Denise's Oaxaca Service-Learning Blog

Labels: comiendo chapulines, eating grasshoppers, me da asco

Labels: Oaxaca photos

20. Children playing with balloons in front of the cathedral
19. Giant tamale and a Sol for 16 pesos (You will find the tamale lady in the doorway of the Panificadora La Luna on Independencia at 7:30 p.m. My mouth is watering just typing this.)
18. Mission tile throughout the city
17. Internet connectivity (e-mail and blogging readily available for 10 pesos/hour)
16. Grasshoppers (chapulines), although two were enough. (Mila had a whole bag.)
15. Sophia, the Dutch/Canadian who was staying in our hotel. She's been travelling to Oaxaca for 20 years, and she gave us some great tips: La Escondida for one. She's been going blind for 10 years now, but that doesn't seem to slow her down. When I told her we were leaving the next morning, she said, "I've enjoyed your presence." Definitely one of the nicest compliments I've ever received.
14. Watching the world stroll by in the zocalo
13. The Banks of Karen and Mariana...forget Banamex!
12. La Escondida Restaurant's Buffet (Don't miss it! Get there at 2 p.m.)
11. The giant Tule tree
10. The churches...at least one on every corner...and the faith of Oaxaca's citizens
9. Centro de Cultura de Santo Domingo (As Blair said, "Spectacular.")
8. Breakfast at Marco Polo...truly, you'll never find better huevos rancheros.
7. The staff at Hotel/Posada La Casa de La Tia...Zoila, Edith and Alberto...you are THE BEST.
6. Limonada (limeade) at Los Cuiles on Abasolo, which also has free Internet and tasty bolillos (sandwiches). However, cuidado with the salads. Half way through, Mel noticed that her lettuce was moving and discovered three green worms enjoying the fare. Blair said that at least that shows the lettuce was organic. That didn't seem to help her any.
5. Paletas at Paleteria Michoacan, especially coco (coconut)
4. Artisans (weavers, potters, clay sculpters, tin cutters, painters, wood carvers...you name it, this region's got them!)
3. Walking, walking, walking...Oaxaca is definitely a pedestrian friendly town
2. Jacaranda trees, whose purple flowers are a glorious sight to behold
1. The group I was with: Karen, Mariana, Mary, Daniel, Gail, Mel, Melissa, Mila and Blair. I'd travel with you any time!

Labels: Top 20 Reason to Love Oaxaca

Karen, Mariana and I went over to Marco Polo for our last breakfast. (Blair had bought pastries the night before from the panificadora Bamby for himself.) I took a picture of my huevos rancheros and bottomless coffee cup. Sigh. Parting was such sweet sorrow.

Eloy picked us up at the hotel at 9 a.m. for a drive over to Ocotlan. We wove through the mountains and passed a large image of Our Lady of Guadalupe made from colored rocks on the side of a hill. When we got to Ocotlan, we toured the church, which had been restored with funds from the Mexican painter Rodolfo Morales, a native of the village. The ceilings were gorgeous. Then, we walked through the gigantic market that takes place there every Friday. Mel was looking for some lucha libre (wrestling) characters for her and Abel's nephews, and she found some. A bag of six was 15 pesos, capes included! She bought three. Alas, she was not able to find a lucha libre mask for Abel. The search continues. We walked through the market, over a street, and back down a street that ended up being the fowl area. Tons of baby chicks, larger hens, roosters and turkeys were available for purchase. We didn't know how we'd pack those, so we left them behind.

We met up with the group back at our starting point so we could walk over to Rodolfo Morales' home together. Morales passed away in 2001, but his caretaker let us in for a walk around. Two dogs, a tiny chihuahua and a shaggy white terrier mix, greeted us at the door. The architecture of the artist's home is similiar to that of our hotel, which was also a home before its transformation. A large central courtyard filled with plants and birds gives visitors a lovely oasis away from the dust, gas fumes and noise of the city.

