Oaxaca
Information
The
Historic Center, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is easily
explored on foot and one good place to begin is the zocalo, or main
square, a place for promenades, band concerts and people-watching.
Beautifully shaded, lined with arcades and sidewalk cafes, and teeming
with street vendors, it is one of the most colorful plazas in Mexico.
Every night you'll find music of one kind or another. Especially
popular are the marimba bands, which play several nights a week.
Just north of the zocalo, facing Alameda Park and the post office, is
the Catedral de Oaxaca, begun in the 16th century and finished 100
years later. It's notable for its big wooden clock with its
bas-reliefs.
A far
more remarkable church is located a few blocks north of the plaza. The
Iglesia de Santo Domingo, built by the Dominicans and finished around
1670, is considered one of the finest baroque churches in the Western
world. Thanks to restoration work carried out in the 1950s, its
ceiling and 30-foot-thick walls are covered with gold and polychrome
relief. Pope John Paul II blessed a huge crowd here when he visited
Mexico. The Regional Museum of Anthropology and History, which
occupies part of a former monastery adjoining the church, is a
handsome building filled with a fascinating collection of relics and
jewelry excavated at nearby archaeological sites. More than 500 pieces
of silver, jade, gold, turquoise and crystal were found in a single
tomb at Monte Alban. Thanks to the recent relocation of an army base
that had taken up residence in parts of the monastery, the museum is
now being expanded to include a botanical garden, a national school of
fine arts and various arts and crafts workshops.
Renowned
Mexican artist Francisco Toledo opened the Museum of Graphic Arts, in
front of Santo Domingo church, to display photography and graphic arts
exhibits. The building also houses a fine art library. Another art
space for the city is the Oaxacan Museum of Contemporary Art (MACO),
which features an in-house collection of Tamayos, Toledos and Nietos.
MACO also functions as a cultural center, screening films and hosting
concerts. It is housed in a historic building three blocks from the
zocalo, on Macedonia Alcala. A charming cafe on the premises serves
lunch and dinner.
The
Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art is located on Morelos about
four blocks from the main plaza. This colonial building once housed
the state archives and now preserves an archaeological collection
donated by the late, renowned Oaxacan-born artist Rufino Tamayo. There
are five halls, all color coordinated by him. The Tamayo collection is
one of the finest in the country. A couple of blocks away is the house
where President Benito Juarez lived when he first came to Oaxaca. It
was declared a national monument and opened to the public.
For a
superb view of the city and valley, drive or take a cab up to Cerro
del Fortin. Just above stands a statue of Juarez, which was cast in
Rome in 1891. To the right of the statue is the amphitheater where
Oaxaca's famous July festival is held: the Lunes del Cerro, or Mondays
on the Hill, featuring the Guelaguetza, a centuries-old Indian
happening. The regional dances and costumes are fascinating,
especially since the state of Oaxaca claims about 480 regional
costumes. This is not surprising when you consider the state comprises
7 different regions, and that 16 languages and nearly 200 dialects are
still in use today. For those not fortunate enough to be in Oaxaca in
July, a mini-version of the Guelaguetza is presented Wednesdays and
Fridays at 7 p.m. at the Camino Real hotel, along with a regional
buffet. Similar shows are staged nightly at the Monte Alban hotel,
located in front of the cathedral, and at the Casa de Cantera, two
blocks from the zocalo on Murgia, between Cinco de Mayo and Alcala.
December
is another good month for visiting Oaxaca. A festival ambiance
prevails, peaking before Christmas with the celebration of the Night
of the Radishes, or Noche de los Rabanos. This time-honored tradition,
origin unknown, features various-sized sculptures, some about a foot
long, carved out of the prized root.
Oaxaca's
traditional flavor makes it an inspiring place to study Spanish, and
there are several good language schools. The Instituto Cultural Oaxaca,
at Juarez 909, offers college-credit language classes, as well as
workshops on regional cooking, tours and housing in Mexican homes. The
Becari Language School, in Plaza San Cristobal, also offers Spanish
classes and other services.
As part
of your stay in Oaxaca, you'll want to visit the archaeological sites
of Monte Alban and Mitla.
