Oaxacan Hoops
From Hoopedia
Oaxacan Hoops is a 20-minute documentary that explores how basketball, one of the most revered sports in the United States, has helped many Zapotec indians living in Los Angeles build community, keep traditions alive and maintain a connection to their villages in Mexico.
The film begins in the mountains of Oaxaca, where we find out how basketball became a cultural tradition for Zapotecs, the largest of 16 indigenous groups in the state and among Mexico’s shortest people.
The story opens in the Sierra Norte where playing basketball has been a tradition since the early 1930s. How basketball arrived in the mountain of Oaxaca remains a mystery. Some say teachers from Mexico City brought the sport to the Sierra Norte. Others say miners from Northern Mexico taught the sport to locals. They all agree, however, that in these isolated villages basketball has been an obsession for years and it is now a cultural tradition.
The film also takes us to Los Angeles, where thousands of Zapotecs have gone looking for work. It is here that the biggest Oaxacan basketball tournament outside of Mexico, the Oaxaca Cup, takes place. Played over two full Sundays and with its final on Thanksgiving Day, the Oaxaca Cup brings together more than 40 teams every year. Most teams represent a village back home.
The Oaxaca Cup is one of dozens of basketball tournaments that take place in the greater Los Angeles area throughout the year. In this city, where basketball is king, the sport has helped Zapotecs build community, find something familiar and stay connected to their roots.
