Snapshots of Oaxaca

A Sunday afternoon in the Zocalo of Oaxaca city. A place where “everyone is an artist.” The trees are blossoming in bright pinks, violets, and yellows. There is stimulation for all of the senses; a colorful palate of textures and movement in every direction for the eyes, the smell of handmade tortillas yeilding a single puff of steam before being flipped, the sound of a marching band whose footsteps and drum beats resonate as one. There are vendors selling fruit on sticks, fresh squeezed juices, and sticky bars made from honey and various nut and seed combinations. Inflatable childrens pull-toys of neon animals with little wheels, yoyo's, and vials of soapy liquid about to take flight as bubbles. Street performers juggling. The sound of a loudspaker chanting in Espanol with a following of people wearing T-shirts of the mugshots of four men. Across the street, tables of artesenal goods from textiles to wooden bowls to handmade instruments, gives way to the market, an indoor wonderland of narrow pathways offering flower bouquets, bright colored baskets, baked goods, fresh fruit, cheeses, and more.

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Joey got a new drum! We tasted crickets (chile and lime for a crunchy, protien-rich snack) and did a mezcal tasting. We got to look in aquariums with baby bunnies and hamsters, geckos and snakes. Then discovered a favorite new street food: mango on a stick with tejin and valentina.  

Mole was not as ubiquitous as we had hoped. After a couple strikes, we found the good stuff in a small town just outside of Oaxaca city where we had a delicious and memorable meal: mole verde and mole negra, and an order of quesadillas fritas for Jose.

Very unique hand-carved tile at the archaelogical site of Mitla. Unlike anything we have seen throughout Mexico.

You will find many artesenal mezcal distilleries surrounding Mitla. This one uses an enormous horse-drawn pestle and mortar to process the mezcal in a traditional fashion.

A beautiful drive through the mountains led us to Heirve el Agua, a unique geological feature of a "petrified" waterfall and two large mineral spring-fed infinity pools. The natural rock formations form a cascade where water once flowed down the cliffside.

Sunset in the pines of San Jose del Pacifico, the remote mushroom town of Maria Sabina. High in the biosphere you will see your breath at night and maybe more if the psychedilics are in season.

We bathed in the tide pools of this rugged, hidden beach, Bahia de Tambo.

And saw some pretty birds in Playa Bamba on the Gulf of Tehuantepec.