From Morales' home, we went back to our van to drive over to the Aguilar sisters' homes/workshops. Our first stop was Josefina's home. She was hard at work on a female clay sculpture that was about three feet tall. It was amazing to watch her at work. She kneels/sits on her legs all day long. On tables surrounding her work area were brightly colored figures of Frida, The Virgin of Guadalupe and prostitues. Quite a mix! We bought a purple cross with red hearts on it. I think everyone walked away with at least one item. Mary and Dan bought a precious female figure covered with all sorts of animals: pig, sheep, rooster, etc. Next door, Josefina's sister Guillermina has a workshop. She wasn't there, but family members were. We purchased a tiny calla lilly cross and a tiny mermaid. Next door to Guillermina, sister Irene has a workshop. I liked her giant nativity scene, but it was much too big to bring home. Across the street, the fourth and final sister, Concepcion, has as shop. Her figures' faces seemed to have the most pleasant smiles of the four. All the sisters' work was similar, yet they had their own distinct look.

Eloy wanted to take us to one more stop before heading back to Oaxaca. (We told him that we only wanted a half-day tour so that we could have some time to roam around Oaxaca some more.) He took us to San Tomas, a weaver's village and the place he'd like to retire. This village, unlike Teotilan, is the home of weavers who use backstrap looms. Two were at work in the tiny marketplace. Gail bought a beautiful belt for her husband.

We got back to Oaxaca around lunchtime, and I went to Los Cuiles to pick up "to go" sandwiches (queso, black bean, avocado) for me and Blair. We ate them in the back courtyard and polished off coco (coconut) paletas for dessert. Heaven! After a rest, Blair, Karen, Mariana and I walked over to the artisans' market, not far from the Benito Juarez Market. On the way there, we stopped in the Guelagetza Chocolate Factory. They featured a nativity made out of chocolate! Blair bought 200 grams of coco beans. You can peel off its shell, sort of like a peanut shell, and pop it into your mouth. Bitter, but you can definitely taste the chocolate. At the artisans' market, booths were filled with all of the typical Oaxacan fare: rugs, clothing, alebrijes (the painted wooden figures), tin mirrors, etc. As I said earlier, Oaxaca is a power shopping town. Beautiful items at extraordinarily reasonable prices. Good thing we brought an empty suitcase along.

The countdown to tamales (frijol, rajas, mole, dulce and chipil with salsa) was officially on. After spending some time packing, we showed up at exactly 7:30 p.m. with quite a group: Karen, Mariana, Gail, Mary, Daniel, Mel, Blair and me. (For those visiting Oaxaca, do not miss these tamales! You can find the tamale lady in the doorway of the Panificadora La Luna on Independencia, on the left-hand side going away from the zocalo, beyond the Pemex station.) A dash into the c-store next door for beverages completed our mission. We headed back to the hotel and set up two tables in the center of the back courtyard to enjoy our feast. Mariana kept saying, "These are the best!" I have to agree. Definitely a high point of our trip.

The week went by way too fast. The cab driver met us at the hotel at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, and off we went to the airport, loaded up with fond memories and goodies galore. I must say that this visit was everything we'd hoped for. I'd like to thank the Alamo Community College District's Office of International Education for making this return visit possible. I know that Oaxaca will always have a special place in our hearts. Muchisimas gracias!

Labels: chocolate, Ocotlan, Rudolfo Morales, tamales

Blair got up early to go with two guys he met at our hotel who do missionary work here in Oaxaca. They´re from Oregon and helping to build a school for a village outside of the city. The school had dirt floors, and they poured concrete floors. Men and women from the village are helping with the project. The guys said you can do more good with a couple of hundred bucks here than you can in the U.S. They´ve been coming here for about 20 years. I believe their group is called Mission Oaxaca.

This morning, I heard the door to the room next to ours shaking. I thought one of the kids who was staying there was having trouble opening the door. However, one of the guys came out to see if someone was trying to get in. The shaking was caused by a little earthquake. I was laying in bed didn´t feel anything, but Mila, whose room is on the second floor, said she could feel the trembling. More drama!

Karen, Mariana and I had breakfast at Marco Polo (of course), but I did branch out. I had fruit, yogurt and granola instead of my normal huevos rancheros. We made plans to eat at a Mexican buffet for lunch, and I wanted to pace myself. Good thing I did. The lunch at La Escondida, which is in a village on the outskirts of Oaxaca, was endless. Food for as far as the eye could see. Nine types of moles, about 20 different salads and side dishes, soups (a yummy green pozole), bar-b-q, sausages, and a dessert table for days. (The arroz con leche was especially delicious.) Mary, Daniel, Gail, Mariana, Karen, Blair and I ate and drank jarras de limonada until we nearly popped. The taxi ride home was hair raising. I´m always happy to survive those trips.

