Coyotepec and Oaxaca

making black pottery

After the short visit to the market we went onto the village of Coyotepec. Here, we watched artesians making black pottery, called barro negro. The method of burnishing the barro negro with quartz stones for the distinctive shine is unique.


market in Zaachilla

The method and clay are important to the villagers' livelihood, consequently, the clay is sold only to persons living in the village. The villagers were concerned that a company would buy the source of the clay and then hire the villagers to work in a factory.


market in Zaachilla


The day of Good Friday , April 10th, was spent exploring the city and being part of the Easter festivities. Unlike the evening before, the church altars were covered with sheets, curtains, in front of them acknowledging the soberness and seriousness of the religious activities of the day. We waited with others along the streets of Oaxaca for the Procesion de Silencio. During the procession, talkative people were silenced with shhhhs from more serious observors. The procession was magnificent. On our way home, following this procession, we witnessed another procession that included music and much more sound that we had previously witnessed. We were thankful to have witnessed both types of processions and be able to appreciate their differences.

The next day, Saturday, we continued to explore Oaxaca and its culinary delights,
i.e., large cups of freshly-squeezed orange juice for less than a dollar; breakfast including many variations of eggs, tortillas, refried beans, pasteries and quesadillas, tamales and the famous mole. Mole is a sauce made with nuts, chillies and spices. Mole defines Mexican cuisine. Although mole is often called a chocolate sauce, only a very small percentage of moles include this ingredient. Oaxaca is known as "the Land of Seven Moles". The different types of mole include: mole negro (black mole, which uses a chilli called chilhuacate negro; almendrado (thickened with almonds and chile ancho, dried peppers(; mancha manteles (tablecloth-stainer) with chile ancho, pineapples and bananas, and mole verde (green mole), a delicacy thickened with corn masa and made with white beans, tomatillos, epazote and hoja santo, an indigenous herb from Mexico that adds an ainse flavour to it.

Eating good mole is an amazing experience. The nuts, seeds and dry chillies used in moles are toasted and ground to release their aroma. Fresh chillies, tomatoes, tomatillos and garlic are also slow-roasted, giving the sauce a great smoky flaour. Fresh herbs are quickly friend and mixed with the ingredients which have been pureed. The mole is left to simmer until it thickens. Moles can be spicy or sweet, or both at the same time. We attempted to taste as much of the cuisine as we could, despite the fact that the heat did dampen our appetites somewhat.

Enjoying the roof patio of our hotel that evening, we enjoyed peantus with garlic cloves and much salt as we planned a tour for the next day, Easter Sunday to Mitla, Santa Maria El Tule and a few more indigenous villages. We also decided that we would leave Oaxaca late Sunday evening around 12:00 to return to Mexico City and get ready to return to Canada.

The next morning we went tothe village of El Tule, 10km east of Oaxaca to see the astounding Ahuehuete tree, the largest tree in the world. In trunk thickness the tree is about 11 m in diameter. This Montezuma cypress, 42m high, dwarfs the pretty, 17th century village church in whose churchyard it towers. Its age is equally impressive, as it is at least 2000 years old, which means it was already growing when the ancient city of Monte Alban was at its peak. Currently, an irrigation system has been installed that supplies the tree with 15000 litres of water per day. It is hoped that this strategy will prolong the life of the tree for another 9,000 years.
From Santa Maria El Tule we went to Milta to see the ceremonia Zaptec centre, famous for its exquisite wall decorations based on symbolic greca designs. Here, we were able to climb down into tombs.

Leaving Milta we proceeded to the Teotitlan Del Valle, an indigenous village where the residents weave beautiful wool rugs in domestic looms. The colour used in their rugs, scarfs and blankets are made from natural products, such as flowers and fruit and cactus.


market in Zaachilla



mural in govn't building[Diego Rivera]


After enjoying a visit with Mexicans who were vacationing in Oaxaca for the Semana Santa holiday, on our roof patio we packed our knapsacks and took a taxi to the largest bus station and the busiest bus station we had ever seen. We were happy to settle into our seat on the luxury bus around 1:00 a.m. for a sleep while travelling to Mexico City , planning to arrive at 7:00 a.m. and proceed to the Hotel Canada we had booked in the Centro Historico area around the Zocalo we had previously visited.

