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.

My parents are here!

My mom and dad arrived late Friday night, so we saw them yesterday. We drove by the zocalo to collect them, and we followed their taxi to the Mercado Abastos, the big Saturday market in Oaxaca.

Abastos is similar to the other markets we’ve been to, but we had fun. My dad in particular enjoys the color and activity of markets. I was excited to point out so many things to my mom that I’d learned during my cooking class.

Walking through these markets with their gorgeous, fresh fruits and vegetables really makes me want to cook, and I long for my kitchen, as the kitchen where we are staying leaves a lot to be desired!

We returned to the zocalo where we finally went inside the beautiful Catedral. Although originally constructed during the 1500s, it was extensively rebuilt in the 1700s due to earthquakes and fires.

The Catedral contains numerous altars and a beautiful organ and choir area (above). Seeing all these Catholic churches has piqued Davis’s curiosity about the religion, and luckily my mom, who was raised Catholic, had the answers.

I loved these beautiful etchings in the doors.

After leaving the Catedral, we listened to some music playing in the zocalo for a few minutes, then had lunch. It had warmed up quite a bit by now, so we decided to go our separate ways for a siesta and quite time.

We joined my parents at their lovely hotel around 5 p.m. and walked to the Museo Rufino Tamayo. Tamayo, born in Oaxaca, was an artist in the 20th century – a contemporary of Diego Rivera. We saw some of his paintings in Mexico City, however this museum contained his collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts. The museum was nicely done and housed many fascinating pieces.

We had a glass of wine in my parents’ hotel room, then headed to the zocalo for dinner. We are all happy they are here.

Los Arquitos and Hierve el Agua

We had a relatively quiet day on Thursday. After a leisurely start to our morning, we went to Los Arquitos, a neighborhood in Oaxaca. Los Arquitos, the little arches, are part of the city’s 16th century aqueduct. The neighborhood is truly charming, with front doors to homes and businesses tucked under the arches.

After a brief walk, we headed south to Casa de Juarez, Benito Juarez’s home for 10 years while he lived in Oaxaca. Benito Juarez, who was president from 1858 until his death in 1872, is quite beloved throughout Mexico, and particularly in Oaxaca, where he was born. Juarez was born in the mountains and at age three, both his parents died. When he was 12, Juarez made his way to the city of Oaxaca where his older sister was working. He was illiterate and spoke only Zapotec, but caught the eye of Antonio Salanueva, his sister’s employer. Salanueva provided for Juarez and arranged for his placement in the seminary. Juarez went on to many, many great things, but he never forgot where he came from.

We stopped into the Templo de el Carmen Alta, which was right across the street, and then went to lunch. We had a delicious three course lunch: soup, entrée (Selso and I each had chicken with mole and rice) and a yummy lemon dessert. Orange juice was included. We ordered four “menus” (Rafael and Isa split theirs) and Selso ordered a couple of beers. Including tip, we paid about $27 -- quite a splurge for lunch! We stopped by a park we found on the way back to the house, and spent the rest of the day reading, relaxing and fighting over the computer!

We were definitely ready for a change of pace yesterday, so we drove over an hour east to hike and swim at Hierve el Agua, a state park. Hierve el Agua, which means “where the water boils,” is most notable for its rock formations, which look like waterfalls.

There are four springs throughout the park which bubble up and run over the rocks. The water evaporates, but leaves behind minerals, mostly calcium carbonate. We went for a nice hike in the park and then had lunch.

A couple of the springs have been dammed to create pools, and after lunch we enjoyed swimming (although the minerals do make it slippery).The water in the springs, incidentally, is not hot! Not at all. It was a warm day, though, so it felt good to cool off, and even better to lie in the sun and warm up afterwards.

After an enjoyable day, we headed home. Rafael napped but I read a story to the girls and the drive back passed quickly. We arrived in Oaxaca around 5 p.m. and decided to head to the zocalo for dinner. We wandered around a bit first, and listened to an orchestra playing music on a stage set up under the Catedral. After a nice dinner (pizza!), we returned to the stage, where a Ballet Folklorico performance was taking place. We stood (well, the kids made there way up front and sat) and watched for over an hour. They were really quite talented (not as good as Mexico City of course, but definitely better than the group we saw last weekend). It was a great ending to a wonderful day.

