Vacation Part II - Oaxaca City
3 Days of Exploration & New Experiences in
the Big City
Oaxaca City is about the size of Austin, but
different in every other way. A considerably poor city (even in comparison to
the rest of Mexico), it makes up in culture and history what it lacks in wealth.
One nice surprise was how safe and clean even the busiest parts of the city seem
-- with labor so inexpensive and available, you couldn't go a block without
seeing someone undoing vandalism or litter or a cop (in his VW bug) checking up
on things. It's also incredibly manageable -- the city is arranged into a
perfect grid with the main square or "Zocalo" in the middle. The only thing
that could have made it easier to handle would be if either of us could speak
even a tiny bit of Spanish!
We spent our time in Oaxaca exploring (what we hope was) every corner of the town's center. We checked out a bunch of museums (showcasing everything from ancient history to modern art) and ducked into a bunch of fabulous cathedrals, monestaries and other old buildings. We experienced all kinds of restaurants, markets and street fairs and couldn't help but get caught up in a parade, assembly or concert every time we stepped out the door of our hotel!
And what a hotel it was!! We stayed at the Camino Real Oaxaca, which was actually a beautiful old stone convent from the 16th century that was later used as a prison, among other things. It was by far the most unbelievable place we've ever stayed. While pictures can't do justice to the full atmosphere (imagine mariachi bands and the smells of the gorgeous surrounding floral trees -- we spent most of our downtime in one courtyard or another, sipping margaritas and limonadas), here are some shots of it:
When we were able to tear ourselves away from our hotel, you could sum up our experiences into three categories -- history, culture and food. So here goes:
HISTORY:
Walking along the brightly colored city streets, you couldn't go far without coming upon a beautiful centuries-old church, museum, or historic building:
Just one block north of us, we were following our standard rule of entering anything that looked unusual and came upon the cathedral of Santa Domingo -- which happens to be considered the most ornate baroque church in the western world! It was breathtaking -- huge and entirely covered in gold. It was also attached to an awesome museum that chronicled (unfortunately, in Spanish) the 3000 year history of Oaxaca, as well as an incredible botanical garden:
Just when we thought we'd seen it all, we took a day trip with an anthropologist (English speaking!) guide to the ancient Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban. On a mountaintop overlooking the city, Monte Alban is a group of remarkably advanced structures believed to have been used as a fortress, an observatory, a hospital, a ball field, a monastery, a calendar, and even more. Our guide helped us speculate the sports and trades that were employed there, and even showed us how to read some basic concepts on the ancient carvings.
The more Monte Alban is studied, the more the experts agree that even in 1000 B.C, the Oaxacan community was shockingly advanced in its culture and practices... so you can imagine what it's like today...
CULTURE:
Oaxaca is widely regarded as a cultural center for Mexico for so many reasons. It is the culinary center of the city, and is also known for its unique craftsmanship (from weaving to woodworking to pottery). Aside from these obvious gifts, the city is also rich with a mix of multiple Native American cultures -- primarily with a Zapotec or Mixtec background.
The best place to experience every kind of person, craft and food was around the Zocalo. We walked through this main square multiple times every day, and never saw it without a ton of people working and playing and usually partaking in some sort of celebration or ceremony.
Just about a block from the Zocalo was the market, where everyone went to buy or sell their food, supplies and crafts. It was a sight to see, but definitely could have benefitted from refrigeration, or at least some bug-repelling plastic wrap!
It was tempting to pick up some of Oaxaca's famous crafts at the market, but we were told that a much cooler experience would be to go to the surrounding villages and watch the crafts get made. So first we headed to Arrazola, a small village known for it's wonderfully whimsical hand-carved wooden animals, called alebrijes. We were a little surprised how expensive these sculptures were at the market, but it all made sense once we saw the artisans at work in Arrazole. No matter how complicated the shape, the most authentic alebrijes are delicately carved out of a single piece of wood in a process that can take months to get perfect. Then, the town women take the pieces and paint them with a level of detail that adds another few weeks onto the process. The result is shown below, and also in a couple little alebrijes that are now on display on Avenue G.
