Sunday, March 11, 2007
Day two of trip two!
Another fabulous day! Our guide, Eloy, picked us up at nueve en punto (9 on the dot) to gallavant across the countryside once again. His 10-passenger van is just right for our group.
Our first stop was the gigantic Tule tree, an enormous Mexican cypress that´s more than 2,000 years old. Truly a sight to behold. Eloy said it´s not the tallest tree in the world (although it´s pretty darn tall), but it is the widest. A precious boy named Pancho pointed out many different shapes that the tree´s bark has sculpted itself into: an elephant, a lion, an eagle, an anteater, etc. Each time he pointed out the figure by using a small mirror to reflect light onto the area, he´d ask: ¨Can you see?¨ in a sing-song voice. It´s going to be our trip catchphrase.
From Tule, surely the cleanest town in Mexico, we went to Teotitlan del Valle, a.k.a. Place of the Gods. Teotitlan is a communal village of weavers. The entire town weaves, and they take care of each other. Instead of waiting on the government to build a health clinic for them, they built their own. We were given a very informative demonstration of spinning wool, coloring it with all-natural dyes made from chochineal (bright red), marigolds (yellow/gold), zapote (dark), among other flowers and plants, before weaving the brightly colored yarns on various looms. Karen got the ¨mark of cochineal¨ placed onto the palm of her hand, so naturally she bought a red rug. Blair and I bought a small rug that we´re going to use as a wall hanging. It´s a representation of the sky and mountains around Teotitlan, and the colors and design is beautiful.
From Teotitlan, we went to Tlacolula. The town´s church, La Virgen de la Asuncion, has an amazing Baroque side chapel. Gold everywhere. I was moved by the faith of one woman who used a gladiola´s long stem to make the sign of the cross on Jesus´feet before laying the flower down and asking that her prayers be answered. We spent an hour in the market afterwards, and I felt like I was back in Guatemala. Very indigenous population represented. Lots of chickens and turkeys for sale, along with beautiful fruits and vegetables. Plenty of items for tourists, too, like more of the fanciful hand-painted animals.
We had lunch at Restaurant Donaji, not far from Tlacolula. Donaji was recently hired by a family in Norco, California, to cook for their Golden Wedding Anniversary and their granddaughter´s quinceanera. They flew her out, and I understand why. Delicious food. Most everyone got mole. Blair and I got quesadillas on homemade corn tortillas that we saw made. A mescal distillery is a short walk from the restaurant, and we were able to see the full process of making mescal, tequila´s kissing cousin. Quite a process, and quite a drink! They gave us multiple samples, and passion fruit-flavored was our favorite.
After the mescal adventure, we went to Mitla, another ancient town, that features intricate stone fretwork on its walls. I think the geometric designs, which resemble those in Greece, would make great quilt designs. I´m going to get a book on them when I return to San Antonio and see if I can turn them into a quilt.
We ended our tour with a stop at Yagul, Eloy´s favorite archeological site. It is gorgeous. We hiked up the mountain--with Melissa wondering aloud why we stopped at the mescal factory before we climbed the mountain, not after--to soak in a beautiful view of the surrounding region and the ancient city below. I spotted another ball court, similar to one we saw at Monte Alban. I guess future generations will uncover the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
Blair and I finished up the day at our now favorite restaurant, Comida Oxaquena. We both had wonderful tacos al pastor and Blair had a bowl of borracho-like beans. We topped it all off with a coconut paleta that we ate while we sat in the zocalo and watched the world stroll by.
Tomorrow: back to the bank to retrieve our ATM card then a visit to the orphanage. Stay tuned!
Our first stop was the gigantic Tule tree, an enormous Mexican cypress that´s more than 2,000 years old. Truly a sight to behold. Eloy said it´s not the tallest tree in the world (although it´s pretty darn tall), but it is the widest. A precious boy named Pancho pointed out many different shapes that the tree´s bark has sculpted itself into: an elephant, a lion, an eagle, an anteater, etc. Each time he pointed out the figure by using a small mirror to reflect light onto the area, he´d ask: ¨Can you see?¨ in a sing-song voice. It´s going to be our trip catchphrase.
From Tule, surely the cleanest town in Mexico, we went to Teotitlan del Valle, a.k.a. Place of the Gods. Teotitlan is a communal village of weavers. The entire town weaves, and they take care of each other. Instead of waiting on the government to build a health clinic for them, they built their own. We were given a very informative demonstration of spinning wool, coloring it with all-natural dyes made from chochineal (bright red), marigolds (yellow/gold), zapote (dark), among other flowers and plants, before weaving the brightly colored yarns on various looms. Karen got the ¨mark of cochineal¨ placed onto the palm of her hand, so naturally she bought a red rug. Blair and I bought a small rug that we´re going to use as a wall hanging. It´s a representation of the sky and mountains around Teotitlan, and the colors and design is beautiful.
From Teotitlan, we went to Tlacolula. The town´s church, La Virgen de la Asuncion, has an amazing Baroque side chapel. Gold everywhere. I was moved by the faith of one woman who used a gladiola´s long stem to make the sign of the cross on Jesus´feet before laying the flower down and asking that her prayers be answered. We spent an hour in the market afterwards, and I felt like I was back in Guatemala. Very indigenous population represented. Lots of chickens and turkeys for sale, along with beautiful fruits and vegetables. Plenty of items for tourists, too, like more of the fanciful hand-painted animals.
We had lunch at Restaurant Donaji, not far from Tlacolula. Donaji was recently hired by a family in Norco, California, to cook for their Golden Wedding Anniversary and their granddaughter´s quinceanera. They flew her out, and I understand why. Delicious food. Most everyone got mole. Blair and I got quesadillas on homemade corn tortillas that we saw made. A mescal distillery is a short walk from the restaurant, and we were able to see the full process of making mescal, tequila´s kissing cousin. Quite a process, and quite a drink! They gave us multiple samples, and passion fruit-flavored was our favorite.
After the mescal adventure, we went to Mitla, another ancient town, that features intricate stone fretwork on its walls. I think the geometric designs, which resemble those in Greece, would make great quilt designs. I´m going to get a book on them when I return to San Antonio and see if I can turn them into a quilt.
We ended our tour with a stop at Yagul, Eloy´s favorite archeological site. It is gorgeous. We hiked up the mountain--with Melissa wondering aloud why we stopped at the mescal factory before we climbed the mountain, not after--to soak in a beautiful view of the surrounding region and the ancient city below. I spotted another ball court, similar to one we saw at Monte Alban. I guess future generations will uncover the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
Blair and I finished up the day at our now favorite restaurant, Comida Oxaquena. We both had wonderful tacos al pastor and Blair had a bowl of borracho-like beans. We topped it all off with a coconut paleta that we ate while we sat in the zocalo and watched the world stroll by.
Tomorrow: back to the bank to retrieve our ATM card then a visit to the orphanage. Stay tuned!
Labels: artisans, mescal, Mitla, Oaxaca, Tule tree, Yagul