Leaving the Zocalo area and Mexico City and the temperature of 30 plus degrees was difficult. However, the lure of sleeping in your own bed after travelling for four weeks is strong. We proceeded to the airport with the taxi cab driver we had met at the Zocalo for the agreed amount we had negotiated. The flight left at 3:30 p.m. and we arrived in Toronto via Atlanta around 11:45 p.m.

After some technical difficulties on the way home, we arrived at R. R. #2 Baden at 4:00 a.m. in cool temperature, but luckily no snow.
Adios Amigos

Back to Oaxaca

Arriving back in Oaxaca we went back to the beautiful Hotel Posada Catarina we had stayed at before leaving for our hike. It is located on a street southwest of the Zocalo.


view from Oaxaca hotel rooftop patio

It is spacious, elegant with small garden patios and a dramatic roof terrace. It even had a television. But more importantly, it had an amazing hot water shower and bathroom. This was especially important after our hike and bus ride.


view from Oaxaca hotel rooftop patio


view from Oaxaca hotel rooftop patio


Seeing Monte Alban on April 9th is it understandable that it is considered to be one of Mexico's most impressive sites.

Monte Alban

Before retiring for the evening we booked a tour for the next morning to Monte Alban.
Monte Alban was first occupied around 500 B.C., probably by the Zapotecs (indigenous people in Mexico) from the start. Archaeologists divide Monte Alban history into five phrases. The years up to about 200 BC saw the leveling of the hilltop, the building of temples and probably palaces, and the growth of the town of 10,000 or more people on the hillsides. Hieroglyphs and dates in a dot-and-bar system carved during
this era may mean that the elite of M.A. were the first people to use writing, and a written calendar, in Mexico. Between 200 BC and AD 300 M.A. the city came to dominate more and more of Oaxaca. The city with its peak from about 300 to 700, when the main and surrounding hills were terraced for dwellings and the populations reached about 25,000. Most of what we saw dates from this time.


Monte alban


Monte Alban was the center of a highly organized, priest dominated society, controlling the extensively irrigated Valles Centrales, which held at least 200 other settlements and ceremonial centers.

Many Monte Alban building were plastered and painted red and the architecture (a stepped building style with alternating vertical and sloping sections). Nearly 170 underground tombs from this period have been found.

Between about 700 and 900 Monte Alban, the place was abandoned and 40,000 people dispersed and settled in other area, and M.A. fell into ruin. Many believe that this happened because of drought. Monte Alban, Phase V saw minimal activity, except that Mixtecs (indigenous people in Mexico) arriving from northwestern Oaxaca reused old tombs here to bury their own dignitaries. This was a truly amazing site to see the morning of Thursday, April 9th.


wooden 'alebrijes' carved figures



Leaving Monte Alban we proceeded to the town of San Antonio Arrazola which specializes in alebrijes, figures carved in copal wood creating fantastic zoology.

Leaving San Antonio Arrazola we proceeded to the town of Culilapan De Guerrero, a magnificant site with an outstanding open chapel.


open chapel church


open chapel church

The unfinished church of basilica base and the ex convent is truly spectacular. From this beautiful site, we went to the indigenous market in Zaachila where you could buy food, i.e, fruit, vegetables, fish Mexican aprons, hardware items, etc.


open chapel church


Taking a self-directed tour of churches on Thursday evening, we visited the Iglesia de La Compania and the Iglesia de San Juan de Dios, the latter is a beautiful small 17th church on the site of Oaxaca's first church, which was built in 1526.


church in Oaxaca

The 18th century baroque Templo de San Felipe Neri is where Benito Juarez (the first indigenous president) and Margarita Maza were married in 1843.


