We have had several days touring some of the outlying villages and a few of the Market Days. These are 'real' markets and not the tourist craft ones. Local families are bringing in their produce and items that they make and selling/trading them for other items that they need.
We are towering like giants above these people. Most of the women are very tiny, well below 5' tall, and the men are usually well under 6'. Our size and our American clothes make us really stand out. They do not like having their pictures taken as many still believe that it can steal their souls so the few photos that I took was done from down low as I walked and without any focus or ability to know what I was capturing.
The women are dressed in traditional outfits with their long hair usually braided with satin ribbons and either hanging loose or then tied up. Rebozos or shawls are used for everything: carrying children and goods, wrapped around heads turban style ... you name it. Each village has its own dress and customs and if we knew enough we would be able to identify the village from the dress. It is sad and a sign of the times that many of the younger generation at the market are wearing US style clothes and the stalls selling American Eagle/Nike/US branded goods (mostly knock-offs)) are the most popular with teens. That and the places selling cell phones and tech gear. We saw very few younger people in traditional dress and we understand that even though there are 15 different and separate Zapotec languages being spoken at this market the language in the schools is only Spanish and just a few villages are trying to keep the local languages alive. We may be seeing the last of a generation that is still tied to the old ways.
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