December 23

I knew I made a mistake when I was in the middle of what turned out to be a 6 hour bus ride from Puebla to Oaxaca. Traffic was horrendous and by the middle of the afternoon it was clear we wouldn’t get there by 5 as we were scheduled to do.

I turned to my booking.com reservation for Casa Cronica and saw that they asked when I would arrive. By 7 I replied noting that réception closed at 8. They replied with complicated instructions for picking up keys out of a lockbox and finding the room.

If I wanted to stay in an Airbnb style place I would have booked through Airbnb. I thought I had chosen a small hotel.

I insisted and insisted. I tried calling but no answer. Finally he agreed to send “Elizabeth” to show me the room.

She was perfectly pleasant but the room turned out to be MUCH smaller than I expected and cluttered with useless decorations. My heart sank. After she left I noticed there was no toilet paper in the room. I fetched a roll from the utility closet and went out to eat.

I had a delicious taco with fried fish at a nearby restaurant. Unfortunately the taco went right through me in the middle of the night which is when I discovered the toilet didn’t flush.

December 24

Whoops. The owner was of course unreachable. I knew that I was finished with that place. I left and pressed booking.com for a refund which was granted

Oaxaca was crowded and there wasn’t much available but I eventually booked a spacious triple room in a hostel, Casa de Don Pablo, which I was delighted with. Super friendly owner and staff in a rambling old building.

After getting settled I set out to explore the town which was as vibrant as I had heard.

 

Those evil Spanish colonialists sure made an attractive town! Many of those colonial buildings now house art galleries and cultural centers. This is Fugencio Lazo at the cultural center of San Pablo

There were a LOT of Americans roaming the streets basking in the luxury of a walkable city

I also checked out the Palacio Gobierno with its remarkable mural by Arturo Garcia Bustos, a student of Diego Rivera. It depicts the entire history of Mexico

I ducked into the church of Santo Domingo de Guzman. Spanish baroque is so different from what was going on in France and Italy.

I also checked out the Iturbide palace, another Spanish baroque masterpiece now a cultural center. It was hosting a special exhibit of highly original nativity scenes.

Sunset fell softly over the wide pedestrian streets.

The day came to a perfect end when  musicians and dancers filed through the streets making merry.

December 25

What’s Oaxaca like on Christmas day? Very quiet! Except for the ones in Zocalo, most restaurants were closed. But the Museum of the Cultures of Oaxaca was open.

I spent hours roaming the halls of the former monastery Santo Domingo de Guzman.

It provided a comprehensive overview of the indigenous populations of Mexico with an emphasis on the local Zapotec civilization.

Objects from the excavation of Tomb 7 in Monte Alban were particularly exquisite with intricately carved gold masks, jewelry and ceremonial items.

This skull was decorated with jade.

The museum also honored the indigenous populations that remain in the region. Many of them are visible in the streets selling handicrafts — blankets, ponchos, jewelry– of very good quality.

December 26

Monte Alban day! I reserved a place on a bus that took us out to this remarkable site about a half hour outside town. It was far more massive than I had expected, rivaling Teotihuacan in its majesty.

These ancient Zapotecs (500bc–600ad) managed to level the entire mountaintop to create their massive plaza with temples, platforms and residences.

Here’s a weird thing.

These carvings (Les Dansantes )show men with mutilated genitals which is apparently something they did , for whatever reason.

Here’s the south temple which, unlike other similar pyramids, I refrained from climbing. But I did climb the one on the north side for the view.

More Here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Alb%C3%A1n

That afternoon I had a delicious lunch at Totomo Guéro.

(Moletas de Platano)

And then explored the surrounding quiet neighborhood north of Zocalo

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