Virgin Bees Wax

Last weekend I went on a quest for virgin bees wax, an essential ingredient in the mold making process for the new Mayan Flare plugs we have been making. It was a classic case of material hunting in Mexico, going from one source to the next, each person pointing you in the direction until you find what your looking for. In this case I went from the downtown Oaxaca market, to the neighboring town of Teotitlan, famous for making elaborately woven and hand died rugs, and as I just discovered also known for making elaborate candles. At the market in Teotitlan, I was told to knock on “the green door around the corner from the zocalo”. I did find the door…and a candle making sign…but no body was home. No worries, the next door neighbor came out and greeted us, and they had virgin bees wax from the southern state of Chiapas. Bingo!

Mission accomplished we visited the local church, with its incredibly painted interior, and with pre-hispanic Zapotec stone carvings set into the façade. Afterwards we went across the highway to the nearby archeological site Dainzu. Photographed is the entrance to a tomb with a jaguar-bat carved into the lintel with claws coming down both sides of the doorway. I found a couple of flakes of obsidian in one of the courtyards. Winding up the afternoon we went for “caldo de piedra”, a prehispanic style of soup from the Mazateco region of northern Oaxaca. You are served the soup raw in a gourd and then two hot stones are dropped into mix, cooking the shrimp and vegetables in front of you! What a delicious ending to a wonderful day.