Monte
Alban, or White Hill, is situated some six miles west of town on a
mountain plateau 1,200 feet above the city. Archaeologists have
discovered six distinct periods of occupation dating to 900 B.C. There
were strong trade relations with the Gulf Coast Olmecs, followed by
ties with Teotihuacan. Most of the buildings date to this later
period, when the Zapotec population reached about 60,000.
Mixtec
invaders took over the largely abandoned site around 1300 A.D. They
were great craftsmen, as is evident in the jewelry and other art
objects left behind; but they weren't architects. Little new
construction followed their arrival and old Zapotec tombs were re-used
to bury members of the Mixtec elite.
The
ruins consist of a great central plaza, various buildings, temples,
ball courts and more than 150 tombs. The stone slab danzante figures
were carved around 700 B.C. and left in place when the site was
abandoned. Their significance is still unclear.
The
ruins of Mitla are located 24 miles east of town, close to a village
of the same name. The area was inhabited from the same early date as
Monte Alban, but the Zapotecs didn't begin constructing there until
around 200 A.D. An outstanding architectural feature is the
stepped-fret design in carvings and mosaic work. Experts believe it is
a representation of the Sky Serpent, a variation of the omnipresent
Quetzalcoatl.
In the
town of Mitla there's a pleasant restaurant called La Sorpresa in the
recently renovated Frisell Museum, which has an extensive exhibit of
Mixtec and Zapotec art. En route, stop in the towns of Tlacochahuaya
and Tlacolula to see some wonderful examples of the creativity of
Oaxaca's native artists. The 16th-century church in Tlacochahuaya is
renowned for its beautiful plateresque altars and especially for the
painting of San Jeronimo by native artist Juan de Arrue. In the church
of Nuestro Seņor de Tlacolula, which dates from the same era, are
Indian interpretations in relief of the deaths of various saints --
one with an ax in his head, a second boiled in oil. Another feature of
this church is its antique tubular pipe organ.
There
are several other archaeological zones in this area: Dainzu (stone
carvings of ancient ball players), Lambityeco (beautiful carved
friezes) and Yagul (breathtaking hilltop site and intriguing
labyrinthine palace remains). While traveling this route, lovers of
colonial art and architecture will want to visit the former convent of
Tlacochahuaya. On Sundays, don't miss the market in Tlacolula. All are
in the Mitla area.
Before
returning to Oaxaca stop in Santa Maria del Tule to see one of
Oaxaca's natural wonders: the famous Tule tree, a giant ahuehuete
cypress about 120 feet high and 144 feet around the trunk. It is
estimated to be over 2,000 years old.
To the
south of the city is the site of Zaachila. Two tombs decorated with
beautifully preserved stucco sculpture are open to the public. You can
get a typical Oaxacan meal at La Capilla, a pleasant restaurant with
tables shaded by palapas.
East of
Oaxaca city, Mexico's land mass narrows to form the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec. Here the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific are divided by
only 140 miles of relatively flat land, tempting promoters to think in
terms of an alternative to the Panama Canal. So far, Mexico has shown
no interest in such a plan, beyond devising rail transport between the
Gulf and Salina Cruz on the Pacific.
Tehuantepec
is distaff color and grace. The tall, stately Tehuanas, reputed to be
among the most beautiful women in the world, adorn themselves during
celebrations with lavish costumes and a necklace strung with gold
coins -- their number depending on how many the wearer's ancestors
received from admirers who worked in the area when the railroad was
being built across the Isthmus.
Native
society in the area comes close to being matriarchal, as the women
take advantage of their usually superior stature to dominate home and
economic life. They run the markets while the men work the fields.
A
sister town, Juchitan, has long carried on a rivalry with neighboring
Tehuantepec over which of the two spots is really most representative
of Tehuantepec womanhood.
Visits
to all of these surrounding attractions, city tours, and eco-tours can
be arranged through Cantera Tours, located at the south side of Santo
Domingo church on Constitucion 100-7 (tel. 6-0512, ask for Christine)
and Turismo El Convento de Oaxaca, with offices in the Camino Real
hotel (tel. 6-1806), the Victoria, Mision de los Angeles and Fiesta
Inn hotels, and at Alcala and Matamoros (tel. 6-2848)