Back in Oaxaca City one of the beautiful Churches here


After visiting this magnificent church we headed four blocks north of the cathedral to the gorgeous Santo Domingo it is considered to be the most splended of Oaxaca's churches. It was build mainly between 1570 and 1608 as part of the city's Dominican monastery, with the finest artisans from Peubla and elsewhere helping in it construction. Like other big buildings in this earthquake-prone region, Santo Domingo has immensely thick stone walls. Amid the fine carving on the baroque facade, the figure holding a church is Santo Domingo de Guzmain, the Spanish monk who founded the Dominican order (1172-1221). The Dominicans observed strict vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and in Mexico they protected the indigenous people from other colonists' excesses. This vow is difficult to understand when you see the church as nearly every square inch of the church's interior is decorated in 3-D relief, elaborate coloured and gilt designs swirl around a profusion of painted figures.


Church next to Zocalo in Oaxaca City


Back in Oaxaca City, the Zocalo

The entire church had a magically warm glow in the candlelight.


church in Oaxaca



onion skin decorations

We thought it was lovely, other tourists, primarily Mexican, also walking
through the churches as we were on the Thursday evening before Good
Friday. We later found out that it is a Semana Santa custom to visit
seven churches on the Thursday. It is no wonder the churches were
decorated in such a glorious fashion.


Semana Santa decorations


Semana Santa street procession


Semana Santa street procession



Oaxaca church


Semana Santa street procession


Semana Santa street procession

In our self-directed tour of Churches, we also visited the Basilica de La Soledad. This Church was in the poorer section of town. However, it also was breath-taking. It seems that people come from all over the world every year because someone saw a vision at this site and consequently built the church there. Beside this church there were many vendors selling various kinds of food and the area seemed to be a very social gathering place, like the Zocalo.


worlds largest tree 'el Tule'


The evening was complete with a full moon overlooking our evening journey.

Hike

While on our four-day hike we experienced elevations ranging from 2200m to over 3200m, various landscapes with canyons, caves, crags, waterfalls and panoramic lookouts.

Map of Pueblos Mancommunados area and our hike

The villages themselves were simple, but picturesque places with unique local history or culture.


Picture of our guides, Mother and 10-year daughter



The road on the beginning of our hike from Cuajimoloyas to Latuvi - 20km.


During our hike we were accompanied by local guides of Zapotec origin, who spoke Spanish, but not English. However they were knowledgeable about the plants, wildlife and ecology of these sierras. We managed to communicate with hand gestures and some Spanish.


Scenery along the hike

While hiking, we experienced many different ecosystems, from lowland deciduous forest to cloud forest in one day. Luckily for us, we are well-versed in the art of layering clothes to be comfortable.



Scenery on the way to Latuvi

Our first day was an extremely hot day. The heat makes the walk much more gruelling. Luckily, we were hiking on forest paths most of the way. Thankfully, our second day was cloudy at times with a spit of drops of rain.

Scenery along the hike

But, the sun did eventually come out as did the warm weather again.


Beautiful flowers on trail


Rose bushes along the trail


Our third day was somewhat cooler initially, but became warmer again. This was bearable as we were walking in the forest shade often.


Lookout scene during hike and point at which guides were changed.


Our forth day was very warm again. It was a difficult hike in terms of elevation changes happening very quickly. We were also in a hurry to make certain that we caught the bus in Cuiajimoloyas as we suspected it was the only bus to Oaxaca that day.


Guide and Gerald as we begin our hike to LaNeveria, 12km.

In the villages we stayed in cabanas. They are made of mud-brick and wood, with tile floors, fireplaces and hot-water bathrooms. They are built especially for the tourists. This is how the villages make a lot of their money.

View from Cabana (place we stayed) in Latuvi

In the evening, at a time we would ask, someone would come and make a fire in our ´chimney´to take the mountain chill out of our cabana. This was also helpful for drying the clothes we had washed from our hike of the day. We could not believe how dirty we got.


