in a diamond pattern, short-sleeved and
close-fitting. A more common Oaxacan
costume was the huipil, a loose tunic woven in brightly colored horizontal stripes.
Tlaxiaco, basket weaver.
But my core memories, the ones almost
intact, are of the house in Xochimilco and
its inhabitants: the Basslers, my peers
and the cook, Dona Panchita, along with
her daughter Irma. The house, now called
Casa Panchita—after the same formidable lady who still presides over delicious
meals in the house, now a pensione—
is situated on a cobblestone street in a
barrio noted for its tinsmiths and weavers, a ten minutes walk from the zocalo
or central square of Oaxaca City. Panchita's cuisine, which she serves guests to
this day, consisted of a breakfast of fresh
fruits, fresh-squeezed orange juice and
huevos rancheros, enfriojoladas or chilaquiles, followed, at 2:30 by comida, the
main meal of the day, of chicken in salsa verde or one of seven of the region's
moles, or fresh fish. Cena (dinner) would
be a delicious soup, often chilled, from
one of Panchita's many recipes, all made
from a rich chicken stock.
HYLAND