On the way out, I spied another gorgeous rug from Teotitlan de la Valle, and the woman said it was 450 pesos, approximately $45. I wanted to buy it, but Blair said that we´d already bought one...for more than twice that amount. As we climbed into the taxi, the woman asked me how much I would give for the rug. I said 450 pesos, but we´d already bought one. She said she´d give it to me for 300 pesos. I asked Blair for the money, but he balked. Karen was sitting next to me, and I asked her for the money, which she generously gave me. (The Bank of Karen´s customer service is second to none.) The rug is absolutely stunning, and I know I would have regretted not getting it for the rest of my life. I´ll post a picture of it later. The colors are sublime.

Before we left for La Escondida, Karen, Mariana and I managed to hit a few more shops. Karen and Mariana both got a gorgeous pair of shoes at a store called Las Raices on Garcia Vigil. From there, we went up to ARIPO, the government-run casa de artesanias, and found even more goodies. (Mariana walked away with a beautiful bedspread.) I then took Karen and Mariana to a shop near Santa Domingo that sells incredible earrings made from bottle caps with images of Frida, La Virgen de Guadalupe and more. We all got at least one pair. We then went down the street Cinco de Mayo to the shop where Karen bought a beautiful calla lilly top. Oaxaca is definitely a power-shopping town. (I´m happy Blair was with the guys. He said that he´s shopped out.)

When we got back to our hotel after La Escondida, we noticed that there seemed to be a lot of police activity/build up. We wanted to go to a church near the Governor´s Palace* that has a portrait of the Virgin Mary and Jesus made out of feathers. On the way there, I asked a police officer (state or federal, I don´t know) what was going on. He said there was going to be some sort of demonstration in the zocalo at 5 p.m. He didn´t know what for. We decided to make sure we weren´t around for that. We had enough experience with the police our last trip to last us a lifetime.

*I forgot to write in yesterday´s entry that we went into the Governor´s Palace to see the giant mural that details the history of Oaxaca. Impressive. Benito Juarez and his wife were given the place of prominence in the center.

Tomorrow, we will go with Eloy to visit the sisters who create figures out of clay. We´re also going to a big market. After our huge meal this afternoon, I doubt we´ll eat dinner tonight. It´s so hard to believe that our week in Oaxaca is almost up. It´s flown by. Asi es la vida.

Labels: La Escondida, police

It´s almost 9 p.m., my legs are tired, and our dinner is about to be served. We´re back at the same place we had lunch, Los Cuiles, because the tamale lady didn´t show up. Sigh. However, Los Cuiles is a good place and they have free Internet, so I can´t complain.

Blair, Karen, Mariana and I had breakfast with Barbara, the owner of our hotel, at Marco Polo...of course. It was nice to finally meet her after months of e-mailing back and forth. Barbara is originally from Buffalo, New York, but after a visit to Cuernavaca, Mexico, 30 years ago, she decided she´d found her home in Mexico.

Karen took us to the Rufino Tamayo Museum after breakfast. Tamayo, a famous Mexican artist, collected a treasure trove of pre-Hispanic art, and it was a joy to see it displayed so beautifully in his former home, which he gave to the city along with his art. Definitely worth the visit.

We walked over to the Nuestra Senora de Soledad Basilica afterward, and it´s impressive. Shops at the nearby plaza sold religious items, and we all bought some bracelets. From there, we meandered through shop after shop...Blair says he´s done enough shopping...and finally ended up at a mescal store that Jill recommended, La Union. We bought some mescal that was bottled in a small glass Coke bottle for 15 pesos, a bargain! More stores, then over to a dance performance, which was running late. Blair said, Ï´ve got a date with a tamale, so we left to race over to the tamale lady. She never showed. Sigh.

Oaxaca, which is pronounced wah-hah-kah, is definitely a walking town, I´m really beginning to love it, and I can see why Mariana and Karen have returned so often. Our students are really enjoying themselves, too.

Tomorrow, lunch at a restaurant called La Escondida, which is famous for its moles.

