and tattoos.
mural
A mural of San Cristòbal celebrating its culture and the Zapatista movement
blue door
This is a stunning blue door in a quiet hotel of San Critòbal.
We found this hotel wandering through the streets. We had to ask the hotel workers permission to take some photos inside. Thalia
blue decorations
We found these colorful decorations in a plaza of San Cristòbal were there was a religious celebration going on. These paper cut out decorations are commonly used during celebrations throughout Mexico. These particular blue and white decorations were stunning against the bright blue sky. Thalia
Roof top
This picture is funny to me because the town doesn´t seem so updated with the modern things, but on the roof of this one story building is a satelite dish.
This is in the town of San Cristobal. Many of the buildings are of bright and multiple colors.
wooden door
This door was interesting to me because it wasn´t like any other door in town. Also the door cracked open and no one in front shows the level of fearlessness and trust in San Cristobal.
This door is on our way to the Market. I have passed this door about twenty times and never realized it until we were taking pictures of the town.
curious boy
This is on our way to San Ramon.
This is a pic of a curious boy in San Ramon.He was so fascinated by the fact that their were African -American girls on our bus he had never seen a girl of color before.Many people who see us walking around in the town are either afraid or eager to know whether or not the girls with color are from china like many mayan myths say.
pottery
This is an example of pottery from San Ramon
San Ramon is an area of San Cristòbal where there are a lot of pottery workshops. Because the pottery is glazed with an mixture that contains lead many of the workers are ill.
August 16, 2002
Portrait of Jennifer Valette
Jennifer Valette is working with the Girls Club in Chiapas for the second year. She is 17 years old and a resident of the Lower Eastside in NYC.
Thalia shows textiles
Here Thalia is showing us an example of Mayan textiles. Darker colors are popular in 2002.
This is just one example of the amazingly intricate textile arts of Chiapas. Not only is it beutiful, but it is warm, which is good because it can get very cold in the sierra of Chiapas. The dark colors are "in" this year. Mayan fashions change each year...varying in color, pattern, and design.
Tiffany documents
Tiffany is documenting the first meeting. Thalia and Kaceeny are taking notes as they interview their new partners.
roxy holds textile pillow
Roxy, Chips daughter, holds two examples of the fine textiles you will find at the textile cooperative in San Cristóbal located near the market.
Chip is a Mayan historian who assisted in founding the cooperative of San Cristóbal. He specializes in Mayan textiles and, therefore, is a big help in explaining the details of the fine craftmenship of this work.
Weavers
Two Mayan weavers at the Weavers Cooperative in Tenejapa, Chiapas.
We visited the Weavers Cooperative of Tenejapa on Thursday. Everything is woven by hand. Much of it is sold at the cooperative in San Cristóbal.
Qushema shoots her video
Qushema is working to document the Chiapas trip by video.
Qushema esta trabajando documentar el viaje de Chiapas por video.
tortilla making
We get to view some Tortilla making in Tenejapa.
estamos mirando las mujeres hacer tortillas en el pueblo de Tenejapa.
This was quite a pleasant treat. On our visit to the Weavers Cooperative of Tenejapa, we get to watch some of the women make the tortillas by hand. It was hot outside and the women were sweating over the fire. They were kind enough to share the tortillas with us.....delicious.
getting to know each other
we are sharing stories on the first day.
estamos compartiendo cuentas la primera dia.
flowers
These are some beutiful flowers we found in Tenehapa.
Son flores de Tenehapa
la iglesia de Tenejapa
The Church of Tenejapa
Aqui estamos visitando la iglesia de Tenejapa. No nos permitaron tomar fotos en dentro.
Here we are visiting the church of the village of Tenejapa. We were not allowed to take photos inside. This church is similar to many of the churches in the villages throughout Chiapas. In front of the Church is the town plaza.
Chips Lecture at Weavers Cooperative
Here our friend Chip is giving the girls a lecture on Mayan textiles as we visit the weavers cooperative of San Cristóbal, Chiapas.
Estamos aprendiendo sobre las telas de las mayas. Estamos visitando la corperativa de San Cristóbal.
