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A little about Playa Zipolite, The Beach of the Dead . . .

Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean. A little bit about my favorite little get-away on this small world of ours.

Zipolite, a sweaty 30-minute walk west from Puerto Angel, brings you to Playa Zipolite and another world. The feeling here is 1970's - Led Zep, Marley, and scruffy gringos.

A long, long time ago, Zipolite beach was usually visited by the Zapotecans...who made it a magical place. They came to visit Zipolite to meditate, or just to rest.

Recently, this beach has begun to receive day-trippers from Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido, giving it a more TOURISTY feel than before.

Most people come here for the novelty of the nude beach, yoga, turtles, seafood, surf, meditation, vegetarians, discos, party, to get burnt by the sun, or to see how long they can stretch their skinny budget.

I post WWW Oaxaca, Mexico, Zipolite and areas nearby information. Also general budget, backpacker, surfer, off the beaten path, Mexico and beyond, information.

REMEMBER: Everyone is welcome at Zipolite.

ivan

Sunday, April 14, 2019

How to survive a bee attack—with a little help from Texas The death of a farmer triggered a search for an antidote to angry Africanized bees By John Pint


A swarm of bees looking for a new homeA swarm of bees looking for a new home. JESÚS MORENO

Mexico Life

How to survive a bee attack—with a little help from Texas

The death of a farmer triggered a search for an antidote to angry Africanized bees

Mention the words ataque de abejas (bee attack) to anyone living in rural Mexico and for the next half hour you will surely hear story after story about relatives and friends whose brush with bees ended either miraculously well or tragically bad.
“We went on horseback to an old mill on our rancho,” María Cristina Barragán told me, “and bees swarmed out of a hole in the wall. They covered the faces of my teenage daughter and her friend and all four of us were stung again and again until we jumped into a canal full of water to escape them.
“That’s when they went straight for our horses. In the end, the four of us lived, but three of our horses and one of our dogs died.”
The so-called killer-bee problem began in 1957 when 26 Tanzanian swarms escaped quarantine in Brazil. They began breeding with local bees, resulting in the Africanization of bees throughout most of the Americas.
The new hybrid turned out to be a very sensitive and aggressive creature, quite ready to chase “invaders” of their territory for kilometers. In the late 1980s most of Mexico was Africanized and today the hybrid is slowing conquering the United States.
Africanized bees attacking in Texas.
Africanized bees attacking in Texas.
According to The New York Times, the first U.S. citizen to die of an Africanized bee attack was Lino Lopez, an 82-year-old rancher who was stung to death in Harlingen, Texas, in 1993.
When I sat down with members of a special committee which was set up in 1991 to control Africanized bees in metro Guadalajara, I was amazed to learn that they receive between 200 and 300 bee-attack emergency calls every month, all year round. “And that is just inside the boundaries of greater Guadalajara,” they told me.
The reason I was meeting with this committee was because I too have experienced perhaps more than my share of bee attacks while beating through the bush looking for caves. On one occasion I was chased half a kilometer by a swarm and one of my companions ended up in the hospital after receiving over 60 stings.
This is why, some years ago, I took special interest in reports about a non-toxic spray called BeeAlert that could halt a bee or wasp attack and allow victims to slip away.
I looked up the inventor of BeeAlert, Will Baird of Houston, Texas, and asked him to tell me his bee-attack story.
“It wasn’t I who was attacked,” he told me, “it was my neighbor — a young man about to be married — and he died as a result. He was on a tractor pulling a huge grass mower and the noise upset the bees in his own hive, which he didn’t realize had become Africanized.
BeeAlert non-toxic spray is now in Mexico.
BeeAlert non-toxic spray is now in Mexico.
“They poured out of the hive and began stinging him viciously on his head and arms. As a result, he fell off the tractor and the mower blades cut off his legs. It was a tragedy, and I set out to find something that could prevent this happening to other people.”
During the following months, Baird decided to seek a way for people to defend themselves against an attack by Africanized bees. He began with smoke-generating devices on tractors and then had an inspiration: what about water vapor instead of smoke? He soon found out that bees have a defensive mechanism to prevent their drowning in a spray of water.
“Bees breathe through their thorax,” he explains, “and they have waxy hairs around the thorax which make the water bead up, so the flow of air is unimpeded.”
Baird next searched for a formula that would allow water to bypass the waxy hairs. Once he found it, he discovered that bees greatly disliked being caught inside a soapy mist. “They communicate among themselves,” he told me. “Those inside the mist immediately warn the rest of the swarm, which will then hover above the spray but no longer try to penetrate it.”
Because the bees are forced to stand off, their victims are given the precious moments they need to move away from the “hot zone” around an Africanized bee hive.
“What’s unique about this liquid,” says Baird, “is that it is completely non-toxic both to people and to the environment. It simply interferes with the bees’ breathing.” He points out that it can be safely sprayed directly on the body and face of a person covered with bees, unlike an insecticide or firefighting foam, both of which are toxic.
Spraying BeeAlert overhead with a circular motion produces a protective halo.
Spraying BeeAlert overhead with a circular motion produces a protective halo.
When I asked him whether he has received any feedback from his customers, Baird replied, “Just one week ago I got a phone call. ‘Is this Will Baird?’ asked the caller. ‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘Well, I want to thank you,’ said the voice. ‘You saved my life.’”
Baird’s caller had been operating a bulldozer. When he began to move some boulders, killer bees swarmed out and began stinging him. He jumped off the bulldozer and ran towards a Jeep where a friend was waiting.
The bees followed him and immediately attacked the friend and his dog, both of which were sitting in the unroofed vehicle. By chance, the friend had a can of BeeAlert aerosol in the car and sprayed it upward, in a circular motion. The bees then stopped their attack and after a few moments, the men and the dog left the scene, having received only a few stings.
“In short,” says Baird, “it works.”
This approach causes minimum harm to bees which are, of course, endangered. It seems to me Baird’s solution should be brought to the attention of organizations throughout the Americas dedicated to protecting the public.
Mexico has taken a step in that direction. In January of 2015, Jalisco’s Industrias Melder, pioneers in animal nutrition, decided to import BeeAlert from the U.S. in 14-oz. environmentally-friendly aerosol cans, especially for the benefit of their customers living on ranches where bee attacks are common.
  • 2—Barragan-after-attack
    María Cristina Barragán after attack that killed three horses and a dog.
  • 1—Abeja-melifera-sobre-flor-de-argula
  • 2—Barragan-after-attack
  • 3—canal-next-to-old-mill
  • 6—Headlines
  • 10—Texan-Will-Baird-closeup
  • 8—MND-At-Arandas-10dogs-2horses-18chickens
Scrupulously following Mexico’s complex import regulations, it took Melder nearly four years to obtain permission to bring this non-toxic, shampoo-like spray across the border and as a result, BeeAlert is now available in Mexico at Supervet stores in the Guadalajara area or can be ordered online for shipment anywhere in the country. For more information, call 018007137037.
If you enjoy hiking off the beaten track in Mexico, be prepared! You may be surprised at which articles of clothing, jewelry and personal hygiene could touch off a bee attack. Check out my Recommendations for Avoiding or Surviving a Mexican Killer-Bee Attack.
The writer has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, for more than 30 years and is the author of A Guide to West Mexico’s Guachimontones and Surrounding Area and co-author of Outdoors in Western Mexico. More of his writing can be found on his website.