MaryIris and Gerald on hike


MaryIris climbing waterfall


While staying in the villages for the evening there was little choice regarding dinner plans, i.e., one “restaurant“ or dinner at a local family“s home. There was little dinner selection, i.e., soup, bread and or a fresh trout dinner complete with lettuce and radishes and avocado. These dinners cost approximately $3.00 to $4.00.

We now know enough Spanish to get what we want for breakfast and they were wonderful, as no one spoke English in the places we ate. We were able to order, avocado, eggs, tortillas and refried beans complete with black coffee and coffee with milk. In the villages coffee is served with sugar already added in a bowl.

Enjoying the beach in Puerto Escondido and the relaxed atmosphere, we
hated to leave. However, we needed to get back to Oaxaca to begin our
four-day hike in the Peublos Mancomunados area.

Given the previous trecherous bus ride of 6.5 hours, we decided to take an
plane from Puerto Escondido back to Oaxaca City. It was a very small
eight-sitter plane, taking us a half hour to get to Oaxaca.

Arriving in Oaxaca City, we found a hotel for the night and stored most of
our luggage, keeping only enough for a daypack that we would be carrying
during our four-day hike in the Sierra Norte.

The Pueblos Mancommunados (Commonwealth of Villages) are eight remote
Zapotech villages in the thicky forested highlands north of the Valle de
Tlacolula. For centuries, in a unique form of cooperation the villages have
pooled the natural resources of their 290-sq-km territory, which includes
extensive pine and oak forests, sharing the profits from forestry and
other enterprises. Today seven of the villages also cooperate in an
ectotourism program program that offers more than 100km of scenic trails.
Elevations range from 2200m to over 3200m.

The pueblos mancomunados, or joint villages, are run like, for all intensive purposes, a cooperative. All the land is owned communally by the whole village and is allocated to individuals to work, with the proceeds being shared by everyone. When a young person comes of age, they are given a year to decide whether they wish to become part of the commune or want to leave. Some do leave, with the USA and Mexico City being the main destinations. If they decide to stay, they are allocated land, but also have to give one year in three to the community. Jobs are also divided up between the villages, with individuals being elected to particular roles. These include running the tourist facilities or running the village shop. Smaller jobs, liking cleaning the cabins or being a guide, are also divided up, but you may find that your guide may also have another job, such as police chief! The villages also organize business, like timber extraction or running trout farms, which you are likely to see on your treks. Everyone has a stake in the system and in making it work, particularly the tourist business. For this reason, being among these people is a delight, as they are very open and friendly, making it a particularly relaxing place to spend time.


I had forgotten to take my silk underwear for this experience. Preparing
for the trip, I found a pair of long, black tights with sparkle stones up
the sides. It was not an easy thing to find in the 30-degree climate in
Oaxaca. They cost $9.00. It was an interesting store with much activity.

Spending the night in Oaxaca, storing our luggages in two hotels, we left
the next morning Sunday, April 5th, walking to the Second-Class bus
station in the dark 6.30 a.m. We had lost an hour´s sleep due to a time
change. The Second-Class Bus Station was very busy in the morning, with
some people drinking beer at 7.00 a.m. The bathroom in the Bus Station had
a barrel outside from which to take a pail of water to flush the toilet
and wash your hands. Any additional luggage people taking the bus had was
placed on the roof of the bus. The bus left at 8.00 a.m., taking two hours
to reach our destination of Cuajimoloyas. We immediately noticed that it
was much cooler here than in Oaxaca City. We wondered if we had brought
enough clothes to wear, given our small daypacks.


Rose bushes along the trail



Patio and view outside our cabana in La Neveria




Scene from hike from La Neveria to Benito Juarez, 8km.



Scene from hike from La Neveria to Benito Juarez, 8km.


Picture of fireplace in Cabana in Benito Juarez



Monument of Benito Juarez in town square.



Gerald with Guide, Alonzo on way to Cuajimoloyas, 8km.



Gerald eating grasshoppers in Oaxaca City



Courtyard of Hotel Pasada in Oaxaca City



picture 55