Blogs from Oaxaca, Mexico, North America - page 2

The state of Oaxaca has a special magic felt by Mexicans and foreigners alike. A bastion of indigenous culture, it’s home to the country’s most vibrant crafts and art scene, some outstandingly colorful and extroverted festivities, a uniquely savory cuisine and diverse natural riches. At the center of the state in every way stands beautiful, colonial Oaxaca city. http://www.heygo.com... read more

Christmas 2019 was in Oaxaca Mexico.... read more

This morning we have a lovely breakfast in the hotel. I'm not really one for meeting random people that I'll never see again (Wilko is). I grudgingly spoke to Fred and Cheryl from somewhere in the US. Apparently neither of them like Mexican food but they've decided to visit Mexico to see how well the Mexicans do Italian food. Talking about food, Catherine has booked us into cooking class with Rupret's sister, Plina. We meet her on the terrace of her restaurant and then head into the food market. There is a lady out the front sitting on the ground selling herbs and vegetables. Becs trying to get a bit of colour asks Plina how far from the city she lives and how she gets in. She is quite fair way out so she catches a ... read more

Day 3 Today we spent the entire day near the Santo Domingo Culture Center. Once a church this area serves many purposes now. The one we enjoyed the most today was the Jardin de Ethnobotanicals. These gardens are open only three days a week and admit a limited number of visitors to protect the plants from vandals and piracy. The first area features desert plants much like we would see in far West Texas. The most interesting area was the gardens of maize that showed the evolution of maize from ancient times to present day. The diet of this area has not changed a lot. They people still are primarily vegetarians. Tropical plants including orchids were in another area. A twelve month growing season guarantees large leaves and healthy stems. We left and headed to a ... read more

We left Oaxaca City for Monte Alban one of the first planned urban areas in the Americas. The drove out of the city was a riot of color. Purple jackaranda trees competed with the beautiful orange of the Poinciana and the bubenbilla to use the Spanish spelling. We would never think of putting those colors so close together in our yard, but they work beautifully here. Monte Alban was a large complex with temples; residences, an observatory and all that was required of a bustling civilization. There is evidence of trading with far away places and the walls tell the story of battles and conquests. Smaller carving show people suffering from various diseases and it is believed that these were used as medical texts. It is easy to imagine this place full of life, waiting for ... read more