Oaxaca Mexico
October 24 – November 6 2018
Did a loud bang wake you up again last night? Was it
gunfire? No, it was fireworks, again, and Mexicans love fireworks! We had to
remember this was a few days before the official start of festivities for Las
Dias de los Muertos, AKA the Day of the Dead. The loud noises were warning the
spirits of the Mexican families’ ancestors to get on their best duds and get
ready to visit their relatives, at least in spirit.
After watching the movie, Coco, which won the Academy
award for best full length animated film last spring, Suzanne Andrews and I
decided that Oaxaca was the town to visit during the annual festivities for Las
Dias de los Muertos. Eight of us, David and Suzanne Andrews, Pat and Bruce
Marshall, Cathy Pawley, Bonnie Garven, and Ray and I, friends since our Bishop’s
University days long ago, agreed to spend the week together in Oaxaca from
October 27 until November 3.
Click
the photo above to see a photo album of our visit to
Mexico City. Close the window to return to this page
Ray
and I flew to Mexico City on October 24 to spend a few days in the historic
Center before joining our friends in Oaxaca. On the recommendation of our
friend, Jackie MacDonald, a friend in Ottawa, we spent most of one day visiting
the University of Mexico (UNAM) campus. Jackie suggested we see the UNAM stadium
where she competed in Shot Put for Canada in the 1955 Pan American Games as well
as the UNAM Central library, just across the street from the stadium. UNAM has
an enrollment of 300,000 students and is so large that a free bus system
shuttles students and visitors around the campus. After getting lost a few times
we were led to the library by a friendly student. The library, officially opened
in 1956, is certainly impressive. The facade of the tall, windowless tower of
the library, which houses 1.5 million volumes, is covered with natural coloured
stone murals, designed by architect and artist, Juan O’Gorman, to depict the
history of Mexico. We were not permitted to enter the stadium itself, home to
the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, but the guard directed us to the best vantage point
to admire the large Diego Rivera mural under the Olympic flame.
Click
the photo above to see a photo album of Parades in
Oaxaca. Close the window to return to this page
Ray and I flew to Oaxaca from Mexico City on October 26,
where we met the Marshalls. We had time to explore some of the town, which
already sported decorations honouring Las Dias de los Muertos, which has its
origins in Aztec traditions, blended with Catholicism introduced by the
Spaniards. There were altars built in public squares, Catrinas, skeletons
dressed in period costumes hanging from balconies and perched on window ledges,
candy and chocolate skulls for sale in the markets along with decorations to
make you home altar the envy of the neighbourhood. The arrival of the rest of
our group the next day brought even more treats. Parades with brass bands and
Oaxacans in full face paint and costume seemed to spontaneously appear at any
time in the day and everyone was in a happy, party mood. Of course the biggest
parade any of us had ever seen, lasting more than an hour and including
thousands of participants, signalled the official start of festivities at 6 PM
on October 30.
Click
the photo above to see a photo album of walking in
Oaxaca. Close the window to return to this page
We loved walking around the historic center
of Oaxaca, admiring the architecture, visiting the markets and stores and
sampling the food in the many restaurants. We took advantage of an excellent
free walking tour with our personable and well informed guide Isa, a student of
languages in the Oaxacan branch of UNAM.
Click
the photo above to see a photo album of our visit to the
cemetery Pantheon Xoxo. Close the window to return to this page
A
visit to one of the local cemeteries getting ready for Las Dias de los Muertos
is a must see experience. We chose to visit Pantheon Xoxo the evening of October
31, to see how the Oaxacans decorate their family graves. The families come to
spend the evening on October 31, and sometimes stay overnight, decorating and
anticipating reconnecting with long dead relatives over the next two days.
November 1 is the day to remember children who have died and November 2 is the
day to remember adults. The graves are beautifully decorated with flowers,
favourite foods, candies, drinks and the graves are ringed with lighted candles
to welcome the spirits of the dead. Some graves even had musicians to play the
favourite songs of the deceased. Yes it was crowded, with families and local and
foreign visitors, but the mood was welcoming and the families were proud to have
us admire their efforts.
A
friend in Ottawa recommended that we build our own altar for Las Dias de los
Muertos. Each of us brought photos of deceased family members still important to
our lives. Pat Marshall brought foam picture frames for our photos and we set up
our altar in an inner courtyard at our hotel, Posada Catarina. We bought
decorations and candles in the local markets and made sure to have several of
the fruits and drinks favoured by the deceased ready for the spirits of our
families to enjoy. It was a great success. Several of the other hotel guests
said they wished they had thought to make an altar as well.
Click
the photo above to see a photo album of our Monte Alban
area tour. Close the window to return to this page
Oaxaca City is surrounded by the Valley of Oaxacan, full
of artisan towns, archaeological ruins and natural beauty. A good way to enjoy
the area is to take a day tour. Our group took one of the most popular tours. We
visited the very large archaeological site Monte Alban and visited Cuilapan with
its 16th C convent with an open air chapel. Arrazola is full of
workshop where they make the gaily painted wooden figures, called Alebrijes that
played a big part in the film, Coco. The tour concluded in Coyotepec with a stop
at a workshop specializing in black ceramics, famous in the area.
Click
the photo above to see a photo album of our Valley of
Oaxaca Tour. Close the window to return to this page.
Six of us, who elected to stay extra days in Oaxaca, had
a great day enjoying the scenery and crafts of the area. We arranged a tour to
El Tule, a gigantic 1,000 year old Mexican cypress tree and a visit to the ruins
of Mitla, a smaller version of Monte Alban. We continued on to Teotitlan, where
families have created woolen carpets for generations. We had an excellent
introduction to the steps required to create the naturally coloured carpets
featuring traditional and modern themes. We were so impressed that two of our
group brought carpets to decorate their homes. Our day ended with the mineral
waters of Hierve del Agua. Springs, heavy with minerals, feed a waterfall
cascading over sheer cliffs, creating frozen white meringues of minerals. The
waters are channelled down to fill swimming pools where families picnic and
enjoy the almost body temperature waters.
Our trip certainly confirmed reports of the
charms of Oaxaca. If you are thinking of a holiday around Halloween, think of
Oaxaca, with its eternal spring climate, Unesco Historic center, fascinating
countryside and Las Dias de los Muertos, one of the most fabulous Mexican
festivals still held every year. You won’t be disappointed.
Return to Mexico
Winter 2018 Intro
Return to
Mexico
Intro
Return to
Travels
Return to
Introduction