August 14, 2002
It rains it pours
The rain continues to fall at Na Balom in San Cristòbal, Chiapas.
Sigue lluviendo a Na Balom.
working 1
Adriana shows the girls from the Girls Club and the mayan women the "blog."
Adriana mostra la chavas y las mujeres el blog!
compartiendo
Here we are sharing our stories and listening and learning.
Aqui, estamos compartiendo nuestras cuentas de la vida...estamos eschuchando y aprendiendo. Mira Josè Alfredo.
Here we are sharing our stories on our first day together! Little Jose Alfredo looks on!!!
working 5
estamos aprendiendo....poco a poco.
we are learning....little by little.
working 4
Todavia estamos praticando!
we are still practicing.
We continue to practice. Notice how we are all crammed into this small cafe!
working 3
The first practice of posting photos on the web.
La primera vez practicams poner una foto en la pagina del web.
This is our first brave spirit who volunteers to practice posting her pictures on the web!
nuestro voluntario quien estaba poniendo sus fotos en la pagina.
working 2
estamos aprendiendo ponor las fotos en la pagina del web.
we are learning how to download our photos to the blog
All of us invade a small internet cafe and take over for a few hours to sharpen our technology skills. We are all learning here.... Each woman practices posting a photo on the blog. Practice makes perfect!
walking to the internet cafe
Estamos caminando a ciber cafè en la tarde para poner las fotos en la computadora. Cada persona tenia que aprender como hacerlo.
Here we are walking to the internet cafe in San Cristòbal in the afternoon. We are going to put our photos on the web page. Each woman and girl had to learn how to do this.
more rain at Na Balom
This is a glimpse of the rainy season in San Cristòbal, Chiapas.
For most of the day it is beautiful, but every afternoon the rains come! Na Balom is the hotel where we reside. It is a beutiful 16th cetury home and now houses a musuem, hotel, library, and studios.
interview preparation
Girls prepare to interview their Mayan partners one the first day of project work.
Thalia and Kaceeny prepare to interview their partners. We want to learn more about the women, their lives, their families, and their work.
Thalia y Kaceeny estan preparando hacer entravistas de sus companeras. Quieren aprender sobre las mujers, sus vidas, sus familias, y sus trabajo.
4 mayans at chips
Somos cuatro esperando para comer a la casa de Chips.
Four of our group are waiting to eat lunch at Chips house.
We are eagerly awaiting our delicious "comida" of mole at Chips house. Chip is a friend of the Girls Club and a long time resident of San Cristòbal. Fluent in Spanish, English, Tzotzil and other indigenous languages of the highlands...he helps us out a lot.
mi tia martha
esta es mi tia martha. esta en la sala con los grupo de los niños. esta entrevistando a mi tia martha.
This is my aunt Martha. She is in the living room with the group of girls from the Girls Club. One girl is interview my aunt Martha.
This photo was taken on the first day the girls met the women from Chiapas that they will be working with. The women gave us an introductory presentation and presented to us several of their photos. Then we interviewed them in groups to get a better sense of who they are.
foto de mi tia juana
esta es su retrato de mi tia juana estamos en la sala entrevistando a las chicas
foto de pascuala
estamos en la sala. we are in the living area.
This is a beutiful photo of Pascuala. Her little son is in the background. He kept us company all afternoon.
foto de Juana y jennifer
Jennifer and Juana are relaxing in the living room area of the office. They are talking and getting to know one another.
jennifer y juana estan descansando en la sala platicando. Esta junta es la primera vez los grupos estaban trabajando juntos en este viaje. Jennifer conocio juana hace un ano en chiapas durante el otro viaje.
This is the first time the two groups have worked together on this trip. JEnnifer met Juana one year ago while she was in Chiapas with the Girls Club.
sister photo
My sister and I are taking photos in the living room.
yo y mi hermana estamos tomando fotos en la sala. Este fue durante la primera reunion de los grupos 2002. Todas las mujeres estaban praticando tomar photos para poner en la computadora.
