Home in Oaxaca

Dr. Shawn Haley recently retired after teaching for many years at Red Deer College in central Alberta, Canada. As Head of Anthropology, part of his duties included doing research and teaching both in the college classroom and in Oaxaca, Mexico, as part of the College's International Program. Both the teaching and research led him to southern Mexico for a few months each year. As time progressed, he became more attached to the Oaxaca area and its people and plans to eventually spend all or most of his time in the little village of Sta. Martha Apasco Etla, northwest of the city of Oaxaca de Juarez, the state's capitol.

Shawn Haley is trained as an Anthropologist and an Archaeologist and has conducted field research in many parts of the United States and Canada as well as in Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Mexico. His most recent publications include "Day of the Dead: When Two Worlds Meet in Oaxaca" and "War on the Home Front: Wife Abuse in North America," both available from Berghahn Books of New York and Oxford.

Shawn Haley is a well-respected Anthropologist and Teacher with numerous awards to his credit. He travels all over the world giving public lectures but he always returns to Sta. Martha.

Ellie Braun-Haley is also an author with several of her stories appearing in the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series among others. Her heart-warming stories have shown up on the web on websites and via email newsletters. Some of her work has been translated into Dutch for publication in the Netherlands.

Shawn and Ellie have become active members of the local community and have set goals for the future that include improving the facilities at the local school and providing some much needed jobs for people in the town. In addition, they intends to continue doing anthropological research in the Oaxaca valley.

While living in Oaxaca, Shawn and Ellie, decided to buy a house there and soon ran up against the usual hassles confronting expats. They discovered that in the city itself, real estate prices were already out of their reach. They started looking outside the city and quickly discovered there were no houses available that had the features they wanted and so they decided to build. It took two years to design and build their house and in the meanwhile, they learned a great deal about housing construction in Oaxaca and also managed to assemble a construction crew that they rank among the best in the area. They also acquired knowledge of the local construction methods, local materials, and local people.

After discussions with several others hoping to retire in Mexico and realizing that these folks were dealing with the same issues, they decided it was time to put their knowledge to use. And so, the Sabinos Development Group was put together and plans were developed to help people hoping to retire in Oaxaca. The result is the "Los Sabinos" Condominium and the new "Colorines Campestre" developments as presented here.

Shawn Haley, as Managing Director of the project, is approachable and willing to provide any additional information you need. He can be contacted by email, phone, or by letter using the contact information at the bottom of the page.

CANADIAN CONTACT INFORMATION
275 Glendale Blvd
Red Deer, AB
Canada T4P 3L3
403-507-9846

OAXACAN CONTACT INFORMATION
Calle de Magnolias 16
Santa Martha Apasco Etla
Oaxaca, Mexico 68227
951-439-6781