OAXACA – PART 1
People generally say just Oaxaca when really what is meant is Oaxaca, Oaxaca – the capital of the state of the same name. (You can go to Wikipedia or numerous other sites to find basic information.) We stayed a full week and visited most of the requisite tourist sights, several of which are classified as heritage sites by Mexico and the U.N. Due to its historical importance, especially as the birthplace of Benito Juarez and the home of many of Mexico's indigenous peoples, Oaxaca is a tourist locale for Mexicans as much as it is for non-Mexicans. But we were your basic tourists and took many pictures, a whole lot easier to do with a digital camera. (However, we generally avoid taking too many pictures which professionals have already made into postcards.) The 'Third Age' card, basically a discount card for folks over 60, that Rebecca obtained (after a bit of adventure), provided us free or reduced entry to several locations. There are too many items to report about in a single issue of our newsletter, but Mrs.T covers several highlights below. (She said she was about 'writ out' and hopes to finish up later.)
Well after the travel agent fiasco Dan began making our travel arrangements to Oaxaca. He found a nice little bed and breakfast and booked our airline tickets.
Dan and I are both nervous travelers. I don't like being around a lot of strangers and Dan does not like not being in control. (Well, I like things to be organized –dt) We had previously experienced a near miss in the Mexico City airport when they kept changing our departure gate. So as soon as we arrived Dan wanted me to find the gate. I refused until after using the facilities. We had two hours - plenty of time. The flight was not listed on the board so I inquired at a gate and they told me to check back in 15 or 20 minutes. Plenty of time to grab a sandwich, I thought. Dan was not hungry and was pretty sure we would be fed on the plane. (!)(I just said it was a possibility. -dt) I ignored him and went and bought two club sandwiches. Although Dan was not hungry he wolfed his right down. Eventually the gate was on the board. We got to the gate an hour early. It was a small plane and they did give us a little bag of peanuts.
As we approached Oaxaca I asked Dan if that could be the airport. He was unsure. It was, one runway, and one terminal, but after all that was all we needed. A collectivo (a little van taxi) took us to our B&B. Oaxaca is a pretty big city which sprawls across a valley between the Sierra Norte and the Sierra Sur mountains. (Population close to 300000 –dt) There are no skyscrapers in the old downtown area, and it has the feeling of time past if you can ignore the ubiquitous cell phones.
Casa Ollin (http://www.oaxacabedandbreakfast.com/ ) was charming, the project of a slightly bemused ex-pat lawyer from California, John, and a competent Mexican tour guide, Judith. We unpacked and traipsed down the hill in search of the zocalo (the main plaza). Before we had gone more than a couple of blocks we ran into a peregrination (a Mexican parade, you may recall). It was preceded by a boomer letting off Roman candles. Then came Los Altos (this translates literally as the talls); they were dancing to the music of the children's band which followed them. Talls are huge cloth figures of people that are about 10 feet tall and are maneuvered by one person inside. I quite liked the talls! After the band came a bunch of uniformed school children laughing and chanting who were escorted by a few resigned looking mothers and teachers. There was a short space and the sequence repeated itself: talls, band, kids. After about six or eight schools the parade was over. I inquired of another spectator and was told the parade was in honor of their schools. (Then we went another block and saw a completely different set of schools. –dt)
When we arrived at the zocalo a band was playing Cuban music and a lot of people, most of them older, were dancing on the square. We soaked up the atmosphere while eating at one of the small open air restaurants. People were hawking every sort of thing. There were some very cute woven straw piggies. The guy selling them had a noise maker that made pig noises. I thought I probably needed one, but Dan did not think I did. Families were strolling together. Touristas were gawking and taking pictures. On one side of the square was the cathedral and on the other was the old governor's palace (now government offices and a museum. In front of it there were a couple of half hearted demonstrations going on. One was about rights for indigenous people and one about women's rights. Although I tend to be a bleeding heart liberal, it was hard for me to be too concerned when the demonstrators were calmly knitting, crocheting, and weaving baskets as they sat under their signs. Around the square were trees, flowers, benches, and of course the loveliest of all were the Jacarandas trees which were covered with purple blooms.
We wandered back looking at the grand stone churches along the way. Lots of areas were enclosed in high stone walls. This was the old section of town and by old I mean some of it was five centuries old. The walls were entered through tall wooden doors. When the doors were open, you could see they were made of heavy wooden planks 3 or 4 inches thick. The doors had great iron spikes with roundels around them. The outer walls varied from six inches to six feet thick. These guys were ready for a siege! Just before we arrived at the B&B we came upon a small park where lots of young people were spooning, as it were. I christened it the kissing park.
