By ED LOWE
Special to the Journal & Topics
Winter travelers wanting something more than beaches and surf can find an escape from the cold with some intellectual stimulation thrown in. Comfortable temperatures coupled with architecture, archaeology, artisans, and craftsmen, all set in a 16th Century colonial city is a rare commodity. It exists in Oaxaca. The city (pronounced Wah-ha-ka) is the unspoiled capital of the southern Mexican State of the same name. About a 40 minutes jet flight south of Mexico City, it's hundreds of years away from virtually anything else in North America. There's a well developed tourist infrastructure and best of all, not an overload of travelers.
Mexican is best understood as a layered history lesson. The indigenous native American societies that predated Columbus' discovery of the New World are still present in much of the country. On top of those customs is the Spanish colonial society. And above that is the more modern Mexico, a nation that survived its own revolution. Now a part of the global economy, modernism is exemplified by sophisticated restaurants and hotels. Oaxaca reflects the best in pre-Colombian and Colonial architecture and culture. The central city was designated a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.
Once the center of the Zapotec Indian nation, the remnants of that society are still attracting tourists to their excavated sites. And the culture doesn't exist only in ruins like Mitla and Monte Albán. It's prevalent in the market places of the city. Where else, for example, can you walk into a market and see brightly clad women hawking mounds of barbecued grasshoppers, or selling plastic bags filled with the ingredients of a molé sauce that would command gourmet attention in any U.S. restaurant?
The colonial aspects of Oaxaca are comfortable living side-by-side with the Indian features. It was the gold, silver and jade that attracted the Spanish to Oaxaca and the religious conversion of the Indians was simply an excuse needed to justify the otherwise harsh treatment of the native peoples.
The main church in Oaxaca, Santo Domingo, is a tribute to colonial designers. It has withstood earthquakes which have occasionally rocked the city. The church, with its elaborate gold encrusted interior altar and icons, is a throwback to the glory days of the Spanish occupation of Mexico. With its attached museum, the Church reminds present-day tourists why the Spanish found this area of Mexico so important. The riches displayed within the church are mute testimony to the opulence and ostentation with which the Spanish were obsessed.
Another real tourist interest in Oaxaca lies in the ring of craft villages that surround the city. San Bartolo Coyotepec was home to Doña Rosa, a potter who took the clay of the area and fashioned it into a huge variety of pots and other vessels which have only a single firing and therefore don't hold liquids. When fired, the pots take on an unusual glossy black sheen. They are filigreed or formed into shapes which are as unique as any to be found anywhere. Doña Rosa's son, Valenti Nieto, is now in his 70's. He still demonstrates his art to visitors touring the workshops. He uses no traditional potter's wheel. Instead, he uses two segments of gourds with the rounded sides of each forming the wheel on which he turns pots, pitchers and other works. They're for sale at the studio at remarkably low prices. Because of the success of these ceramics in the market place, the entire village now produces the pots which are distributed throughout Mexico and coveted in the States.
Another of the craft villages is San Antonio Arrazola. There, you'll find alebrijas, those brightly colored wood carvings treasured by so many collectors. You'd be inclined to think that the making of these figures dates to antiquity, but that's not true. In fact, the art form was developed by Manuel Jiménez Ramirez who, with his sons Isaias and Angelico will demonstrate the carving of these sometimes grotesque and always fanciful figurines and imaginary animals. Here again, the town was able to copy the success of Ramirez and the whole community has taken up the carving of these figurines. Another workshop we visited was that of Pepe Santiago, whose work is equally attractive and, though similar in style, has its own distinctive flavor. Some would consider the creation of these pieces as craftsmanship but in our view, they represent much more. They are a unique art form.
Still another village, Teotitlán del Valle produces weavings, rugs and other heavy textiles using the most primitive working methods. We watched as 62-year-old Maria Vasquez carded wool which was then spun and finally, dyed with natural substances like mushrooms (yellow,) indigo (blue,) and even a local parasite which when ground up yields a white dye. Other colors are produced from equally natural organic materials. The finished products have Zapotecan or abstract designs. A thirty by sixty inch rug, made in this time consuming manner, sells for as little as $100.
In addition to these great shopping possibilities, there are cultural excursions from Oaxaca which bring you to amazing, must-see archaeological excavations. Monte Albán, a Zapotecan city, which means White Hill, is a series of hilltop constructions covering 15 square miles on an artificially-flattened plateau. It was one of the first cities in Mesoamerica. During its heyday in about 700 AD, it was one of its most populous. The principal pyramid rises 181 feet above the grade level and covers 25 acres. The huge rectangular ball court was used for a game that is still being played in Indian villages throughout the state. The ball court was also used for a trial by contest with defeated enemy groups pitted against each other for entertainment. It's a stadium with seating on both sides. The only thing that dates it as being ancient is the fact that it hasn't been named for a corporate sponsor. The Mexican government has built a new, user-friendly museum displaying the artifacts excavated from the pyramids.
Mitla is another, more manageable installation where the influences of Aztec architecture interface with the Zapotecan and Mixtec and mingle to form another site well worth visiting. Mitla was originally designed as a city second only to Monte Alban. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in the Americas. It's especially noted for its elaborate burial vaults with ornate mosaics of carved and polished stone.
Other sites like Zaachila and Lambityeco offer further insights into the extent to which these "primitive" people were able to construct huge building complexes, develop highly organized religious rituals and manage to survive in a highly sophisticated and structured civilization without European influences. English speaking guides are available at all these sites and will, for little money, take the time to explain the installations and the anthropological and archaeological importance of the place.
Back in Oaxaca, we visited several restaurants, all of which featured continental foods as well as Mexican and especially Oaxacan specialties. The molé sauces were as varied as any French chef could imagine. We tasted them with assorted bean dishes, with beef, sliced paper thin, and of course, with chicken. Breakfasts in Mexico are often buffets with a broad range of Mexican specialties made from eggs and tortillas, and the fresh local fruits like melons, papayas and pineapple are delicious.
Oaxaca offers endless opportunities to see what the Americas were before Europeans arrived. There are also evidences of the Spanish Colonial influences both good and bad. During the period between 1519 and 1821 when Spain ruled, Mexico's resources were drained and its people exploited. And there are examples of Mexican democracy.
Oaxaca was the birthplace of Mexican hero, Benito Juarez and statues in tribute to this political giant are everywhere. Oaxaca will provide insights galore for anyone wanting to gain an understanding of our neighbor to the south, with lots of great dining and comfortable hotels available after a days' shopping or a climb into the ruins of ancient civilizations.
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