Labels: Marco Polo, Nuestra Senora de La Soledad, Rufino Tamayo, walking

We went back to Marco Polo for breakfast. Delicious as usual. Blair had pancakes, and I had huevos rancheros. Mariana joined us mid-way. Karen was still snoozing. We told Mariana we were fortifying ourselves before heading back to Banamex.

Blair said that he felt optimistic about us getting our transfer. He thought that the banks would have posted the transaction during the night, and the money would be waiting for us. It was not to be. Our buddy at the bank took our information again, and he had us sit in the lobby. After about 15 minutes, he called us up to the counter and said the money hadn't arrived. I asked him if it was possible to call their headquarters (casa central) in Mexico City to see why. He gave us a blank stare, like "Why would you want to do that?" After more punching in numbers on his computer, one of the bank tellers opened up an address book she had in a drawer and gave him a number. They finally called Mexico City, but they had to call about five different numbers to find out who to talk to. Finally, he was given some sort of code to punch in, and the teller said, "Ya esta. (There it is.)" I wanted to kiss her. She printed out the screen that showed the wire transfer had occurred. However, the message "under investigation" appeared by Blair's name and Frost National Bank. The head teller called back to Mexico City, and they said that they were going to send the money back to San Antonio. I asked him why. He said, "Falta la clave (It didn't have a code.)" I wanted to cry. He asked us if we had family members who could wire us money through Western Union. We shook his hand, thanked him for his trouble, left the bank and went back to the hotel. Karen was there, and we told her what had happened and that we were going to e-mail Frost Bank to tell them what had happened. Karen, now known as the Bank of Karen, gave us more money to stay afloat. We are fortunate to have friends here who can bail us out. If worse came to worst, we could do a cash advance on our credit card, but no telling what that interest rate would be. Anyway, we decided we'd spent enough time chasing money and it was time to get to know Oaxaca.

One of our first stops was the Cafe La Nueva Babel, one that Jill, the filmmaker, recommended. Cool place. Lots of art in support of the teachers' movement. We'll definitely go back for lunch and dinner. They have either live music or poetry readings each night. From there, we walked over to the Mercado de Artesanias, a shop with a wide variety of local pottery, tin, weaving, etc. My favorite piece was a Mama pig with six baby pigs (three on each side) enjoying her milk. I'm so happy we visited the villages where the artworks are made. I have a much greater appreciation after seeing the variety at Stan's home and in the villages. We found out that the Mercado is hosting traditional dances there each night at 6:30, so we'll be going back.

We stumbled into a lunchplace called La Tentacion on Matamoros, #101. For 35 pesos, approximately $3, we had black bean soup, pork ribs, salad, corn tortillas, orange juice and jello. Good and filling. (And perfect for our budget!) On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, they have a live band (salsa, merengue, etc.) in their club next door that starts at 10 p.m. From there, we walked over to El Centro Cultural de Santo Domingo. (On the way, I took a picture of a frame shop that had Benito Juarez and Marilyn Monroe prominently displayed.) As Blair said, the Centro Cultural is spectacular. It reminded us of El Museo de Las Americas in Madrid, only better. The building itself is worth the price of admission (45 pesos). The views from the many window are gorgeous. Each room is filled with a certain period of Oaxaca's (and Mexico's) history. Do NOT miss this place if you are in town. As we were leaving the Centro, an anti-Bush demonstration was beginning to take place. He's in Mexico visiting with the new president here. Signs with "Bush: No bienvenidos!" and such were being hung on buildings. Although I share their sentiment, I've had my fill of Oaxacan demonstrations (see June 14's entry), so we moved on.

After several hours of walking non-stop, we were pooped, so we walked over to another of Jill's recommendations. This place is called Las Cuiles, and it's on Abasolo. Melissa and Mila happened to be there, enjoying the free wireless. Blair and I ordered coffee. The best yet. Cool mission tile floors and great art. We'll definitely be going back. From there, we walked back to the hotel. Just as we got in, it started pouring rain for quite a while. We decided to skip the regional dance until tomorrow night. Mary and Dan arrived wet but happy. They'd run into Eloy and hired him to take them around for the day. Gail joined them. After the rain lightened up a bit, Blair and I walked to a bakery down Independencia, away from the zocalo, called Panificadora La Luna. Huge selection. Very delicious. Much better than the bakery around the corner from the hotel. Very reasonable prices. We stood outside the bakery and ate our pasteries. Good thing. Just as we were leaving, a woman arrived with two big containers of homemade tamales. Blair got rajas (peppers), I got frijol (black bean), and we split a dulce (sweet). All for 18 pesos! We've found our dinner spot for the next three nights!

