Oaxaca, Mexicostudy abroad program, Spring 2012

as seen through the lens and pen of Sara Marquardt

flig

ht t

o Oa

xaca

: Ja

nuar

y 16

, 20

12

Before I left Minneapolis to fly to Oaxaca, I didn’t know what to expect. All I really knew for sure was that Oaxaca was going to be different from anywhere I had ever lived before. I was excited about that, but uncertain what “different” would look like.

I did my best to keep an open mind and minimize what my expectations were. There were so many unknowns, and I tried to remain at peace about that. I packed fairly light: all of my clothes and architecture supplies fit in one Osprey Backpack and a large purse as a carry-on. Early on I learned that I had forgotten to buy and bring some essential architecture supplies that were not readily available in Oaxaca. This made me panic during the first week of the program. But by the time I really needed those tools, my studio had developed a communal mentality, sharing what we had brought with one another. The frustrating part about the communal sharing of tools was that occasionally you did lose a ruler, pencil, or something of the like. The wonderful thing was that you were not out of luck if you had forgotten to bring something.

the

Zoca

lo,

Oaxa

ca Sara and Sam

Lauren and Travis

the

Zoca

lo,

Oaxa

ca

“The

Poi

nt”

(L -> R) Joe, Travis, Katie, Tom, Poom, Sara, Holly, Collin, Lauren, & Sam

Sant

o Do

ming

o

mass on Palm Sunday

Inst

itut

o de

Cul

tural

[our

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Sara and Sam inside a leaf

The studio culture our group formed was a very special part of the experience. There were seventeen of us, and we became family. We worked collaboratively, using each other as resources at all hours of the day/night. And in the moments when I needed support, I was overwhelmed by the love my friends showed me. Our professor, Lance Lavine, did the same. Professor Lavine not only invested in our development as stu-dents but also took the time to get to know us as people.

Inst

itut

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tural

[our

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Collin being pulled by Travis on a fallen branch

“Taking a siesta” was a new concept for me. In the heat of the day, typically between 2 and 4, the whole city shuts down. Shop owners go for lunch, workers roam the parks, and adolescent teenagers take that time to publically display their affections. t was a really beautiful thing to be a part of a culture that takes a moment to breath and moves a little slower all together.

(top left) Spanish class, final day

Don’t make functional: that will kill you. -Lance

stud

io l

ife

Floor, Wall, & Roof final project

This was supposed to be fun!Joe, speaking grudgingly about modeling

stud

io l

ife

final drawings for Soledad proposal

This is the second time I’ve measured a bathroom on this trip.Tori

final project groupCody (left), Sara, and Tyler (right)

Juan

ito,

RIP

our

stud

io p

et f

or three days

(Top R) Katie(Mid R) Sara(Top L) Sam

(Bottom) Juanito

Home

Lif

eLa

Cas

a de

la

Tia,

Calle de 5 de Mayo

(L->R) Sam, Holly, Alyssa, Lauren, Sara

We can’t control everything, but we can control ourselves.Sara, speaking of being late to class as a collective whole

Birt

hday

Cel

ebra

tions

(above) Sara, Lauren, Poom, Alyssa, Katie, Sam, Allison, & Holly Cody, Katie, Matt, and Tom

“I’m developing an opinion as we speak. It’s kind of exciting actually.” -Vincent, guest critic from VJAA

Stre

et L

evel

Oaxaca is a place that will forever remain close to my heart. The city is rich with color and warmth—both in a literal sense and inter-personally. In the historical center of the city, where we lived, the building style is uniformly traditional: stucco façade over stone and brick construc-tion, rarely more than two stories tall. To me, the best part of these stucco buildings was the vibrant colors that building owners chose to paint their exterior. No building was ever simply white and no two buildings were painted exactly the same. Each building was nestled into its neighbor and came right up to the sidewalk. We had to laugh because some of the sidewalks were so narrow that it felt as if the building was spilling over onto the street.

Stre

et L

evel

The

Alca

la

The people of Oaxaca took every opportunity to celebrate. If there was no reason to have a parade one week, it seemed that they made up a reason to do so. I saw one parade for “National Water Day,” another for a political cause, and a huge processional for Good Friday, to name just a few.

When there is a wedding, the family hires a band and people to spin around with double-life-size puppets for the groom and bride. The family all gathers outside the church and in the street passing around bottles of mescal.

I loved the Mexican normalcy of celebrating.

Centro Academico y Cultural San Pablo

Sole

dad

Plaz

a

Mark

ets

I have a hang over from Architecture.Andy

El O

livo

“bee

r ba

r”

Andy and Sam

Fina

l Me

al a

t ou

r lunch place,

Mari

a Bo

nita

Fernando, owner of Maria Bonita

Holly, Sam, Tyler, Collin, Travis, Lauren, Tom, Cody, Allison, Tori, Katie, AndyJoe, Alyssa, Matt

Sara

Granen Perua

“Daniel, is this a courtyard?” Matt“For me, yes. For Lance, no. Renata, she doesn’t care.” Daniel

Puer

to E

scon

dito

, Oaxaca, MX

Puer

to E

scon

dito

, Oaxaca, MX

(Top R) Sam

Holly and Joe

Puer

to E

scon

dito

, Oaxaca, MX

Tule

Tre

e

San

Jero

nimo

Tla

cochahuaya, Oaxaca

Joe sketching

(L) Sara sketching(R) Sam sketching

arte

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s

Mitl

a

Lauren and Katie

Maya

n Si

te

Yagu

l Katie, Joe, Sam, and Tyler

Poom

Mont

e Al

ban

Neal and SaraSam, Poom, Holly, Joe, Katie, Matt, Travis, Tyler, Collin, Alyssa, Sara

Pape

r Fa

ctor

y mu

seum in san Agustin Etla

Sant

iago

Apo

ala

Andy, Matt, Tyler, Katie, Tom, Alyssa, Tori, Collin, Sam, Holly, Lauren, Allison, Cody, Travis, Sara

Anth

ropo

logy

Mus

eum

Cale

kmul

Cale

kmul

four million bats coming out of a cave at dusk

Beca

n

Pale

nque

Pale

nque

(above) Sara(below) Collin

San

Cris

toba

l

Sumi

dero

Can

yon

crocodiles on the riverbank

Mexi

co C

ity

Site

Seeing

Zocalo

cathedral at the Zocalo

Mexi

co C

ity

Site

Seeing

cathedral

Diego Riviera murels at the National Palace

Mexi

co C

ity

Site

Seeing

Post Office

Art Museum

Mexi

co C

ity

Site

Seeing

Revolution Monument

Katie, Holly, Sara

TylerDaniel

Mexi

co C

ity

Site

Seeing

UNAM campus

Mexi

co C

ity

Site

Seeing

Olympic Stadium

Contemporary Art Museum

Flig

ht t

o Mi

nnea

polis:

May

8, 2

012

Sara, you have the potential to be a good architect. You’re sensitive, you’re smart.

I’m trying to save you from the intellectuals.-Lance