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.
About 10 miles east of Oaxaca in the village of Santa Maria del Tule is a huge cypress tree known as “El Tule” that towers over a colonial-era church behind it. Thought to be more than 2,000 years old, it is one of the world’s largest trees, with roots buried more than 60 feet in the ground and a canopy arcing about 140 feet high. It has an estimated weight of nearly 640,000 tons, and it would take 35 adults holding hands to embrace the trunk. The appearance of the massive tree is that of multiple trunks fused together. Recent DNA tests, however, suggest that it is in fact a single individual tree.
The various contortions of the trunk give the appearance of the faces of goblins and monsters. When I first saw the tree in 2005 local school children would offer to be a guide for a small tip, and they used mirrors to reflect light to point out all kinds of creatures hiding in the tree. On this visit no children were there.
The town of San Pablo Villa de Mitla with a population of just over 7,000 people in 1990 is located about 25miles southeast of Oaxaca.
In the 17th century the Church of San Pablo was built on the ruins of Mitla, what is now considered to be the second-most important ceremonial center in this area. Once the Spanish took over in the 1500‘s, they found their efforts to convert locals to Catholicism thwarted by competition from native beliefs which manifested themselves at ancient buildings such as those at Mitla. To combat the problem, the Spanish built a new church on top of the footprint of a former temple and scavenged the original temple for building materials.
Mitla was one of the most important cities of the pre-Columbian Zapotec civilization. The Zapotecs dominated the Valley of Oaxaca for a period of roughly 3000 years prior to the Spanish Conquest in 1521. It is one of the region’s largest and most complex archaeological sites.
Mitla reached its peak population, size and height of architectural development between 900 and 1521. During this period, the former Zapotec capital of Monte Alban lay in ruins, abandoned for unknown reasons. (Pictures related to my visit to Monte Alban are included in a separate article.) Mitla then emerged as the region’s preeminent religious center, the residence of the most important Zapotec priests, and a favored burial site for members of the Zapotec nobility.
Most of Mitla’s buildings are long, narrow, one-story, flat-roofed structures which are arranged along three sides of each of several plazas. The interconnected plazas and their adjoining structures form large building complexes, three of which contained temples and housing for priests. Beneath these structures, the city’s elite were buried in elaborate stone-lined tombs.
The facades of buildings and some other walls are decorated with panels of designs similar to mosaics made of cut stones and arranged to create intricate three-dimensional geometric patterns. These decorated panels contrast with the flat stone panels that surround them, creating a powerful visual effect.
Between the rug village of Teotitlan del Valle and the Sunday market town of Tlacolula, en route to the Zapotec ruin of Mitla, El Patio Restaurant was a pleasant choice for lunch.
We visited the Casa Vasquez in Teotitlan where Ernesto Vasquez and his wife showed us how they prepare the wool, dye it, weave it, and finish rugs and wall-hangings. The demonstration ended with a display of many rugs and other items in a wide variety of sizes, patterns, colors, and prices. I did not purchase anything, and I have no idea of the quality of these particular woven products. Many people did buy, so I can only think they must have been impressed. I cannot even guess the number of woven products seen in every market, shop, and gift shop during our Mexican visit.
Guelaguetza is a word from the Zapotec language referring to an offering and is the term used to describe the ceremony and celebration held each year to appease the gods in return for sufficient rain and a bountiful harvest.
About 3,000 years ago the indigenous people of Oaxaca began to cultivate plants to supplement their hunting, fishing, and gathering. Corn which formed the basis of their diet was the most important of these plants. With the addition of tomatoes, beans, chilies, and squash, their simple diet evolved into a varied and delicious gastronomy which is celebrated during the Food of the Gods Festival in early October. The tribute to the gods and goddesses involved with water and corn was a lively colorful celebration with music and dance.
The offering of life's gifts occurred halfway through the rainy season when it was necessary the rains continue moderately for the best growth of crops. The feast of Xilonen, goddess of tender corn, occurs on July 16 on the modern calendar and is the signal in Oaxaca to begin the two weeks of celebration.
Overlooking the present city of Oaxaca is a hill known as “Cerro del Fortín” because of the location of Aztec garrisons there in the 15th century. It was a popular place for outings and came to be the traditional place to celebrate when the Guelaguetza began to focus on celebrations held on the two Mondays following the feast of the Virgin of Carmen on July 16.
In 1932 the city of Oaxaca celebrated the 400th anniversary of its designation as a royal city by Carlos V of Spain. As a part of the festivities that year, the Guelaguetza was celebrated with representation of ethnic groups from all seven regions of the Oaxaca valley. Since then, it has grown into a highly-publicized major cultural event. More than 30 years ago an amphitheater seating about 11,000 people was built on the hillside to house the celebration. The "official" Guelaguetza, now organized and promoted by the state, is held on the two Mondays following July 16 (unless July 18, the anniversary of the death of Benito Juarez, falls on a Monday, in which case it is on the following two Mondays).
The presentation of the Guelaquetza at the Casa de Cantera almost nightly can give the viewer only a hint of what it must be like to sit in the open-air theater watching the dancers in colorful outfits and hearing the music of the various components making up the Oaxacan population.
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 tropical sunlight almost daily and ideal temperatures because of its location about 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
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