All in all, a great day, despite our banking travails. Tomorrow, we'll be exploring and uncovering the treasures of Oaxaca even more.

Labels: banks, Centro Cultural de Santo Domingo, Oaxaca

We got up early to eat breakfast at Marco Polo, the restaurant across the street from our hotel. It was as delicious as we remembered. Best of all, they refill your coffee. I had huevos rancheros with tasty chilaquiles con salsa verde on the side. Ana Maria got to the hotel at 8:40 a.m. to shuttle everyone to the DIF (orphanage) in three taxis. Karen, Blair and I told them that we would meet them later. Karen needed to tie down some loose ends on her Turkey study abroad, and Blair and I needed to head over to the bank to retrieve our ATM card.

We got to the bank when the doors opened at 9 a.m., and we were asked to take a seat. At 9:30 a.m., we were given the card back. Yipee! The teller said she thought it had been retained because that bank (Scotiabank) did not take Pulse (called Plus here) cards. She said that another bank BBVA took Pulse/Plus cards. So we trekked over to BBVA. Their ATM machines showed the Pulse/Plus logo. Hooray! We slipped the card in, and a "card retained" message appeared. Sigh! We went inside, and a woman directed us to a young man who would be able to retrieve the card for us. Sure enough, he walked to the back of the machine, popped it open, and gave the card to us. He noticed that the plastic was peeling from the card, so he said that was what was causing the problem. He directed us to another bank, HSBC, that could swipe the card at the counter inside. So, we trekked over to that bank. When we got there and stood in two lines, they said that the only cards they swiped at the counter were credit cards, not ATM cards.

They directed us to Banamex, yet another bank. We went there and explained the situation. They said that if we used their machines and the card was eaten, they would not be able to give it back. We decided to go back to BBVA, peel the plastic layer off of the front of the card and try again. So, we trekked back to BBVA. We told our friend what we intended to do. He agreed. We tried. The card was consumed again. The message at that point said that our bank had cancelled the card. We asked if it was possible to have money wired from our bank to his. He pulled out a list of banks that BBVA does business with in the U.S. Frost Bank was not on it. He recommended we go to Banamex.

So, we trekked back over to Banamex. We told the woman at the door that we wanted to have money transferred from our bank to theirs, and she wrote down the street address of their branch. (It is on the corner of Porfirio Diaz and Morelos.) We went back to our hotel to check our e-mail to see if Frost had responded to our earlier pleas for help. We did get a phone number to call. (Neither one of the 1-800 numbers worked, of course.) Luckily, Karen has a cell phone, so we called Frost Bank and explained our situation. They said that we had to get approval from that bank to be able to wire money to them, since we do not have an account with them. They said yes, and Blair had to answer a million questions from Frost for security purposes.

At that point, we jumped in a taxi to visit the orphanage. Unfortunately, our group had already departed, but we were given a mini-tour by the medical doctor in charge of the children. It made me happy to see that the soccer ball I had brought along was already being put to good use. The doctor also said they were happy to get the basketball hoop and basketballs I brought along, which were donations from an older troop in our Girl Scout Service Unit. Donations of clothes, tennis shoes and stuffed animals from our group and my daughter's Girl Scout troop were warmly received. We were also able to tour the metalworks shop. The kids cut tin into intricate shapes (fish, mermaids, hummingbirds, butterflies) and paint it. I bought a hummingbird, one of the only painted items left. (Karen bought an unpainted butterfly.) Turns out that our group cleaned the place out. Gail bought a gorgeous, large butterfly painted with bright colors.

On our way back to the hotel, we got a call from Frost Bank saying that the transfer had been made. We asked the taxi driver to take us there instead of the hotel. We raced in, ready to walk away flush with cash. It didn't happen. The gentleman at the window asked us to come back before the bank closed at 4 p.m. We did after lunch and a stroll through Oaxaca's Benito Juarez Market. When we went back to the bank, same story. Not there yet. He explained that the money first went from our bank in San Antonio to the headquarters in Mexico City. He said we should try back again tomorrow morning. We will.