The next day we headed out to look at the museum of contemporary art. This was in an old convent with beautiful arches, atriums, columns and so on. The main exhibit was a disturbing concept piece about the impermanence of life. It was interesting but not exactly cheerful. We came to another exhibit which had something to do with a lot of naked people. I did not get to try and figure it out because I was too busy beating Dan about the head and shoulders for making inappropriate comments. (Just commenting on the wonderful art. –dt) There were also some really excellent photos here.
We went on a Tour of the Ethnobotanical Garden. This was hidden behind one
stone wall. It was in the compound of the old monastery of Santo Domingo. This garden was only twelve years old but they had transplanted many mature plants and trees that were native to the state of Oaxaca. We had an English speaking guide who explained both the traditional and the modern uses of many of these plants. She also told us a lot of plant lore. I highly recommend it for plant lovers.
One Zapotec legend goes something like this:
At first there were only plants. One day there was a big storm. Lightning struck the top of the Kapok tree. This made a big hole in the top of the tree. Out of this hole, one by one climbed all of the animals, one male and one female of each. Last of all out climbed the first man and the first woman. This is why the Kapok tree is scared to our people. It is because we remember that it is the Mother Tree, the Tree of Life.
In Mexico you often see folk crafts which feature the 'Tree of Life' motif. I was aware that these trees always seemed to have horizontal branches. As I stared at the Kapok trees in the garden I recognized the form.
The White Mountain, Monte Alban, was a main reason I wanted to visit Oaxaca.
This is an ancient Indian site. It was first settled by the Olmecs, then later the
site was appropriated by the Zapotecs. After the Zapotecs left, the Mextecs used it as a ceremonial site. I am fascinated by these ancient sites. The Olmec was one of the earliest Mexican Civilizations. They had writing and a calendar some 2500 years ago. We knew Monte Alban would be exhausting. (One of the French Canadian couples from the previous episode visited before us and filled us in a bit. –dt)
Monte Alban is a very large site about 7500ft (roughly 2300m) above sea level. (Oaxaca itself is at altitude of about 5000ft (abut 1500m) –dt) So we determined to leave early and take it slow. The van bus let us off at the parking area and we climbed up to the entrance. Several guides were standing there evaluating the prospects. One of them pasted a friendly smile on his face, murmured a claim on us to his cohorts and came to us to offer his services. Our guide introduced himself by his Indian name which he told us translated as hungry coyote (hereafter known as Mr. C.).(I think it was laughing coyote –dt) He told us he would give us a nice tour, very slow, not too many steps to climb. Sounded good to me!
Climbing up we got a good look out over the valley below. I wondered why the Olmec would build their city so high. Mr. C explained that at one time the valley had been a lake. The ancient city had covered a wide area. About 300,000 Olmec could attend ceremonial events at one time. Mr. C who was descended from the Olmec was quick to point out that these never included human sacrifices.
The time and energy it must have taken to create the intricately patterned sandstone buildings and carvings tells us something of the organization and dedication of this society. Sandstone is easier to cut than, say, granite but it takes incredible control and patience. For example, the Maya using a harder stone for their carved designs. The Olmec formed multiple stone pieces and fit them together, dry! As the Olmec script has not been deciphered there is a lot about this people we do not know.
The different tribal peoples of Mexico and their descendents can be identified by their physical characteristics as shown in their carvings. Mr. C was a broad shouldered Olmec with a big nose. Dan was named a possible Olmec because he shared these attributes. My mere schmere nose proved I probably did not belong anywhere in pre-Columbian Mexico. (sigh!) The differences in ruins show cultural differences too. The Mayan ball courts were very large to accommodate a team sport which used a rubber ball. The Olmex court had a lot of seating but the court itself was small. Theirs was an individual contest with a pelo pelota, literally a hairball. Such was the life with the jaguar people (Ha Ha!).
Of all the things we saw and did in Oaxaca my favorite was seeing the Tree of Tule. This Monterey Cypress is the biggest tree in the world. That is what they said anyway, and I believed it. It is in no way the tallest tree or the oldest tree, although they do think it is over 2000 years old. But having been overwhelmed by the sequoias, I assure you that two or three of their trunks could fit in the trunk of the Tree of Tule. The other thing is with redwoods and sequoias the treetops are so high they seem remote. With the Tree of Tule you could reach up and touch the branches hanging down. There are, of course, signs telling you not to do this but, when I thought no one was looking, I held up one fingertip and for a moment the tree and I were connected. I love the Tree of Tule. (Check out http://www.sue-feathersandflowers.blogspot.com/ for 25 March 2011. –dt (Happy B-day J))
Photos of this part of the trip are at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9151458@N07/sets/72157626351197450/
A note about last issue's photos: You saw a couple of photos of some ceramic pieces. These were some of the pieces made by Nick when he visited in December and left for us to glaze. They came out quite nicely and we greatly appreciate them.
The season is about over and we will be back in the holler in a couple of weeks. We will be seeing many of you in April.
Dan and Rebecca
http://www.casa-de-terrible.blogspot.com/
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