#GoaTance #PsychedelicTrance #MrLemilica2 Ratagnan - Armagueddon ACT 1 [Goa Trance Mix] ᴴᴰ

#GoaTance #PsychedelicTrance #MrLemilica2

Ratagnan - Armagueddon ACT 1 [Goa Trance Mix] ᴴᴰ




Chema Frías CD Baby Store Listen to and buy Chema Frías music on CD Baby. Download Zipolite by Chema Frías on the independent record store by musicians for musicians.

Chema Frías
Listen to and buy Chema Frías music on CD Baby. Download Zipolite by Chema Frías on the independent record store by musicians for musicians.




Loving Beach Zipolite AllEvents.in Loving Beach Zipolite, Mexico City, Mexico. Thu Apr 18 2019 at 09:00 pm, Tour de México a zipolite.

Loving Beach Zipolite
Loving Beach Zipolite, Mexico City, Mexico. Thu Apr 18 2019 at 09:00 pm, Tour de México a zipolite.

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Exploring Fascinating Backstreets of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Tyler & Ryan - Bad Guy (Official Audio)

#WSL Pro Santa Cruz pres by Noah Surf House - Final Day

#WSL

Pro Santa Cruz pres by Noah Surf House - Final Day




Hospedaje en Zipolite - Apartment for rent - Casa Dalila Mexico

Casa Acalli - Cafe Maya 23 reviews #7 of 21 Specialty Lodging in Zipolite Save Share | IMSS Health Clinic Rd., driveway next to children's park, Zipolite 70904, Mexico

Casa Acalli - Cafe Maya


https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1515813-d10643956-Reviews-Casa_Acalli_Cafe_Maya-Zipolite_Southern_Mexico.html



Sensación Karibu de la ciudad de Juchitán Oaxaca.

U of A anthropologist helps bring Mexican death goddess to life on big screen Kate Kingsbury consulted for accurate depiction of Santa Muerte in upcoming Will Smith movie ‘Bad Boys for Life.’

U of A anthropologist helps bring Mexican death goddess to life on big screen

Kate Kingsbury consulted for accurate depiction of Santa Muerte in upcoming Will Smith movie ‘Bad Boys for Life.’

