I actually can´t even remember how long my dad has been talking about going to Oaxaca. We were put off for years because it´s somewhat difficult to get to and they have had some violent teachers protests recently. Somehow he heard it was worth exploring this state in southern Mexico, and he suggested it for so many vacations that it became a running joke. But in the end of April, we finally made it there! I arrived by bus from Puebla and he took the full-day plane journey to meet me in Oaxaca City. We spent the following five days day-tripping to sites in the surrounding valleys. The town itself was so nice to just wander around and I had been looking forward to checking out the zocalo, markets and colonial buildings for my entire trip.
The six moles of Oaxaca!
For our first day trip outside of the city, we went up to the hilltop
Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban. Why not check out the big sight right off
the bat? This a photo of me dancing with the danzantes, which are Zapotec carved dancers that were discovered at the site. Below is a full view of the expansive sight of Monte Alban.
As with a typical Sholund vacation, we were not there to dilly dally, sleep in or relax at our hotel, so the next day we signed up for a tour of five sights in the valley to the east of town. While I was very skeptical that we might start feeling like herded goats, this was the easiest way to see this area without renting a car.
Stop #1: The El Tule tree in the town of Santa Maria El Tule. This is apparently the largest tree by volume in the world. It is a type of cypress tree and perhaps the most amazing thing is that they are not growing many more of these trees in the area because they clearly thrive!
Stop #2: Next we made it to a weaving workshop in Teotitlan del Valle, where artisans demonstrated traditional methods of spinning and dying yarn, and weaving on giant looms. Unfortunately my backpack is not big enough for one of their beautiful wall hangings, but seeing the process was very interesting.
Stop #3: The Hierve el Agua calcium carbonate "waterfall". This is such
an amazing and rare rock formation and we got to bathe in the mineral rich pool
above the falls.
Stop #4: Mitla ruins and the nearby church that was built on top of other ruins. This site is known for it´s intricate stone work. And stop #5 was a mezcal factory with plenty of samples. Mezcal is a regional specialty similar to tequila.
The following day we went on an amazing mountain bike ride with a former Mexican biking champion. It was so exciting that it merits a post of is own! Our final day in Oaxaca City was May 1st, which is labor day in Mexico, and fortunately that was also our day to explore town, hang out on the zocalo watching labor unions march and make speeches. We also toured the museum inside the Santo Domingo church, which had a giant collection of artifacts from Monte Alban and other nearby sights. After out busy days in and around Oaxaca City, we were ready to move on to see the coast and Chiapas, but I could definitely see myself returning to Oaxaca someday and I highly recommend it to other travelers! Here are some other photos of nice Oaxaca memories:
Mayordomo chocolate maker
View out of Santo Domingo church
Group bike rides at night around the city! We did it on Sunday with about 10 people, and then again on Wednesday with about 60 people! It was so much fun and I want to start something similar in Seattle!!
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