Mitla and Tlacolula

We were on our way relatively early yesterday morning for the hour-long drive to Mitla. We met my parents, who rented their own car, in front of Mitla’s church. The town of Mitla is home to many ruins, and this area has been continuously occupied since about 500 BC. Much of the current town is built right over ruins.

When the Spanish arrived, they built the church right over a previous temple, and used many stones from other indigenous temples. The effect is pretty spectacular, with the church seemingly rising out of the ruins.

The ruins of Mitla are a combination of Zapotec and Mixtec influences. The walls throughout the site are decorated with amazing stone fretwork.

There are also several fascinating tombs on this site. You have to stoop to get inside and they are also decorated with the stone fretwork.

Our next stop was a mezcaleria, a place where mezcal is distilled. Mezcal is a spirit made from the maguey plant, a type of agave which is a succulent plant (not a cactus). Tequila is also made from an agave plant (but not maguey) – however it is more commonly made in Mexico’s state of Jalisco.

We’ve seen many, many fields of maguey while driving around as well as many mezcalerias.

Next we headed to Tlacolula. We checked out the town’s market and church. Although we saw some spectacular weaved baskets (which were sadly too large to practically bring home) and rugs, I was a little disappointed by the market. It wasn’t as large and colorful as other markets we’ve been to, and I had expected more local crafts.

After having lunch and walking around a while, we left. My parents went to do a little more sight-seeing, and we ran a few errands and returned to the house. We were pretty exhausted, due to an early morning, so we stayed home and had a quiet dinner and early bedtime.