After finding a geat hotel on the Zocalo and enjoying Saturday evening festivities that included an all girl rock band, followed by a series of other rock bands on the mainstage and a wonderful Mexican group playing in a corner of the square, we got up early on Sunday, ate breakfast, and went to the ruins at Monte Alban. According to local info, this site is considered the most important MesoAmerican Archaelogical site. It was inhabited by the Mixtec and Zapotec cultures and flourished from 500 B.C. until after 600 A.D. It is located on the top of a mountain which rises 1200 feet above the valley. The inhabitants farmed the valleys below. The site includes ruins of houses, ceremonial grounds, government buildings, etc. From this site, one can see many covered hills surrounding the areas. These are all ruins from the era and only a tiny percentage of the area has been excavated.
Sunday on the square featured a symphony playing classical music. We spent the rest of the day exploring markets and walking through more of the historic center of the city. By evening there were more bands playing a variety of music, from marimba bands, to solo accordian players. It was constantly busy and obviously used by the citizens of Oaxaca in addition to us Turistas. We had a late Oaxacan meal and then got back to the hotel to watch the Academy awards which were broadcast in Espanol.
We were on a mission to find great traditional as well as more contemporary fare. We did not find a bad restaurant the whole trip. We stumbled upon this traditional restaurant where we had a great meal (including grasshoppers in a chile relleno) and great service by the owner who was an older woman. We also sampled mole (there are 7 types), string cheese, giant tortillas, Oaxacan tamales and black bean soup. We were given a glass of mezcal after the meal as it is said to be good for digestion. There was no charge for the mezcal, we were told that, in her restaurant, diners are treated like friends.
Monday, after watching the miltary practice for a flag day celebration on the square, we took a tour to several spots including Santa Maria El Tule. The main attraction in this town is the 2,000 year old drooping Juniper tree. It is wider than it is high and I have all the dimensions somewhere, but not where I am writing this....
The tour took us through the Sierra Madres to Hierve El Agua, the petrified waterfall. You can just barely see the waterfall in the upper center of the picture. The water runs slowly and is full of minerals which is why it petrifies. The site also has mineral pools that are good for aching joints and seemed to be used by a variety of people, including the Zapotecs, in spite of its remoteness. We also went to a Zapotec village called Teotitlan Del Valle where its inhabitants weave wool rugs. They demonstrated the technique and showed us how the colors are obtained from natural products like marigolds, beetles, mesquite, and jasmine.
After finding a geat hotel on the Zocalo and enjoying Saturday evening festivities that included an all girl rock band, followed by a series of other rock bands on the mainstage and a wonderful Mexican group playing in a corner of the square, we got up early on Sunday, ate breakfast, and went to the ruins at Monte Alban. According to local info, this site is considered the most important MesoAmerican Archaelogical site. It was inhabited by the Mixtec and Zapotec cultures and flourished from 500 B.C. until after 600 A.D. It is located on the top of a mountain which rises 1200 feet above the valley. The inhabitants farmed the valleys below. The site includes ruins of houses, ceremonial grounds, government buildings, etc. From this site, one can see many covered hills surrounding the areas. These are all ruins from the era and only a tiny percentage of the area has been excavated.
Sunday on the square featured a symphony playing classical music. We spent the rest of the day exploring markets and walking through more of the historic center of the city. By evening there were more bands playing a variety of music, from marimba bands, to solo accordian players. It was constantly busy and obviously used by the citizens of Oaxaca in addition to us Turistas. We had a late Oaxacan meal and then got back to the hotel to watch the Academy awards which were broadcast in Espanol.
We were on a mission to find great traditional as well as more contemporary fare. We did not find a bad restaurant the whole trip. We stumbled upon this traditional restaurant where we had a great meal (including grasshoppers in a chile relleno) and great service by the owner who was an older woman. We also sampled mole (there are 7 types), string cheese, giant tortillas, Oaxacan tamales and black bean soup. We were given a glass of mezcal after the meal as it is said to be good for digestion. There was no charge for the mezcal, we were told that, in her restaurant, diners are treated like friends.
Monday, after watching the miltary practice for a flag day celebration on the square, we took a tour to several spots including Santa Maria El Tule. The main attraction in this town is the 2,000 year old drooping Juniper tree. It is wider than it is high and I have all the dimensions somewhere, but not where I am writing this....
The tour took us through the Sierra Madres to Hierve El Agua, the petrified waterfall. You can just barely see the waterfall in the upper center of the picture. The water runs slowly and is full of minerals which is why it petrifies. The site also has mineral pools that are good for aching joints and seemed to be used by a variety of people, including the Zapotecs, in spite of its remoteness. We also went to a Zapotec village called Teotitlan Del Valle where its inhabitants weave wool rugs. They demonstrated the technique and showed us how the colors are obtained from natural products like marigolds, beetles, mesquite, and jasmine.
1 comment:
So did the all-girl rock band remind you of the Dead Xs :-)? We stayed at a lovely hotel on (or maybe just off the zocalo eons ago-wonder if it's the same? Was it very Spanish with an inner courtyard that the rooms opened into? 2 stories? Great photo of Monte Alban. Memories...And the mescal sounds like the Italian grappa-line drink it; it's a "digestivo". Did the mineral baths cure whatever might ail you? Probably didn't need the warm water, eh?
Post a Comment