Archeological Ruins

We had a rough start to our day yesterday. I think the uninterrupted family togetherness is getting to all of us. Rafael, who hasn’t been homesick, has finally decided he’s ready to go home. Thankfully, my parents are flying to Oaxaca tomorrow and I’m sure they will provide some much needed distraction (and hopefully babysitting!) for all of us.

We drove east to view three separate archeological ruins, all of them much smaller in scope than Monte Alban. Our first stop was Yagul. Yagul was another Zapotec city, which was populated for about a thousand years.

The picture above is taken from inside a T-shaped tomb. You can see Rafael on the stairs and Isa peering into one part of the T; the other parts are on my left and behind me. As in other ancient cultures, death was quite ritualized and people were buried with items they’d need in the afterlife. Unfortunately, the tombs at Yagul were looted before the Spanish conquest.

Yagul is home to the Oaxaca’s Valley’s largest ball court and the second largest in Mesoamerica (after Chichen Izta on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, which Selso and I visited on our honeymoon). The ball courts in Oaxaca are all in the shape on an I. The slanted walls are part of the court, not a seating area. The game is thought to have religious importance. Although there is speculation that some tribes decapitated the loser (most notably the Aztecs) in the Oaxaca Valley there is no evidence of this. For more information on pre-Hispanic ballgames, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_ballgame (thanks, L!).

Yagul is also noted for its Palace of Six Patios, which are actually three separate complexes of two patios each. This part of the ruins is like a maze, and the kids had a fabulous time running around them.

We had a cheap and delicious lunch of tacos in Tlacolula before going to Lambityeco. This site is only about 100 yards in area and right off the highway. There are many mounds in the area which are suspected to be additional ruins, however they haven’t been excavated yet. Lambityeco was home to the Yegui people who made salt.

The site is home to the Valley’s earliest known temazcal, an ancient steam bath. It also contains a number of fascinating sculptures, most of them decorating tombs.

Our last stop of the day was Dainzu, home to yet another ball court, as well as over 30 bas-reliefs of ball players (above). Today was much warmer than our visit to Monte Alban, so we were ready to find some shade.

In the evening we all took much needed showers. This is notable only because we’ve had problems with our water since we arrived here. It stunk terribly! We tried to live with it at first however, after showering we’d stink worse than before! Even washing dishes left an odor in the kitchen. The water for the property is held in large cisterns and when the water runs out, a large truck comes up and refills them. The care taker was finally able to switch our water to the second cistern and we are so thankful! Sorry – no pictures of anyone bathing!

Fat Tuesday

Since yesterday was Fat Tuesday, the culmination of Carnaval, we decided to look for something fun to do here in the city. Selso discovered that Mercado Juarez, which we visited last week, hosted festivities so we planned to go there.

Our first stop was the zocalo for some much needed coffee and hot chocolate.

On our walk to the Mercado, we stopped by the Templo la Compania de Jesus/Iglesia de la Inmaculada. It had a lovely golden altar.

I mentioned a few days ago that there are a large number of churches in Oaxaca (over two dozen in the Centro alone). The churches are all Catholic, and many are the Dominican order (although the one above is Jesuit). The Dominicans were the first order to arrive in Oaxaca after the Spanish conquest, and had the duty to convert and minister to the indigenous peoples here. Many churches include convents where the Dominicans lived, although few of the convents are still in use.

At Mercado Juarez, Selso bought a beautiful pair of leather sandals and we chatted with the vendor. He told us that typically events are held to celebrate Carnaval, but this year they were canceled because there wasn’t enough money, due to fewer tourists this year.

Our next stop was the Mercado 20 Noviembre to have lunch. Selso and I each had a delicious tlayuda, a large, crispy tortilla covered with beans, meat, cheese, avocado and tomato. A couple from Belgium sat down next to us and we enjoyed visiting with them. We also passed on Peace Bear! They were happy to take Peace Bear back to Belgium and pass her along there. The picture above shows Peace Bear in front of the Catedral, on the zocalo, which we've passed by numerous times, but haven't been in yet.

