Monday Oct 29-31 - Day 3&4 - Oaxaca

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Monday Oct 29-31 - Day 3&4 - Oaxaca



Next on our list was Oaxaca (pronounced wa-ha-ka), a beautiful city bordered by mountains and thick forests, with a very pleasant Plaza de la Constitución where we ate, drank and watch the world go by. After a hearty breakfast we caught another mini bus travelling 4-5 hours to Oaxaca.



Along the way we came across, what we thought was an accident. After asking Alfredo, he said that several trucks had formed a blockade across the highway in protest for better conditions and pay. Everyone had to turn around and take the old and very windy road as we were going through the mountain range. This was apparently the way that protests are effective!!! One of our fellow travellers was car sick along the old road as it was extremely windy. We arrived in Oaxaca around 3.00pm



Alfredo then took us to sample some tasty street food in the large market, after we checked into our rooms at Hotel Meson del Rey. It was an older hotel but only one block back from the Zocalo, so very central.



Some of the notable foods sold in markets included bars of chocolate (primarily used for making hot chocolate), traditional breads, and chapulines (fried grasshoppers with chile) and worms. Street foods include tlayudas, which are large, slightly crispy corn tortillas piled high with ingredients such as grilled beef (called tasajo), cheese, tomatoes, avocados, onions etc. Local drinks include those made with water, sugar and a flavoring such as aguamiel (honey water), trocitos de melon (melon), horchata (rice), tuna batida (cactus fruit shake), and nuez (nuts) as well as local fruits. In nearby Tlacolula and Ejutla an indigenous drink called 'tejate' is still prepared and sold in the local market. Known here as the drink of the gods, it is prepared with corn, cacao, cacao flower and the seed of the mamey fruit.



As for alcoholic beverages, this area prefers mezcal, which, like tequila is made from a species of agave but the flavour is very different. We waited for later in the afternoon to have some mezcal, but it won’t be my favourite drink. I loaded it up with lemon and orange juice and then it as drinkable.



The food we had was salted crickets and worms as well as more mole with tacos. We all sat down inside the market at a food bench whilst Alfredo taught us about the local food. Another local food I tried (but gave away) was sweet bread and hot chocolate, a favourite with the locals, particularly during the Day of the Dead.



We then went for a walk on our own, around the square. There were 100s of people and we then realised that, coming down the walking mall was a big parade. People were all dressed up and there were large paper balloons and paper men and women being held up by sticks. Small baskets were thrown to the watching crowd and children scrambled to get them. These were then used to collect the flying lollypops that were the next thing the people in the procession were throwing. The bands in the parade were being played so it was full of noise and laughter, singing and dancing.



All the shops and houses were decorated with skeletons, marigolds and sculls of all different shapes and sizes. I hope the photos give you an idea on the extent of the decorations throughout the city.



This city relies heavily on tourism, which is based on its large number of colonial-era structures as well as the native Zopotec and Mixtec cultures and archeological sites. It, along with the archeological site of Monte Alban, were named a World Heritage Site in 1987. It is also the home of the month-long cultural festival called the "Guelaguetza", which features Oaxacan dance from the seven regions, music and a beauty pageant for indigenous women.



We also admired the colourful colonial buildings in this attractive town. The Plaza de la Constitución, or Zócalo, was planned out in 1529 by Juan Peláez de Berrio. During the entire colonial period this plaza was never paved, nor had sidewalks, only a marble fountain that was placed here in 1739. This was removed in 1857 to put in the kiosk and trees were planted. In 1881, the vegetation here was rearranged and in 1885, a statue of Benito Juárez was added. It was remodeled again in 1901 and a new Art Nouveau kiosk installed. Fountains of green stone with capricious figures were installed in 1967. The kiosk in the center hosts the State Musical Band, La Marimba and other groups.



In the gardens we heard music so went across the park and was invited in to watch the dancing. Older ladies in black dresses where holding vases of marigolds which was all part of the Day of the Dead. Incredible!



The plaza is surrounded by various portals. On the south side of the plaza are the Portales de Ex-Palacio de Gobierno, which was vacated by the government in 2005 and then reopened as a museum called "Museo del Palacio 'Espacio de Diversidad'" Other portals include the "Portal de Mercadores" on the eastern side, "Portal de Claverias" on the north side and the "Portal del Señor" on the west side.



This was where we had our dinner, listening to the music and watching the many hawkers successfully selling their wares to all the tourists and visitors.



