Amalia and Elyse: Ocotlán

Last Thursday we visited the town of Ocotlan, about a half an hour away from Oaxaca. We left Solexico at 9 AM and took a bus down to the Central de Abastos where the colectivo taxis leave for the towns surrounding Oaxaca city. We walked down the corridor of  colectivos, each with a driver who yelled the name of the destination. We piled in to the taxi labeled Ocotlan, along with four other people and their bags, and set off! 

Our assignments were to find the Fundacion Cultural de Rodolfo Morales, the ex-convent and the Museum where Morales’ work is displayed. For those who have never heard of him, Rodolfo Morales is recognized as one of the most important artists in Mexico. He was born in the town of Ocotlan, and spent much of his life working to preserve the history and artistic legacy of his home.

We first stopped at the Fundacion Cultural de Rodolfo Morales, an NGO that promotes educational programs in Ocotlan. This foundation, founded in 1992, works to restore, maintain and conserve architectural monuments, sculptures, and murals, and develops workshops for young people from Ocotlan to get involved in art, as well as technological skills.

We were blown away by the beauty of the Foundation! This building was Morales’ house and studio, and has remained in the family after his death. We toured the rooms of the house with Morales’ sister. We were especially inspired by the kitchen! Morales’ mother loved to collect clay bowls, and decorated her kitchen space with these works of art!

Unfortunately, the Foundation was not technically opened the day we visited, so we were only able to see his studio through a hole in the door… We hope to return soon to see the Gallery and the rest of his art.

Our next mission was to visit the convent and the museum. It turned out that they were undergoing a restoration process and would not be open until 2016! Although we could not see the museum, we were able to admire one of Morales’ murals that was painted on a public wall in the municipal building.

After strolling around the plaza for a bit, we decided to think about heading home. We waited in the line for the colectivos returning to Oaxaca, and efficiently made our way back home! It was a pretty fun day!

Amalia and Elyse