After lunch we returned to the house where I had a nap and the kids played. In the late afternoon we went to a park we’ve driven by every day – El Llano. It’s a beautiful park, with fountains and a statue of Benito Juarez, a Zapotec Indian from Oaxaca who went on to become President of Mexico.

The kids played tag for a bit and then we checked out the Templo de la Virgen de Guadalupe.

This church has beautiful stained glass windows conveying the story of the Virgen of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico.

We were ready for dinner, and found a restaurant on the south side of the park to eat, and then home.

San Martin Tilcajete and San Bartolo Coyotepec

The Valley of Oaxaca is a haven for all types of art and craft forms. On Monday we visited a couple of villages, each specializing in their own craft. Our first stop was San Martin Tilcajete, south of the city.

As we got out of our car, we heard clanking bells and then saw several groups of young men with body paint and masks running around and yelling. They approached the school we were parked next to – kids were outside apparently during recess – tried to scare them. The kids loved it! My kids were intrigued, except Rafael, who was afraid. The men were celebrating Carnaval.

San Martine Tilcajete is home to a number of wood carvers. Although wood carving has a long tradition in Oaxaca, the recent popularity of the carvings has affected the folk art form. These days everything from fanciful creatures, to life-like animals, to frames, boxes and miniature tables and chairs are carved.

Synthetic paints are frequently used, and the carvings, also known as alebrijes, are very bright and fun. We entered several different workshops along the street and talked to a few artisans.

Typically, wood from the copal tree, which is readily found in Oaxaca, is used for carvings although some carvers are branching out.

The carving is done while the branches are still green, and then left to dry for months until it’s time to paint. We enjoyed our tour of the workshops and bought a few alebrijes to bring home.

Our next stop was San Bartolo Coyotepec, famed for its black pottery. We had lunch and then let the kids play on a one of the only playgrounds we’ve seen during our trip. They really enjoyed it!

Next we walked around the little town, which is decorated with enormous black pots. The church, above, was closed (much to the kids’ relief!). The pottery is all hand made – no wheels or modern tools are used. We enjoyed our visit here, but were disappointed that the village’s craft museum was closed.

Monte Alban

Yesterday we went to Monte Alban, the archeological ruins of a large Zapotec city. Monte Alban is just a few miles from Oaxaca, up on a mountain top, which the Zapotec leveled to build their religious and economic center.

We first toured the small museum at the site, which holds artifacts and stone carvings found throughout Monte Alban. Many of the artifacts were found in tombs. Other artifacts found here are housed in Mexico City’s Museo Nacional de Antropogolia, which we visited, and in Oaxaca’s Museo Regional, which we plan to tour next week.

Monte Alban is one of the earliest cities in Mesoamerica and was the center of Zapotec power for approximately 1200 years. The earliest buildings date from 500 BC. The city reached the height of its power in AD 300 to AD 800, with a population of as many as 40,000. In addition to the hilltop were the ruins are situated, the Zapotec lived in the valleys below where they farmed the land.

Above is the ball court.

These are the Danzantes (Dancers), so known for their poses. Theories as to who the dancers are have varied through the years. These days they are considered to be prisoners captured by Monte Alban's army. The prisoners are believed to be nobility due to their headresses and jewelry. The Danzantes are some of the oldest carvings at Monte Alban.

The main plaza is situated exactly along a north-south axis, however the building above is the only one on the site at a southwest angle. It is also unique in that it is the only building with a point. It is thought to be an astronomical observatory.

Unfortunately, we weren’t prepared for the weather. It’s been quite warm here and we’d read that Monte Alban offers little protection from the sun. We all had on shorts and the girls and I were wearing tank tops. Wouldn’t you know, it was cloudy and 20 degrees cooler than it has been. The wind whipped through the site and we were quite cool. When we felt a few rain drops, we wrapped up our visit to this fascinating place.