Blog 5: Beautiful Oaxaca

Cancún or Cabo are great….sand, sun, surf…and all that, but it's said that to see true Mexican culture, you have to leave the speedos and bikinis (as if) behind….

…for now at least,…

…and consider a place like Oaxaca, an ancient but artsy, high-altitude city, in Mexico’s rather isolated South-West.

Jennifer had always promoted the idea of a trip to Oaxaca. In fact, many of her Mexican friends had this somewhat inaccessible city as their #1 on any list of "must-sees".  It was time to go!!

Pronounced "wah-HAH-kah", we were soon to discover that although difficult to spell, Oaxaca was very easy to love.

But, first things first!   If you read the blog on Puebla, you know that this "lobster-eating Maritimer", had a promise to keep here in Oaxaca. Oh, boy!  :(

In a nation known for flavorful eats, Oaxaca is called the “land of the seven moles,” so named for its legendary and complex sauces made with dozens of delicious ingredients (often chocolate)…and yes, like in Puebla, we did have lots of it but…..

.... it's Oaxaca's chapulines (grasshoppers) that keep everyone coming back …and my promise was: to make chapulines part of my menu.

Jennifer, who was already well accustomed to the delicacy….. jumped right in.

Jeremy and I, flesh still slightly crawling, were hoping that the first beer would give us the necessary courage.  As for Linda....well, she said that she'd be the event photographer.  :)   J                                                           Well, ugh,  promise made...and... promise....ugh....kept. But hey, wait! These things aren't so bad after all! Jennifer, pass over that plate, would you?                                                      

Oaxaca, the city, (because like Quebec, both city and state have the same name) has the feel of a big village.  With a population of just under a quarter million, it's an architectural gem, filled with fantastic museums, colorful handicrafts, pre-Columbian ruins and baroque churches.

One of our favourite spots was Oaxaca's Main Square which is called "El Zócalo" all over Mexico. Traffic-free, shaded by tall trees and surrounded by elegant arcades, it was the perfect place for us "gringos" to start soaking up this region’s exceptional atmosphere.

Sure,  like everywhere in Mexico, EL Zócalo bustles with life by day, but it’s really at night that it lights up.                                                                                

Marimba ensembles, brass bands and roving buskers float their melodies among the crowds, while hawkers softly, but with some insistance, sell their curiosities and lovers parade in slow rounds under the trees.

And from our table at one of the many sidewalk cafes, we see it all parading before us.  For a while, we've become the spectators and watch...  

                                                                                                          …as an ever-changing, and yet, oh-so-familiar impromptu "show" play itself out. 

That is, until...the irresistible music and dancing entices us onto that stage... making us part of this oh-so-enjoyable  Mexican tradition that has been repeating itself....for centuries!!!

One of our great discoveries was the Calle Alcalá, a dignified narrow little traffic-free street that runs north from the Zócalo and its “Catedral” ....

......up towards the mountains and the Templo de Santo Domingo. 

Lined by colonial-era stone buildings, now very neat shops, galleries, museums, and cafes…

....La Calle Alcalá ends up at a market for authentic artisanal products…

......which, of course, is a source of perfectly happy internal bliss for Linda. :)

It all made for a very interesting stroll but the highpoint for me was being invited to take part in a tourism commercial (see those white arms waving madly just under the camera drone) highlighting the city and its wonderfully friendly population.

As much fun as it was under that hot sun (no hats allowed), my poor bald head paid a very dear price for the next 7 or 8 days.  Ouch!   

Set at the nexus of three mountain-flanked valleys (a little like Ottawa), Oaxaca has the good fortune to be surrounded by fascinating archaeological sites, natural phenomena, and ancient villages... many housing creative artisans......

For example, the weaving and dyeing in Teotitlan del Valle. 

Originally Zapotec women wove cotton clothes and blankets to offer as tribute to their conquerors, the Aztecs, and then later to the Spanish colonizers. 

Today, mostly housed in cooperatives, everything is still artisanal but today it's the tourist who pays the tribute for these marvellous goods. 

And then there's the phenomena called, "El arbol de Tule", a Montezuma Cypress,  located in the church grounds in Santa María del Tule, and.....

....a natural 2000-year-old wonder.  This tree is considered to be the world’s thickest....with a girth of 53 meters…Oh, yes, wide girths.  I do know what that feels like.  :)

There are also the archaeological ruins of Mitla, a well-preserved Mesoamerican site used for centuries as a religious center,....

...but later transformed by the Spanish into what else...a colonial church.  Thankfully, some of the original site still remains.

And what about Hierve el Agua, situated high up in the rugged mountains...(what a time we had getting there)...

...with its pools of emerald green, mineral-laden spring water....

.....and large, free flowing waterfall.

Hey, wait a minute!  A closer look closer please!  

That ain't no waterfall....it's really a natural rock formation....

....also known to the locals as the "Petrified Falls".

And then there's Monte Albán, (picture taken by Linda from the plane)... probably the most majestic of Oaxaca’s ancient ruins, with a spectacular mountain-top location overlooking all 3 of Oaxaca's valleys.

Although just a few kilometers outside the city, our bus tour driver was so incredibly agressive, he had us all praying silently.

I do believe that the sweaty, uptight gorilla did have  some musical inclination though....he was on the horn more often than Miles Davis. :)

But we did arrive and thankfully, all safely....

....only to find the incredibly hot noon-hour sun bearing down on us and ...

....leaving us not option but to buy these sexy straw hats. 

See the worm??!!  I too would  look to see if it was moving!

On yet another day, we discovered a drink called Mezcal...sometimes called Tequila’s father. 

It's produced in over 2,000 distilleries throughout the state, using methods varying from very crude to very sophisticated.   

Jennifer may be testing the one with the worm on the bottom but my favorite, of course, was of the chocolate variety.

And yes, there’s a segue.   While in Oaxaca, we fell into a lovely little tradition. 

It consisted of visiting the chocolate shop right next to our hotel, every time we returned.  The company, Mayordomo, made an addictive little concoction called CHOCO MIO, a delicious semi-frozen chocolate shake that cost virtually nothing... except the time we spent in line to buy it.  :)

But before we leave beautiful Oaxaca and its cultural riches, it's important to note that although the state remains one of Mexico’s poorest and most isolated....

...its people are still some of the most warmly hospitable to be found anywhere in this beautiful and yet, challenged country.  Thanks for the great memories Oaxaca!!!

Thank you for stopping by!  See you next time.