Candles of Oaxaca

Yes, these flowers are really made of wax.
The churches of the Teoltitlan del Valle, Oaxaca region have these gorgeous candles in them, almost too beautiful to burn.  Every church we went into had lots of these magnificent candles on display, each of them handmade.

I could not find out anything about the history of this craft--where it originated, is it inherently for religious purposes, or did it predate the Spaniards, and where it is primarily practiced.  I had never seen anything like it before, and the group that I was with had met a candle maker on an En Via tour the year before, but they could tell me little beyond the fact that the woman who made the candles came from a family that had been making them for generations.

That seems to be the way of artisanal crafts in Central America.  The village has a reputation for producing a particular craft, and every one there learns said craft at an early age, then goes on to produce magnificent work at a low remunerative reward and without their skill being noticed or celebrated.  I just scratched the surface of what the artisans of Oaxaca have to offer in terms of beautiful additions to everyday life.  There is so much more to see and learn there, I have no doubt.

On my next trip I would like to visit the workshop of a family that produces these candles to see how they are put together--not that I need to see that to appreciate how much work goes into them, but to be able to marvel at each stage.  People in Oaxaca have been living the way their ancestors have for thousands of years and while I have no wish to go back to the 17th century and relive my ancestors arrival in the New World, it is a privilege to have a window into that world.