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
