Oaxaca, Town of Beautiful Folk Art

We “wayaked” to Oaxaca and were delighted with the Casa Antigua where we stayed for 5 nights. After checking in, we headed out to explore this UNESCO World Heritage City. With the main street closed to traffic, we enjoyed the pedestrian walkway up to the Church of Santo Domingo, an amazing creation from the Spanish conquest. We stumbled in and were in awe of the elegant ceilings and walls. Gorgeously decorated with high-relief sculptures of saints and angels. Redolent in gold leaf, this beautiful baroque church impresses.

We spent the next several days exploring this easy, delightful city and loving it! On the Zocalo, the main square, vendors of crafts, food, shaved ice and more abound. It’s in the historic center of town near the Cathedral and the Government Palace. You can enter the Palace, which continues to house government offices, and also contains beautiful murals depicting the history of Oaxaca. One day when we were visiting the area, we encountered a Oaxaca state festival. People were dressed in their local costumes, dancing and celebrating their heritage.

Oaxaca provides all kinds of shopping and eating experiences. Known as the folk art capital of Mexico, boutiques beckon from every nook and cranny. Offering traditional folk art as well as modern takes on the traditional, the town dazzles the eyes from every angle. This includes elegant dining like Los Danzantes and wonderful hand made sandwiches on delicious gourmet bread at Boulenc Pan, and great casual breakfasts at Cafe Rustico. Markets abound for food of all kinds, prepared to order food, handmade folk art and everything else you might think of.

We did continue to see the sights of a few other churches and three terrific museums. The Museo Rufino Tamayo houses this famous Mexican artist’s collection of pre-Columbian art. The collection is superb and the information about the pieces is detailed. We found it well worth the two hour visit. The Museo de las Culturas and the Museo de los Pintores Quaxaquenos, The Museum of the Cultures and the Museum of Quaxacan Painters, are also small jewels that merit a visit during your meandering down the rustic streets of Oaxaca.

The ruins of Monte Alban, less than 30 minutes from Oaxaca, impress as well. Originally built by the Zapotecan natives, subsequently modified by the Mixtecs and showing influence from the Teotihuacan era., the archaeological site is enormous, consisting of temples, a ball court, over 170 tombs. The great plaza surrounded by elegant structures was also featured on the 500 peso note.

Our final adventure in Oaxaca was a great accident. On the way to a museum, we stopped on the main street as we saw a parade forming. We stopped to wait and chatted with Eduardo, a young man from the state of Oaxaca, who grew up in the US illegally. He was stopped for driving without a license four years ago when he was 21 and deported. He now has a successful career, girfriend and a good life, but says he misses the US every day. Together, we enjoyed watching the parade of high school graduates from different schools in the area, dressed in costumes. The experience of standing just feet away from the happy, dancing paraders really made our stay in Oaxaca special.

The final day we experienced a strike by educators that stopped traffic. We had seen signs of it all week but it was interesting to see how it played out.

That’s all from Mexico for now! Back to the US to catch up with family, friends and doctors.