Zipolite used to be

 

Robert Delirio Temple

Zipolite used to be such a nice place to live in, back in the early-mid 1980s. I see that it has been totally commercialized since, even after a fire that destoyed the village years ago. Most all the money came from other countries, or so I've read. Those investers brought their big-city problems with them, it appears. That people even refer to it as a nudist beach is sad, sort of takes from the casual attitude, this labeling. I have watched another place go from primativo esquina do mundo to "chic" in a matter of maybe twenty years or so, down in the state of Bahia, Brasil. Now, paradise resides between my ears.
Attached is a picture I took from the house I rented for a while the winter of 1985-6. Rent was $US 50 a month, no running water, showered at a bar/restaurant in the village. It was primativo, no "in" scenes or tour busses, internet cafes, coke or heroin. For me, it was a great place to be sober. I practiced juggling daily on the beach, or swam way out past the huge, man-eating waves, for hours on end, body surfing like a wild man.
I was not a "backpacker" following the gringo trail or looking for some spiritual, gay or nudist retreat or some "in" place to visit. I was actually in the Zipolite neighborhood on a recommendation from an old girlfriend who had lived in nearby Puerto Escondido one winter. She never knew of Zipolite, I found it thanks to a recommendation from another juggler I met, Rory McLeod of Scotland. Rory said P.E. was so touristy, said I would like Zipolite more. He was juggling and tap dancing in front of the Zocalo in Oaxaca city. He still performs today, a true troubadour. He blows incredible harmonica, too..
I was more into seeking out other jugglers or circuses, far from the uptight, hysterical amerikants back home. As it turned out, I did cameo juggling spots with a ragtag one-ringer, "Circo Orlins" in Puerto Angel, winter of 1984-5, my first of two concecutive winters there in Zipolite, Nov-March. Mexico loves circus, a good thing. Sad, though, that wild animals are still in the shows there. Some things change slowly. In the meanwhile, seize the moment.