Elderhostel invites participants to "immerse yourself in celebratory rituals for the dead. Roam the halls of imposing palaces and awe-inspiring cathedrals. Embrace the mystery that lies beneath the region's surface in museums and archaeological sites. Absorb the varying differences in three of Mexico's most fascinating cities to discover the traditional significance that defines this intriguing culture."
PICTURED SITES ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS TEXT.
Arrazola is about 10 miles southeast of Oaxaca and famous for its production of alebrijes, all sorts of creatures carved out of light, porous copal wood. Arrazola’s best-known artist, Don Manuel Jimenez, developed the craft, but almost everyone in the village now makes the figures. Some people create them in their homes and have devoted a room or a porch for the display and sale of them to visitors to the village who are invited to come in and browse. In about five villages around Oaxaca where this craft has been honed, there are now over 200 woodcarving families. No two figures are ever alike, as each artist individually creates the finished product.
Most carvers use wood from the copal tree, which is found primarily within the warm regions of Oaxaca. The wood from the female trees has few knots and is soft and easy to carve when it is first cut. When dried, it becomes light, hard, and easy to sand smooth. It can harbor the powderpost beetle, so the wood is often treated with chemicals before being painted. Finished pieces can be frozen for up to two weeks to kill any eggs or larvae that might be present. Some artists are using cedar or imported hardwoods to avoid the beetle problem.
Pieces are carved using machetes and knives. Carvings created from a single piece of wood are normally considered to be of a higher quality than those assembled from multiple pieces, although elements such as ears and horns are frequently carved separately and fitted into holes so they can be disassembled and shipped safely. Peacocks seemed to be a popular large item, although the carvers would take orders for almost anything a tourist might want. The Day of the Dead festivities lent themselves to many types of colorful figures. Finished pieces are typically hand-painted with acrylics, now favored over natural dyes because the colors are not as likely to fade.
Nearby, Zaachila is a village named for the Zapotec ruler, Zaachila Yoo, who ruled the region in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. The town was taken over by the Mixtec shortly before the Spaniards arrived, and it is one of the few Mixtec-Zapotec capitals still inhabited at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Zaachila’s importance was between 1200 and 1521 A.D. Like most inhabited sites in Mexico, Zaachila has an archeological site which is near the town center on a hilltop. Our visit to Zaachila was only for the purpose of having lunch at The Capilla Restaurant which the group really enjoyed.
Nearby is Cuilapan de Guerrero, one of the oldest settlements in the Oaxaca Valley. The monastery and church of Santiago Cuilapan were built here in the 16th century when it was an important Mixtec population center. It was left unfinished sometime in the middle of the 16th century, but the cloister, walls, cupola and foundations of what was supposed to be an enormous church remain. Its open-air chapel is characteristic of religious construction at that time. Inside the monastery, a mural called "The Tree of Friars" depicts branches spreading out from St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominican order. On each branch are rows of saints and martyrs, some clutching their own heads severed from their bodies.
An important site in the history of Mexico‘s independence, the monastery was a prison for Vicente Guerrero, one of the leaders of the independent movement. In 1831, ten years after the formal Declaration of Independence of Mexico, Guerrero was forced from the presidency due to a coup led by General Santa Anna. Guerrero attempted to flee but was betrayed and captured. He was sent to the monastery where he was tried and executed. The town of Cuilapan was later named for him.
A church service at the former monastery was in progress during our visit. It was not in the open ruins of the monastery but in what appeared to be a typical Mexican church which looked as though it had been much more recently constructed.
Oaxaca traces its history at least 7,000 years back when about 20 diverse ethnic groups occupied the land. The Mixtecs and Zapotecs were the two most important groups. When the Aztecs arrived, they named the central valley Huaxyacac because of the huaje trees covering the land. When the Spanish arrived in the year 1521, they renamed it Oaxaca, a much more easily pronounced word.
The settlement was officially named a royal city in 1532. This area of Mexico was given to Hernan Cortes after the Spanish Conquest, in return for his services to the Spanish Crown. Oaxaca gained prominence in the colonial era because of its location as a gateway to Central and South America as well as its rich landscape, intricate textiles and rumored gold mines.
The State of Oaxaca has a population of about 4 million, while Oaxaca City has about a half million residents.
Oaxaca has nearly perfect weather all year with sunlight almost daily and ideal temperatures because of its location abut 5,500 feet in elevation. Oaxaca State is in the Sierra Madre mountains with the Pacific Ocean touching its southern shoreline.
Oaxaca has been described as owing its popularity to its architecture, its cultural traditions, its large variety of regional food, and its temperate weather.
An index of articles related to this trip can be seen at our home page: http://www.worldisround.com/home/jdtan/index.html
If you have any questions, email them to me at jdtanner@a5.com rather than including them in your remarks at the bottom of the photo page.
Diane Tanner
Comments
Add a comment