The Night of the Radishes

Leer en español: La Noche de los Rábanos

By my count, there are nine nested squares in the Zócalo on The Night of the Radishes:

  1. Outermost: the sidewalk cafes, mostly connected to expensive hotels but including a few mid-priced and low-priced chains ( Subway, Italian Coffee Company, places that use English words in their Spanish brand names. In the outdoor seating of the elegant restaurants, the waiters shoo away the street vendors and beggars; in the cafés of the chain stores, the street vendors negotiate persistently with the customers.
  2. The outer lane of the streets surrounding the Zócalo, which for the night are strictly pedestrian only. Here it is crowded, but access is open. Police are everywhere. There’s a line of people (especially tall foreigners, like myself) who are trying to look over the shoulders of people who have waited in line to observe the carved radishes in the official manner.
  3. The first barricade: white metal, interlocking.
  4. The outer concourse of observation: a raised ramp. This seems to be the the intended place for the crowd to observe the carved radishes.
  5. The second barricade: also white metal, interlocking.
  6. The inner concourse of observation, at street level. In some parts of the Zócalo, access to this concourses seems strictly limited: old people? handicapped people? important people? It’s hard to tell. In other places, this concourse is full of people.
  7. The next square is contains the reason for all the fuss: a ring of exhibition tables constructed of plywood especially for the event. On the tables are displays of giant radishes carved into figures representing  various subjects: the nativity, of course, and the Virgen, but also Mexican history, Mexican mythology, pop culture, and whatever the radish happened to inspire in the artisan.  Above each display is  a little roof, also specially constructed of plywood. Hanging in front is an officially printed descriptive sign from the Oaxaca tourism office with the artisan’s name and and a description of the theme of the display.
  8. Next is a ring of folding chairs, in which the artisans themselves are sitting (or maybe their family members).
  9. Finally, in the center, is the  Zócalo itself, a raised public square, where the protesting members of the radical faction of the teachers’ union are camping out, dozens of tents all over the place, the faces of the 43 disappeared normal school students hanging on banners above, the central gazebo covered with giant posters, manifestos and the looming faces of the victims of past injustices.  The inner part of the Zócalo is closed to the public, so it has become a private party, guarded by the police and the tourism officials, and limited to the artisans and the striking teachers: a VIP lounge with very Mexican rules for entry.


Photo opportunity: ordinary people pose with the giant radishes.

Category: News | Oaxaca | Viajes