Un Mil Palabras

Eventually I will have time to write about our trip last weekend to go hiking in the Sierra Norte mountains. In 50-odd hours, we had enough crazy adventures to write many blog posts about. In the meantime, this photo will have to suffice.

Tlacolula

One of the "problems" with being so busy here is that I feel we have fallen way behind on describing our adventures.  Alas.  

The weekend before last we went out to Tlacolula, a nearby town, for the big Sunday market.  From what we have read, this market draws tens of thousands of people from the surrounding communities each week, and what we saw seemed to agree with that assessment.  In addition to the normal market building filled with panaderias, vegetable vendors, butchers, and comedors, there was block after block after block of people with temporary stands set up.  And it even bled into the large (and beautfiul) churchyard where vendors were walking around and setting up their wares for sale.  And they were selling everything you can think of -- handmade clothes, cheap t-shirts, tamales, sandals (hooray!),  weavings, toys, fruit, knives, ice-cream, wood-carvings...it would probably be easier to list the things they didn't sell rather than the things they did sell.  

We even bought a handwoven hammock to replace the one that we bought in the Yucatan seven years ago that has outlived its time.  And we had a very nice conversation with the woman who sold it to us and wove it.



Even compared to the other market experiences we have had here in Oaxaca, and we have had many, the Tlacolula experience was quite interesting.  At one point, Kay suggested that comparing the market to a Super Walmart would be both the best comparison she could think of and the worst, and I think that hit the nail on its head.

PS - If you go to the market, it is well worth searching out Comedor Mary for lunch, which is one of the storefronts on the outside of the market on the side facing the church.  I am sure that other comedors are equally tasty, but I would happily vouch for Mary's mole, which was among the best we have had in Oaxaca, which made last weekend a very good weekend for mole.

La Capilla

Eight Reasons You Should go to La Capilla if you ever happen to be near Zaachila Oaxaca

1) We have had many good meals on this trip. Many of them included mole. But we had yet to have one of those mole's that is so tasty and so smooth that you just want to eat it up by the spoonful. We had two of them at La Capilla: mole negro and coloradito. Mmmmm.

2) The goat barbacoa that Rick Bayless tweets about every Christmas isn't on the daily menu, but I cant imagine it is better than the lamb barbacoa that is.

3) Every restaurant should have hammocks that you can lie in and rest for an hour or so after you stuff yourself silly.

4) There are many cages filled with animals that you can look at. Turtles, and parrots, and peacocks, and monkeys. Yes, there is a giant monkey cage with two monkeys that are climbing and swinging and playing.

5) Many attentive waitstaff and a kitchen that opens up to some of the dining areas so that you can watch the women make tortillas and sauces and all kinds of other goodies.

6) We ordered a half pitcher of jamaica, and it was so big that it was still a third full after we had each had several glasses full.

7) Zaachila also has really cool ruins and a great looking market and is a town that just had a very nice vibe to it.

8) Just when you think things are all fitting together well, a mariachi band walks in to serenade you.

The Pyramid Next Door

Last weekend, we traveled to El Mogote, because we thought E would enjoy an archeological site. At first it seemed the little community museum would disappoint, but we surveyed the 3-d map of the area and determined that the mount, ie pyramid, was just behind the building we were in. We walked past the church, guys playing on the basketball court, up a dirt alley, past the elementary school, said hi to some chickens and a horse, and climbed up a 2,000 year old mound. It had a stunning view of the valley, and E was exhilarated, running around shouting that he was "king of the world." It is the only one of the 8 mounds that has been restored, but that doesn't seem to stop it from being pasture for various animals. It was covered with all variety of manure.

El Tule

I don't think there would have been any good way to convey exactly how huge the tree at El Tule (said to be the biggest in the world) is without the spiffy panoramic features on our new camera.

Mission Accomplished

The goals of this sabbatical trip to Oaxaca were (in no particular order, unless you helped fund my trip in which case these are definitely in order):

1) Do math with collaborators here
2) Eat so much mole and so many tacos that my belly hurts
3) See the amazing Night of the Radishes festivities
4) Stalk Rick Bayless, the amazing chef who always blogs and tweets about his traditional family holiday vacation to Oaxaca.

While I have yet to start number (1), I am working hard on number (2) and we accomplished the last two goals in a single night last week. Here is photographic evidence!

Mountain Climbing

Yesterday we took a tourist bus to Monte Alban. It is such a remarkable archeological site, because it is at the top of a mountain. The vistas are incredible.

We chose the coolest day this week (the only day when the highs weren't 90), so there were clouds and breezes.

Little E loved the site, running all up and down every staircase he could find. While I was nowhere near as quick, I was really proud of my ability to climb quickly without getting too winded.

When we visited 10 years ago, I was in the depths of undiagnosed low thyroid, and I remember just crawling up the pyramid, and crashing at the top, sitting for a long time to recover and feeling wrecked.

Maybe my dream of climbing a mountain is possible!!

My Favorite

This entry of Tres Virgenes was so different, so artistic. All the energy had gone into carving these beautiful nuanced faces. My iPhone photos don't do justice to the quality.

Más Rábanos

More Radishes

Night of the Radishes

This unique tradition is the whole reason we came to Oaxaca - well, and the hope of seeing Rick Bayless, which happened!