Mexican Fantasy Two Exhibits Capture Creativity of Impoverished Oaxacans, Tzotziles by Carolyn Chapman Perhaps poverty ignites creativity, or maybe it is what keeps artistic and social traditions alive because when there is little else, culture, memory and history always endureóor so it seems from two new exhibitions focusing on Mexico. ìDreaming Mexico: Painting and Folk Art From Oaxaca,î now on display at the Cultural Center of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), combines paintings by three internationally known painters from the Mexican region of OaxacaóRufino Tamayo, Francisco Toledo and Rodolfo Moralesóand a fantastic selection of surreal ceramics and alebrijesóhand-painted sculpted animalsómade by local Oaxacan artists. The other exhibition, ìImages From Mesoamerica: Tzotziles and Aztec Dancers,î at the Mexican Cultural Institute, features photographs by Adelina PÈrez del Castillo of the Tzotziles, an ethnic group of Mayan decent that lives in the highlands of the state of Chiapas in southeastern Mexico. Oaxaca, the poorest state in Mexico, is also one of the most diverse and artistically creative in the country. That artistic talent helps the people of Oaxaca survive because their primary source of income is selling their alebrijes. Walking around the room at the IDB Cultural Center filled with these traditional sculptures is much like entering a fairytale story with a church in the middle of an enchanted forest filled with strange, fantastical animals, angels, devils, saints and other make-believe creatures. Then picture the whole scene splashed with a palette of the brightest, most colorful paint imaginable. This is the folk art from Oaxacaósurreal, mystical, colorful, and fantastically unique and creative. The works are inspired by nature and religion, incorporating Mexicansí reliance on folk tales and mythology and their proximity to the forests where the copal trees grow, from which the alebrijes are carved. The ceramics, too, are rooted in tradition. There are mermaids and peasant women and men wearing traditional dress, models of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and of course plenty of saints and virgins. The paintings by Toledo, Tamayo and Moralesóthree of Mexicoís most talented and famous artistsócomplement the folk arts and also draw heavily on local traditions, imagination and fantasy. The other exhibition, ìImages From Mesoamerica: Tzotziles and Aztec Dancers,î focuses on an entirely different aspect of the creative Mexican spirit. PÈrez del Castilloís photographs are a rare treat since few photographers are able to secure the trust of the Tzotziles, an isolated people who believe their souls are taken away when they are photographed. PÈrez del Castillo, a native Mexican who now lives in Washington, D.C., shows the Tzotzilesí character, strength and strict adherence to tradition and culture, even though they seem to have little else in material belongings. These indigenous Mayan people only number about 150,000, but despite their low population, they have retained many of their strong traditions. They have their own leaders and are grouped into communities, each with its own patron saint. At one point in the lifetime of each Tzotzil man, he is required to leave his wife and family for a year to become part of the townís leadership hierarchy. His main responsibility is to organize festivities dedicated to the townís patron saint. The wife, meanwhile, becomes the breadwinner while her husband is away. One of the most fascinating aspects about PÈrez del Castilloís photography is that she was able to capture the character on the weathered and work-worn faces of the Tzotzil women. A series of portraits of a woman named Micaela, with a wide smile and big eyes, shows her shearing a sheep, spinning wool, and weaving the brightly colored textiles that the Tzotziles wear and sell. Her dark brown leathery skin is a testament to her strength as well as the strength of the Tzotzil women, who sell their textiles, work in the fields, carry firewood on their backs, and raise sheep to support their families. The Tzotzil photographs also show the traditional dress and costumes still worn by many of the women as well as the men who are part of the townís hierarchy of leaders. PÈrez del Castilloís photography, as well as the IDB exhibition, capture the creativity, strength and spirit that have endured despite the pervasive poverty among both the Oaxacans and the isolated Tzotziles. ìDreaming Mexico: Painting and Folk Art From Oaxacaî runs through July 25 at the Inter-American Development Bankís Cultural Center, 1300 New York Ave., NW. For more information, please call (202) 623-3774 or visit www.iadb.org/cultural/. ìImages From Mesoamerica: Tzotziles and Aztec Dancersî runs through July 2 at the Mexican Cultural Institute, 2829 16th St., NW. For more information, please call (202) 232-8674 or visit www.embassyofmexico.org/mci/. Carolyn Chapman is an arts writer for The Washington Diplomat.