All Levels
Is the Heart
ART
Sustainability is the capac- ity to endure. For humanity, sustainability is the potential for long-term maintenance
of well-being and has environmental,
economic, and social dimensions.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, artists and
artisans create everyday objects that
are aesthetically pleasing, functional
for daily life, and that represent the
continuation of traditional regional
cultures with economic and environmental benefits.
Gillian J. Furniss
The City of Oaxaca
In the summer of 2010, I traveled to
Oaxaca (wa-HA-ka) in Mexico. This
southwestern state of Mexico is geographically diverse with mountains,
valleys, and beaches.
Since my previous trip there in
2002, the tranquil colonial city has
been transformed with the addition
of a fast-food pizza restaurant, a café
serving New York bagels, contem-
porary art galleries, and rush-hour
traffic. At the zocalo, or main square,
there are outdoor cafés, live tradi-
tional music and dance, political pro-
tests, and vendors selling local crafts.
Museums and Cultural Sites
Oaxaca is overflowing in rich expressions of the visual and performing
arts. Famous local visual artists
include Rufino Tamayo and Francisco
Toledo. Museo Rufino Tamayo de Pre-Hispanico Arte displays the artist’s
private collection of pre-Hispanic art
such as 1,000 year-old ceramic figu-
