Oaxaca, week 12

My last day in Oaxaca was really special—I was there for their annual festival called Noche del los Rábanos (Radish Night). Basically, locals carve up radishes into detailed scenes and put them on display in the city’s Zócalo—all part of a competition for best radish art work. There is also a category for corn husks as well. Below are a sampling of some of the pieces. This was a very popular event. I went in the afternoon to take photos from the other side of some fencing because around 5 they open the walkway to the public and there is a very long line to get up close. I went back later in the evening for the ambience—music, people watching, etc.—and the line to see the displays wrapped around the square twice.

This was the winner. 

This was the winner in the corn husk category. 

I couldn’t tell if these were carrots or dyed radishes. 

Oaxaca, Week 11

One of the women in my Spanish class did a presentation on her travels to Oaxaca and inspired me to cap off this adventure in Oaxaca. My classes ended on December 13 and I headed down on December 15. I decided to continue my studies one more week with a school in Oaxaca. I joined a group of 4 other women, all retirees, but probably 20-25 years my senior. The afternoons were open for exploring.

The grand convent of Santo Domingo in the central part of Oaxaca. It houses a very extensive host museum, a botanical garden and a church, of course. 

A view of the convent from the botanical gardens. 

A corner of the ruins of Monte Albán with the mountains in the background. This is about 30 minutes outside of the city. One of the students I met in Mexico City was in Oaxaca and explored this with me. 

Hierve el agua (boil the water) natural wonder about 2 hours outside of Oaxaca City. There are natural springs full of minerals that create pools on top of this mountain and when the water spills over, it creates the appearance of a waterfall—but the water día actually just mineral deposits. Very cool. The water, however, is not boiling—it is pretty chilly. I brought my swimsuit but by the time we arrived around 5 pm, the air temperatures were too chilly for swimming. That didn’t stop some but it stopped me. 

Chapulines (fried grasshoppers) are all the rage in Oaxaca. This was one of several stalls in the market selling this snack. 

Oaxaca at dusk, taken from the Fortín lookout. 

Tule tree, the oldest tree in the world. It is more than 2000 years old. It is a cypress species and has the largest diameter  trunk recorded at ~14 meters. 

A random parade, celebrating chocolate, that I stumbled upon in the city center. 

Mexico City, Week 10 (la última)

After the last day of class, I went with a classmate to check out the view of Mexico City from the Torre Latinoamericana. 

Giant x-mas tree in the park, on my last night in CDMX. 

A giant rotisserie of pork al pastor for tacos—my lunch on Friday. 

This is a life size woman piñata.  Anyone see anything wrong with this?

I went to the National Art Museum which was huge. This was a neat courtyard with a gigantic sculpture. 

Mexico City, Week 9

I had a big week of communism this week in museum-land. I went to check out the museum at the Palacio de Belles Artes this week. They had several exhibits with artists that were part of a political revolution in Mexico. There was a special exhibition on Zapata which was being protested because of a painting that portrayed Zapata as a de-masculined person. A little excitement for the museum. And later in the week—I went to the Leon Trotsky museum.

The painting by Emilio Pettoruti was one of several by this artist. I really like his style. 

Typical Zapata. Not the controversial painting. 

On Saturday, I headed down to San Angel and Coyoacan and visited UNAM and checked out the giant mural on the library. 

Leon Trotsky lived in exile in Mexico—and was ultimately murdered in Mexico. His home was turned into a museum. 

Mexico City, Week 8

This week, more than usual, was filled with tourist activity.  I want to make sure I pack it all in before I leave Mexico City. These photos are in reverse chronological order.

I visited the town of Tepoztlán, about an hour outside of Mexico City and climbed to the top of this mountain, Tepozteco. 

Here I am, all sweaty at the top of the mountain. It is about a 1200 ft climb and it is straight up. My legs were quivering by the time I got back down to the bottom.  

There is a little pyramid on the top of Tepozteco to climb. 

Here’s a view of some of the stairs I ascended and then descended. 

I visited the botanical gardens at the Parque Chapultepec. 

On Wednesday, I visited the Basílica in La Villa. Unlike every other Catholic Church I’ve seen here, this one was built in the 20th century and is very modern.  There are several churches collocated on the property, including the old Basilica which is smaller and is sinking. Thousands flock to this church on December 12 to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe, whose image is framed above the Mexican flag in this photo. On the day I went, the basilica was pretty full of folks attending the mass in session. Things are going to get crazy there over the next few days leading up to December 12. This is the big holiday in Mexico.

A view from above of the old and new basilicas.

On Monday I went to the Mercado de Jamaica after class. It was so colorful and a lot less cramped than other markets. Lots of piñatas for sale here. 

The Mercado de Jamaica is also a big flower market—and the flowers are plentiful and inexpensive. I paid $1.50 for a dozen roses.