Frost warned us that if the bank didn't know us, they'd send the money back. This bank knows us. I don't think there's any danger of that. I just hope that the money finds its way to the correct Banamex branch. After our day's experience with Oaxaca's banking institutions, we highly recommend BBVA. Stay away from Scotiabank and HSBC. Banamex is still up in the air.

Tonight, we're just going to take it easy and get to bed early. Our Oaxacan drama continues.

Labels: ATM, banks, DIF, Oaxaca, orphanage

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!

Labels: artisans, mescal, Mitla, Oaxaca, Tule tree, Yagul

We arrived in Oaxaca last night, and it´s good to be back! We´re staying at our same hotel, La Casa de La Tia, just two blocks from the zocalo (main square). Oaxaca looks much different without the teachers´ makeshift tents, and it´s nice to have a clear view of the buildings and not to have to duck. Ana Maria, our Oaxaca coordinator, met us at the hotel. After we stored our things in our rooms, we went for a walk downtown to find something to eat. The filmmaker of Granito de Arena, which documents the teachers´ struggle, said that we shouldn´t eat at the restaurants lining the zocalo, because their owners aided in the repression. We headed over to the market. By then it was pretty late, though, and not much was open. We decided to break into smaller groups and fend for ourselves. Blair and I stumbled upon Mila, Mel, Melissa and Gail at a restaurant not far from our hotel, and they said it was their favorite place to eat this past June. Blair and I had tacos al pastor. Ricos! By then, it was time to hit the sack, but we decided to pulse out some cash before going to bed.

Here´s where the story gets interesting. We went to one bank with five ATMs, and the first ATM said out of service. We figured that because we were asking for $200 and it was late, that machine was out of money. We went to the next. Same message. And the next. Same message. Five machines later, we gave up and thought we´d just try again in the morning. Well, Blair did try this morning, and the maching kept our card! In a panic, we sent an e-mail to our bank, telling them what had happened. Meanwhile, we were supposed to take off with our group at 9 a.m. for our tour to Monte Alban and its surrounding villages. The group told us to go to the bank that ate our card, because maybe we could get it back. If we didn´t go, they might destroy it. We were the first in line when the bank opened at 10 a.m. One of the tellers listened to our story and said that we wouldn´t be able to get the card back until Monday morning at 9 a.m. I asked if we could have an e-mail address of someone at the bank so our bank could be in contact with them. She sent us to one of the branch managers. After hearing our story, she said that our card would be cut up. No exceptions. That´s what they did with all cards that weren´t from their bank. After a more-than-slight panic, the branch manager spoke to someone else who told her that we coud get the card back on Monday. So, we´ll be there at 9 a.m. with bells on. Meanwhile, we´re living off the kindness of our fellow travelers. Plus, what would a trip to Oaxaca be without a little drama? (I´ll take no money over tear gas any day.)

We got back to the hotel by 10:30 a.m. and took off for Monte Alban. Our guide, Eloy, knows a lot about this amazing archeological site, begun in 500 B.C. The Zapotec natives planed the top of the mountain and used the rock to build a rather impressive city. Blair and I climbed to the top of two of the pyramids, and the view was spectacular. You could really see the valley of Oaxaca, which is in the shape of a Y. After Monte Alban, we went to a village, San Antonio Arrazola, that´s famous for its whimsical carved wooden animals and figures. We met several of the artists and loaded up. From there, we had lunch (at 4 p.m.!) in a nice open-air restaurant, La Capilla, situated in the middle of nowhere. Eloy then took us to Cuilipan´s outdoor cathedral built by the Dominican friars. Gorgeous views of the mountains through the Romanesque arches. Finally, we went to the city, San Bartolo de Coyotepec, that is known for its black pottery, and we were given a demonstration by the grandson of Doña Rosa. He whipped out a water pitcher in less than 30 minutes. More shopping, then back to the hotel. Now, we´re down the street at an Internet Cafe.

Stay tuned...and say prayers that we get our ATM card back on Monday!

Labels: alebrijes, Arrazola, black pottery, Coyotepec, Cuilipan, Monte Alban