Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Mercado Tlacalula

Sundays are the busiest days for the market in the town of Tlacalula, about 25 minutes east of Oaxaca.The market covers several blocks and is open-air and within buildings. The bus ride costs just under a dollar one-way, but the experience is priceless.

Las manos are lined up like rolling pins ready to use for grinding.
Molcajetes come in different sizes and are usually painted like pigs or bulls. They are used to grind ingredients for salsas, especially guacamole.
These metates are painted with the message "in memory of my parents", and are ready with dried corn ready for test-grinding with un mano. You would grind ingredients like tomatoes, cinnamon, nuts, or cochineal.







If you need slingshots, I know where to get them. Garlic, anyone? Turkeys-to-go.





2 comments:

  1. Those turkeys look so comfy--little do they know! Can't believe the slingshots! Are they painted wood?

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  2. If I were buying turkey I would go for the ones tied up in a bag. Otherwise they hold them upside down by the feet or strap them into a cart and they can get a little wiggly. I saw one escape from a cart.

    The slingshots are plastic. There are many stands with rows of slingshots so they must be in demand. I don't know if they use them against animals or their neighbors.

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