Zapotec Culture, Tehuantepec. 2005

Disappearing Matriarchal Cultures of the World ... by Simon & Katerina

Resting after work

Men work the fields from 3am growing crops for the women to sell at the market. Some say they drive the men until they drop. I saw this scene in the village of SanBlas, 10 minutes from Tehuantepec. Here it seems is the strong hold of the women.

Acrylic on canvas, 40/30 cm
by Simon Bird - £200

Picture of fat woman by local.

Tehuana

Many women in the market still wear the traditional tops which was adopted by the famous Mexican artist Freda Kahlo. The market place is the social hub of the Tehuana women gossiping, organising business, politics and family money. The men during the day are usually either drinking or sleeping back at the house.

Acrylic on canvas paper, 25/32 cm
by Katerina Karaskova - £150

Bar fight

At about 7pm when we were leaving the bar a women walks in grabs another women who was sitting at the bar and this scene breaks out. We stay to sketch the excitement. Apart from the barman the other men in the bar stay out of it.

Acrylic on canvas, 40 / 30 cm
by Simon Bird - £200

Women and Men drinking by local man.

Money keepers

We saw many men sat around the streets in SanBlas drunken on the local Mescal. They would look hungrily at passing women not for affection but for more money.

Acrylic on canvas, 30 / 40 cm
by Simon Bird £200

Men's work, women's work

Showing men in traditional white tilling the fields beneath the back drop of the mountains that skirt the Tehuantepec, In the foreground are the women selling the veg at the market. Although many of the men no longer wear white they can be seen in the fields from 3am. Women do not help them. Like wise in town men do not help the women but the women are hanging onto traditional cloths more.

Acrylic on Amate handmade paper, 39 / 59 cm
by Katerina Karaskova £250

Sasteria

Men working inside making cloths, women outside gossiping in the market.

Acrylic on canvas, 45/60cm
by Katerina Karaskova £150

Fiesta

Situated in the street in SanBlas. Women drink to excess but still manage to dance with each other and look respectable. The men also drink to excess but do not dance instead they start drunken brawls and fall around on the floor. Beer is endless and free.

Acrylic on paper, 60 / 42 cm
by Katerina Karaskova £250

Drunks in Sanblas

It was a hot afternoon and I was shifting places to try to stay in the shade, men opposite didn't seemed bothered by the sun. They would come out of the refresqueria and just start slobbering around where ever. Lucikly I was protected by a small gang of kids so they couldn't see what I was doing.

Acrylic on handmade mate paper, 60 / 40 cm
by Simon Bird £ 250

Night time in Tehuantepec

Every night in the plaza of Tehuantepec two old women in old fashioned cloths sold pickled plums and crab apples. It was obvious times had caught them up with all the bright lights that now surround them.

Acrylic on paper, 29 / 21 cm
by Katerina Karaskova £ 150