We saw that the State Government Palace was located on the main square also. This site used to be the Portal de la Alhóndiga (warehouse) and in front of the palace is the Benito Juárez Market. The original palace was inaugurated in 1728, on the wedding day of the prince and princess of Spain and Portugal. The architectural style was Gothic. The building currently on this site was begun in 1832, inaugurated in 1870 but was not completed until 1887. The inside contains murals reflecting Oaxaca's history from the pre-Hispanic era, the colonial era and post-Independence. Most of these were painted by Arturo Garcia Bustos in the 1980s.



The Federal Palace is located across from the Cathedral and used to be the site of the old Archbishiop's Palace until 1902. Its architecture is "neo-Mixtec" reflecting the nationalism of the early 20th century and the reverence in which the Mixtec-Zapotec culture has been held in more recent times. The architectural elements copy a number of those from Mitla and Monte Albán.



For the second day, we walked down the Macedonio Alcalá Tourist Corridor again, which is a street paved with green cantera that was closed to traffic in 1985 and is now only open to pedestrian traffic. This was where the parade was held. Along the street are notable places such as the original building to house the University. The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Museum of Contemporary Art) or MACO is located here as is the Plazuela (small plaza) Labastida and the Parroquia de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo (Parish of the Precious Blood of Christ). This was the spot where the parade ended, and people stayed for a long time chatting and taking photos.



Also on the morning of the second day, we all met at 7.30am, hopped in a mini bus and drove 15 minutes to an impressive ruins, the Monte Albán. Monte Albán is regarded as the historical antecedent of the modern city of Oaxaca. The holy city of the ancient Zapotecs located 400 metres above the Oaxaca valley. There were many structures to explore around the Grand Plaza including numerous tombs, ceremonial altars, tunnels, pyramids and palaces, many decorated by glyphs, paintings and intricate carvings. There had been Zapotec and Mixtec settlements in the valley of Oaxaca for thousands of years, especially in connection with the important ancient centers of Monte Albán and Milta, which are close to modern Oaxaca city. The Aztecs entered the valley in 1440 and named it "Huaxyacac", a Nahuatl phrase meaning "among the huaje" (Leucaena leucocephala) trees. A strategic military position was created here, at what is now called the Cerro (large hill) del Fortín to keep an eye on the Zapotec capital of Zaachila and secure the trade route between the Valley of Mexico, Tehuantepec and what is now Central America. When the Spanish arrived in 1521, the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs were involved in one of their many wars. Spanish conquest ended this fighting.







Our guide was a passionate elderly descendant of the Zapotec group who told the stories the many big stone carvings told. The main story was that the area was a medical school as many of the carvings showed anatomy, child birth and other health issues.







After we returned to the city, we found a café on the Zocalo and had a lovely coffee and muffin. After that we decided to visit the Santo Domingo de Guzman museum. Wow, it was massive. The church and former monastery of Santo Domingo de Guzman is located 4 blocks north of the Cathedral of Oaxaca. It was constructed between 1555 and 1666. It divides into two parts: the church and the former living/working areas of the monks. The front of the church is Renaissance-style, in the central relief, Saint Dominic and Hippolytus of Rome are holding up the church. After La Reforma around 1860, the church was converted into a stable, which caused serious deterioration of the building. It was returned to devotional use at the end of the 19th century. The living and working areas were converted into barracks and officers´ quarters. In 1994, work began to convert this area as the Centro Cultural Santo Domingo.







As we were going to do our only overnight bus trip to San Cristobal that night, we went back to the market where we ate the crickets, to buy some overnight snacks and breakfast. After dropping them back to our hotel we decided it was time for an afternoon refreshment. Near the Santo Domingo Museum we found an Irish Pub (!) and had a cold beer and eventually, spicy chicken wings. Tom had a spicy hamburger.







While we were there the children’s parade for the Day of the Dead was starting. The bands struck up and the children who were all dressed up, started dancing and walking along Alcalá mall. It was an incredible festival.







We then went back to our hotel, showered then packed ready for a 7.00pm departure in taxis to the bus station. All went smoothly until Tom realized he had forgotten to pick up his insulin from the hotel fridge. This was on our arrival to the bus station and we had 15 minutes before the bus was leaving. In the traffic, there was no way that it could be transported to us in time so Alfedo had to organize for the insulin to be freighted to San Cristobal. Fortunately, we were staying there for 3 night.







The 13-hour bus trip was very comfortable as the seats reclined right back and I slept well. A glass of wine would have been good, but the bus wasn’t like the only other overnight bus Tom & I have made which was in Argentine. The bus had wifi, TV and USB connections. However, several of our group were not well as the 1^st part of the trip was very mountainous and the bus driver did not ‘spare the horses’ going around the sharp corners, so they were affected by mission sickness.



We arrived at San Cristóbal around 7.30am.

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Photos

Monte Alban ruins near Oaxaca
Our tour group