We also went to Coyotopec, the village that makes all of the shiny black pottery coming out of Mexico. We were lucky enough to get a full demonstration on how the pottery is made by the son of the inventor of the process... one that, like the alebrijes, takes much longer than you'd expect. Interestingly, the clay itself is not black, but turns dark in the kiln process due to the smoke and ash.
Afterwards, we couldn't help heading to the showroom to pick up some pieces for family and friends... a few of which actually arrived back in Austin in one piece.
Another aspect of Oaxaca's culture that we were pretty excited about was how much they love dogs there (and have, apparently for thousands of years!) There were a ton of cute ones everywhere we looked, and never on a leash. When we asked if they were wild, we were told that many Oaxacan families have as many as 6 or 8 dogs -- and live in houses without doors. So there you go... here were a few of our favorites:
FOOD:
A trip to Oaxaca, known as the "Land of Seven Moles" and the culinary center of Mexico, could not be described without focusing a little bit on the food. While we were generally familiar with the basics (enchiladas, tacos, etc.), we were blown away by the local delicacies. Hardly a meal went by without us partaking of at least one mole (Marc loved the nutty, olive-y Estofado while I was partial to Negro or Colorado... but they were all great), the stringy Oaxacan goat cheese, some form of chocolate, and a soup, quesadilla filling or side dish of squash blossoms. Huitlacoche, which is essentially gross black mold that grows on old corn, was surprisingly yummy too -- and not the most daring food to eat. That award I'd give to the chapulines (grasshoppers!), which Marc did try on our last evening there. You also can't visit Oaxaca without sipping a little Mezcal -- it didn't only cover every restaurant's drink menu -- there were "Mezcallerias" on every corner.
In the end, the trip was the perfect combination of relaxation, adventure and education. It's just amazing that somewhere so foreign and exotic was quicker for us to get to than, say, Philly! We definitely want to go back, and plan to bring friends. We've also decided it's about time we took some Spanish lessons -- that idea was pretty much clinched when we were trying to find an ATM and I accidentally asked where I could find a caramel machine. But man, wouldn't that be a fun machine if it existed? Aside from vowing to come back to Oaxaca, we also decided that these week-long vacations are a must... and shouldn't take 3 years to make happen. So expect some more, and more frequent travel from us in the future!
We spent our time in Oaxaca exploring (what we hope was) every corner of the town's center. We checked out a bunch of museums (showcasing everything from ancient history to modern art) and ducked into a bunch of fabulous cathedrals, monestaries and other old buildings. We experienced all kinds of restaurants, markets and street fairs and couldn't help but get caught up in a parade, assembly or concert every time we stepped out the door of our hotel!
And what a hotel it was!! We stayed at the Camino Real Oaxaca, which was actually a beautiful old stone convent from the 16th century that was later used as a prison, among other things. It was by far the most unbelievable place we've ever stayed. While pictures can't do justice to the full atmosphere (imagine mariachi bands and the smells of the gorgeous surrounding floral trees -- we spent most of our downtime in one courtyard or another, sipping margaritas and limonadas), here are some shots of it:
When we were able to tear ourselves away from our hotel, you could sum up our experiences into three categories -- history, culture and food. So here goes:
HISTORY:
Walking along the brightly colored city streets, you couldn't go far without coming upon a beautiful centuries-old church, museum, or historic building:
Just one block north of us, we were following our standard rule of entering anything that looked unusual and came upon the cathedral of Santa Domingo -- which happens to be considered the most ornate baroque church in the western world! It was breathtaking -- huge and entirely covered in gold. It was also attached to an awesome museum that chronicled (unfortunately, in Spanish) the 3000 year history of Oaxaca, as well as an incredible botanical garden:
Just when we thought we'd seen it all, we took a day trip with an anthropologist (English speaking!) guide to the ancient Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban. On a mountaintop overlooking the city, Monte Alban is a group of remarkably advanced structures believed to have been used as a fortress, an observatory, a hospital, a ball field, a monastery, a calendar, and even more. Our guide helped us speculate the sports and trades that were employed there, and even showed us how to read some basic concepts on the ancient carvings.