By GEOFF McMASTER
When the third instalment of the hit Bad Boys movie franchise featuring Will Smith opens next January, there’s a good chance producers will get the details right when the plot turns to the veneration of Santa Muerte, the female Mexican deity of death.
That’s because the film’s production company, Overbrook Entertainment, consulted with University of Alberta anthropologist Kate Kingsbury, an expert on a badass female folk figure that has exploded in popularity across Mexico over the past decade.
In the film, Bad Boys for Life, a female villain played by Mexican film star Kate del Castillo escapes from prison to seek revenge on Will Smith’s detective character and his partner, played by Martin Lawrence, for perceived harm done to her son.
The Castillo character is a devotee of Santa Muerte, complete with a shrine in her home. She burns candles and recites an incantation urging the saint to assist in her vengeful plans.
Kingsbury told the film’s producers the set design for the shrine must include colours associated with revenge (black), magic (purple) and protection (white), which are essential to the saint’s iconography. She also submitted a revenge prayer used by devotees with just the right shades of rage and bellicosity.
“My interest in Santa Muerte is that her devotees are primarily female,” said Kingsbury, who does research on female deities around the world.
“The old deities or saints are just no longer relevant for women in our time. If you look at Mary, for example, she's a very meek and mild figure and role model. Mexican women now face so much hardship, violence and poverty, that I think this figure is a lot more empowering."
Kingsbury first discovered Santa Muerte when she taught a course two years ago on conceptions of death around the world. She found the only scholarly book on the death goddess, Devoted to Death by Andrew Chesnut of Virginia Commonwealth University, and invited him to talk to her students.
That meeting led to a fruitful research collaboration, resulting in several publications and a planned book. While on vacation in Mexico, Kingsbury tracked down a shrine to the goddess on the outskirts of a small town called Pochutla in the southern region of Oaxaca. She was so fascinated, she came back a year later just to do research.
"Everywhere I went, I kept asking about Santa Muerte. Some people are really afraid of her, because the Pope has decried her worship as heretical. Everybody knows who she is, and some will say, ‘Be careful, she's satanic and you don't want to get involved in that.’
“Virgil said men make God in their own image,” said Kingsbury. “The argument I want to make in my book is that women make goddesses in theirs … reflecting their realities on the ground. Whatever the devotee is, they will make her into a reflection of that."

A death goddess is born

According to Kingsbury, Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte, or Our Lady of Holy Death—also known as Skeleton Saint or Saint Death—first emerged after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century. The Spanish imposed Catholicism on Mexico’s Indigenous population, prohibiting veneration of their own religious figures on pain of death.
Along with Catholic icons such as Jesus and Mary, the conquistadors also imported the grim reaper, or “La Parca,” who is female in Spanish mythology. It’s why Santa Muerte carries a scythe and wears a long cloak.
"The Mexican people saw the grim reapress and identified her with their own death deities, imagining her as a death goddess,” said Kingsbury. “But because (it was) punishable by death, all of this went underground."
Santa Muerte doesn’t emerge in the anthropological record until the 1940s, when women in Oaxaca are found worshipping her, mainly for favours of love, said Kingsbury.
“But they were vengeful favours, especially to bring back an errant lover or straying husband, to punish him and bring him back humbled on his knees,” she explained.
"Her iconography is incredible, because it's a mix of so many different things—Catholicism, Aztec pre-Hispanic belief, even Cuban or Afro-Cuban religious elements.”

Death and life

Yet while Santa Muerte certainly represents death on one level, her appearance often portending one’s demise, she’s also seen as a healer, affirming life or “the coincidence of opposites,” said Kingsbury.
"Venerating her allows you to accept death should it come to you, but there are also lots of miraculous stories about her saving people from death."
Proper veneration includes offerings of flowers, tequila, tobacco and marijuana.
“Some people pour a glass of tequila for her, or light a cigarette or spliff and blow smoke in her face,” said Kingsbury, adding that Santa Muerte doesn’t mind if you partake yourself.
"And if you hate someone, you inscribe their initials on a black candle and light it," she added.
Most importantly, Santa Muerte is non-judgmental, even amoral, whereas Catholicism can be seen as judgmental and exclusionary, said Kingsbury. That indifference to social identity is what makes her so popular in gay communities, she added.
"Whether you're rich or poor, gay or straight, black or white, everyone's going to die.”
Her amoral nature has also attracted criticism, however, since she is believed to answer the prayers of drug dealers.
"You see a lot in the press about her being venerated by drug dealers who ask her to get their methamphetamine shipments across the border.”
At the same time, her popularity among women demonstrates she is far more in line with 21st-century female autonomy and agency, embodying strength, tenacity and a good dollop of female rage: “She’s known sometimes as a cabrona or puta—a real bitch,” said Kingsbury.
And though she may have inherited some of the Virgin Mary’s more nurturing qualities, “If you do not respect her, she will come down on you" with the full force of her wrath, Kingsbury noted.
Beyond simply inspiring Mexican women with her “grit, vim and vigour,” Santa Muerte’s popularity has allowed them to profit from her image, setting up shrines and shops, soliciting donations and selling all manner of candles and effigies.
“Her social status has accrued, and because of these shrines, people are visiting from far and wide."