Santa Maria Atzompa and Etla

Our first stop on Wednesday morning was to meet Antonio Irala, the artist whose work we so admired. We met at the pedestrian walkway and purchased one of his gorgeous paintings. Now, to get it home!

From here we drove to the village of Santa Maria Atzompa, a few miles west of the city. Atzompa is known for its pottery. We have seen (and used) the green glazed pottery all over Oaxaca – mugs full of hot chocolate in Puerto Escondido, bowls filled with salsa in restaurants, vases packed with fresh flowers in shops and hotels. We met my parents at the Mercado de Artesenias, which had row upon row of the gorgeous pottery.

In addition to green, they had a few other colors and designs with flowers. We saw had ceramic animals, lamp bases, candle holders and pots, as well as bowls, vases and mugs. I loved the gorgeous vase above (and it only cost $2.27!), but it was much too large to bring home. I was content to settle for some smaller green pottery, however.

Our next planned stop was San Jose El Mogote, home to a small museum and some ruins. It took forever to find the town, and by the time we arrived, we were getting pretty hungry. We looked around for a restaurant, but amazingly, there weren’t any. It must be the only town in Mexico that doesn’t sell food! And the museum was closed! So we moved on.

We went to Etla a few miles up the road, which has a market on Wednesday. We found some lunch and wandered into their church and around the market.

All over Mexico, you find people selling cut up fruit. Often it is in the shape of flowers, and chili is put on top. I bought some coconut from the women above for 5 pesos ($0.35). Later on, the kids bought apples, imported from the U.S.!

After the market, my parents headed back to their hotel, we stopped by the grocery store and then returned to our house. The last couple of evening have been nice and relaxing.