The more Monte Alban is studied, the more the experts agree that even in 1000 B.C, the Oaxacan community was shockingly advanced in its culture and practices... so you can imagine what it's like today...
CULTURE:
Oaxaca is widely regarded as a cultural center for Mexico for so many reasons. It is the culinary center of the city, and is also known for its unique craftsmanship (from weaving to woodworking to pottery). Aside from these obvious gifts, the city is also rich with a mix of multiple Native American cultures -- primarily with a Zapotec or Mixtec background.
The best place to experience every kind of person, craft and food was around the Zocalo. We walked through this main square multiple times every day, and never saw it without a ton of people working and playing and usually partaking in some sort of celebration or ceremony.
Just about a block from the Zocalo was the market, where everyone went to buy or sell their food, supplies and crafts. It was a sight to see, but definitely could have benefitted from refrigeration, or at least some bug-repelling plastic wrap!
It was tempting to pick up some of Oaxaca's famous crafts at the market, but we were told that a much cooler experience would be to go to the surrounding villages and watch the crafts get made. So first we headed to Arrazola, a small village known for it's wonderfully whimsical hand-carved wooden animals, called alebrijes. We were a little surprised how expensive these sculptures were at the market, but it all made sense once we saw the artisans at work in Arrazole. No matter how complicated the shape, the most authentic alebrijes are delicately carved out of a single piece of wood in a process that can take months to get perfect. Then, the town women take the pieces and paint them with a level of detail that adds another few weeks onto the process. The result is shown below, and also in a couple little alebrijes that are now on display on Avenue G.
We also went to Coyotopec, the village that makes all of the shiny black pottery coming out of Mexico. We were lucky enough to get a full demonstration on how the pottery is made by the son of the inventor of the process... one that, like the alebrijes, takes much longer than you'd expect. Interestingly, the clay itself is not black, but turns dark in the kiln process due to the smoke and ash.
Afterwards, we couldn't help heading to the showroom to pick up some pieces for family and friends... a few of which actually arrived back in Austin in one piece.
Another aspect of Oaxaca's culture that we were pretty excited about was how much they love dogs there (and have, apparently for thousands of years!) There were a ton of cute ones everywhere we looked, and never on a leash. When we asked if they were wild, we were told that many Oaxacan families have as many as 6 or 8 dogs -- and live in houses without doors. So there you go... here were a few of our favorites:
FOOD:
A trip to Oaxaca, known as the "Land of Seven Moles" and the culinary center of Mexico, could not be described without focusing a little bit on the food. While we were generally familiar with the basics (enchiladas, tacos, etc.), we were blown away by the local delicacies. Hardly a meal went by without us partaking of at least one mole (Marc loved the nutty, olive-y Estofado while I was partial to Negro or Colorado... but they were all great), the stringy Oaxacan goat cheese, some form of chocolate, and a soup, quesadilla filling or side dish of squash blossoms. Huitlacoche, which is essentially gross black mold that grows on old corn, was surprisingly yummy too -- and not the most daring food to eat. That award I'd give to the chapulines (grasshoppers!), which Marc did try on our last evening there. You also can't visit Oaxaca without sipping a little Mezcal -- it didn't only cover every restaurant's drink menu -- there were "Mezcallerias" on every corner.
In the end, the trip was the perfect combination of relaxation, adventure and education. It's just amazing that somewhere so foreign and exotic was quicker for us to get to than, say, Philly! We definitely want to go back, and plan to bring friends. We've also decided it's about time we took some Spanish lessons -- that idea was pretty much clinched when we were trying to find an ATM and I accidentally asked where I could find a caramel machine. But man, wouldn't that be a fun machine if it existed? Aside from vowing to come back to Oaxaca, we also decided that these week-long vacations are a must... and shouldn't take 3 years to make happen. So expect some more, and more frequent travel from us in the future!
Posted: Fri - September 9, 2005 at 10:10 PM
Quick Links
Calendar
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
Categories
Archives
XML/RSS Feed
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Sep 11, 2005 11:41 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Sep 11, 2005 11:41 PM