This was the first meeting of the groups. All of the women were practicing on how to take picture to post on the web page.
photo 1
this is a photo of the group in the "sala de estudios." This meeting was our first gathering together in San Cristòbal.
Esta photo es del grupo en la sala de estudios donde trabajan las mujeres. Esta junta fue la primera vez las chavas del Girls Club conocieron las mujeres del projecto.
we
zinacantan women
this is a group of women at a festival in Zinacantan, Chiapas. The photo was taken August 10, 2002.
Please note the style and color of the womens clothing. Each year they change. For example, this year darker colors are popular.
August 12, 2002
Last year in Chiapas
[Click for larger photo]
These are some photos from last year's trip to San Cristobal de Las Casas. Good luck to this year's travelers!
How to post a story and photo
This may seem complicated when you read it, but once you have done it, it will be easy.
First, goto the login page. Once you are in, if you don't see little icons on the left side, click on the name of the weblog. You will see a page which has an icon labeled "UPLOAD FILE" . (Click on the first thumbnail at the top of this entry to see the location of this icon.) Click on the icon, and you get a pop-up where you see the word Browse. (Click on the second thumbnail in this entry to see a picture of that pop-up)
Browse for your photo. It can be wherever you saved it on your computer hard drive. It should be around 320X240 in size, or whatever you have settled on, but should NOT be larger than 640X480 - it will take to long for people looking at your photos to load it in to see it.
Then type the word "images" (lower-case, no quotes) in the top of the two spaces at the bottom. Check the page, then click Upload.
You get another pop-up. (Click on the third thumbnail in this entry to see what it looks like). On this one, check the box to create a new entry with your photo. Check Make thumbnail. Type 120 into the top box for the size. hit return and the bottom box will be adjusted to keep the right proportions. At the bottom are 2 last buttons. Click the left one (POPUP IMAGE) so that anyone reading your entry can click on a thumbnail, and a larger version of your photo will pop up in its own window.
Once you have clicked Popup Image, you get a larger page for your entry. (Click the last thumbnail in this entry to see a part of it). Type in a title, select a category (It may be a location, or your name, however it has been set up). Right after all of the html code that the system has put into the Main Entry Text box, type in your story or description of the photo. If you have a long story, you can put just the first few sentences into this box, then continue in the Additional Entry Text box. That way, when people click on the word "MORE" that will appear under your first sentences, they will go to a page with your whole story. It makes it easier to fit more entries on the main page for people to look through. Don't do it the way I've done it here!
Scroll down to the bottom of this entry page, make sure Post Status is "Publish" and click either preview or save. Once it says your entry has been saved, find the bottom left icon, View Site, and click it. You may have to click the Reload button in your browser to see the latest changes, but with any luck, there's your entry for the whole world to see!
One last note: Look at the last thumbnail on this page. The html code after the border defined as zero, is code I typed in. It puts a little space around the photo, and puts the photo on the right, with text wrapping around on the left. Once you feel confident with this you can try it.
August 08, 2002
gala girls (norma and diana) update
do you want to volunteer at the architect's office some before school starts?
Hi Ladies!
I talked with Christa at the Architect's Office. She told me that you both could come in for the next two Fridays (they are closed on the30th of August). Let me know if you want to go in for a few hours, i was thinking possibly 10-1pm? If you want to email me. I will be in Chiapas witht he Girls Club but I will be in contact via email.
i hope that yall are doing well. i miss you. norma....i am sorry i got so sick at camo fowler....what a nightmire. oh well, i hear that yall are having fun. and diana, i hope nyc is treating you well. i send you both a big hug.
i will be in chiapas, august 12th-21st. then i will be back at the girls club the 23rd- through the 26th. Remember there is the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Thompkins Square Park August 25th so if you want to help us out we will have a table set up. August 27th-Sept 6 i am going home!!! to visit my family in north Carolina. i know this means i will miss your birthday diana, but i promise to make it up to you when i come back to nyc. dont worry, i did not forget your sweet sixteen.
ok. email me yall. jhsugg@hotmail.com
take care,
jennifer sugg
site photo3
ok, i think i have the photo now.
this is a photo of the lots for the upcoming girls club building in the lower eastside.