Diary of 3 Weeks in Mexico

Wednesday
June 20 5pm

This part of Mexico is brimming with artistic talents-each little pueblo is known for a different kind of craft- wood carved animals, black clay pottery, woven rugs. And when you´re born into that town, that´s what you do, by the age of eight, you join your family and carry on the artistic tradition. I´m glad my family doesn´t live here- I would have been screwed. I couldn´t even learn to play the piano at any basic level in a semester.

After comida yesterday- which was very good, and I´ve eaten every meal without asking for substitutes since (this is a big deal for me)....anyway, we went to this sweet little town called Arrazola. Arrazola is one of these artisan towns- known for wood carved, brightly colored animals. Every house and store on the four little streets of the town would invite us in, asking us to come and see what they offered or to watch how they distinctly make their product.

I have no idea why or how this town developed into what it is. I know only the different animals are meant to bring happiness and to decorate one´s home... but isnt that what all art is for? Each animal is symbolic to the Zapotecs who have made them, but no matter who and how many people we asked, we couldn´t quite figure out how this all got started and what colors or animals symbolized what. It was all quite puzzling. The answers were always... because my whole family lives here and has always done this... and aren´t they beautiful, what´s your favorite animal? Im sure we have it... I guess, making these animals is just life to the people of Arrazola and the history and symbolism don´t matter as much as carrying on the tradition.

We hopped house to house for about an hour walking up and down the sloping cobblestone streets and admiring all the work going on. Collectively we came home with a zoo- an elephant, a cat, a giraffe, a crab, and a porcupine, I believe... we only pray these delicately carved creatures safely make the journey home.

This morning we planned quite the expedition- or at least the hotel manager planned, we embarked. We hired a driver (Victor Sanchez) to take us out to Mitla, about 40 minutes southeast of the city, where the second largest set of Zapotec ruins in Oaxaca are located. These, though not as extravagent as Mont Albon, were just as astonishing. I´m sure when all the completed palaces of Mitla in all parts were still standing, they were breathtaking. Standing now and looking at the ruins, the design and decorations carved into the rocks and the detailed planning is astounding. More than just standing on top of the ruins, this site allowed us to crawl down underneath the pyramids and into the tombs, and through the doors of the palaces and into the sleeping chambers... it was a pretty surreal experience when you really think about it.

When Mitla fell and the Spaniards moved in, the newcomers proclaimed cultural, political and religious domination by looting the tomls and taking some stones of the palaces to build a very grand catholic church only maybe 50 meters away from the now archeological site. Both the church and the ruins were a great visit.

On our way back to Oaxaca from Mitla, we asked the driver to stop in four more places. First to Yagul, where there are some more ruins but a very small site in comparison. However the draw of Yagul is not the ruins, but the military fortress that sits high above the ancient city and requires a 20 minute almost vertical hike. Out of breath already, when you finally reach the top, the view is even more breathtaking. The valley is visible just beyond the ruins. There is also a small underground detainment area now for exploration, and then for the prisoners of the fortress.

We had a great time here, hiking up with a class of maybe fourth graders on a field trip, who were very rambunctious and silly and almost as interested in the ruins as they were at the sight of 2 American girls speaking both a foriegn language and their own tounge.

We stopped also in Teotitlan de la Valle, a village, like Arrazola known for artisanry- this time though weaving. We watched some demonstrations on how the beautiful Mexican rugs are made from scratch: from the pulling of the wool, making and dying of the yarn, all by hand and using colors from nature. Then we watched the women use the looms and create intricate designs for the rugs.

Some of the larger rugs can take a person up to a month to make... a smaller one say 11¨x17¨ about 5 days to weave. And they sell these smaller rugs... about 5 days of work, for about 30 dollars. We were both mesmorized and amazed. Americans have given up on these hand-made things years ago, and yet we are all still guilty of complaining about how difficult or tedious our work is.

We then visited quickly two small villages...one with a church from the 1500´s bombed and destroyed in part by wars and uprisings, but miraculously still survived and functions today. It has some of the most beautiful paintings Ive seen in a church and up a tightly curved set of stairs in the back of the church leading to the choir loft stands an ancient and legendary organ... still playable, unscathed and just beautiful.

Our last stop was to the center of Santa Maria de Tule, where just in front of the small church in the plaza stands the largest tree in the western hemisphere. It dates back to the times of Jesus Christ, with experts believing its been growing for more than 2000 years. Its enormous- its said no less than 25 people would have to stand with their arms extended to reach around the base of this tree.

The morning was obviously eventful and concluded with flan in the Zocolo or plaza back here in Oaxaca. Now I need a nap...