Oaxaca Ethnobotanical Garden

Ted. I have learned a new term. Ethnobotany is the study of plants and their use by humans. Thus, an ethnobotanical garden emphasizes local plants that were, and often continue to be useful to the local people. Since residents of the state of Oaxaca have such a rich inventory of plants, our tour of the Oaxaca Ethnobotanical Garden was fascinating. 

I'm not the only one who was impressed. Here is a link to an article that appeared in the New Your Times a few years ago:

Oaxaca Mexico Shows History Unvarnished

The importance of corn, beans, and squash over many thousands of years was illustrated very clearly. 

"Wild" corn plants

I also learned about the importance of amaranth in the past and present. Google it and then try it, should you get the chance. 

Cotton has been used here since God was a boy and many local plants were used to dye the cotton and wool. Most fascinating to me was the cochineal dye. If you check it out on Wikipedia, you will learn that a little insect in Oaxaca was, after silver, the most important source of wealth for the Spanish conquistadors. 

The tiny cochineal bug (hard to get in focus)

I also learned that the flowers of the frangipani tree have been used locally for thousands of years to create garlands worn around one’s neck. I saw the same thing in Hawaii where the trees are known locally as plumeria and the garlands are called leis!

Around every turn in this magnificent garden, I saw more examples of the diverse climates and flora found in the state of Oaxaca, from arid cactus and succulents to steamy rain forest plants. 

This served as a reminder of something I heard on first arriving in Oaxaca. The local cuisine utilizes over 300 different herbs and spices! 

Dias de los Muertos

Judy. One of the main reasons we chose to come to Oaxaca at this time of year is the Dias de los Muertos celebration. Of course, we’ve all heard of it, and in the US now, even Target and Walmart carry the decorated skulls and the strings of little paper-cut flags. It’s a good time to be had by all, the light side of Halloween.

Here, though, it’s a very important holiday, a kind of combination Halloween and All Saint’s Day.  Indigenous peoples have celebrated for thousands of years, and in anthropological museums one can see images of the skeletal Gods of Death and the Underworld, Bezelao and Xonaxi Quecuya (try saying that three times quickly). 

It was originally a month-long celebration in late summer, but with the arrival of the Catholic Church, it was gradually moved to All-Saint’s Day, with November 1 being the day to honor children who have died (Dia de los Angelitos), and November 2, the day to honor adults who have passed on.

As we saw in Poland years ago, for weeks people go to the graves of loved ones and scrub headstones and pull weeds. In their homes they make altars filled with marigolds, the flower that represents Dias de los Muertos, and candles. In some pueblos (Dias de los Muertos seems to be more important in small villages), it begins on October 31.  Families fill the altars with favorite foods of the dead to welcome them. They go to cemeteries and light candles and the sacred incense copal, eating picnic dinners “with” those who died, including “pan de muerto”, the decorated bread of the dead, and sometimes pouring mezcal or tequila on the graves. It is a warm, welcoming remembrance with spirits welcome and loved—hence the flowery skulls. The scent of copal and marigolds calls the spirits home, and the cold wind that blows this time of year is said to be returning ghosts, coming to visit their loved ones. It’s really a beautiful sentiment.

Decorations in the home of our Airbnb

Here in Oaxaca, we’ve seen skeleton images since we arrived in late September, especially the fancy-dressed La Calavera Catrina, queen of the dead (said to be based on an ancient goddess, Mictecacihuatl), who is really a pretty new, if ever-prevalent symbol. In the early 1800’s, an artist named Jose Guadalupe Posada created her as a parody of the upper class, overdressed Mexican women who were trying to be as white as possible. But the image took off, and now the skeleton with the big hat, often smoking or drinking, is everywhere. On November 1, many of the women paint their faces like skulls and dress like her. The chick is much loved. As we’ve gotten closer to the holiday, more like her have shown up in stores and restaurants, and walls.  Here are some of the images I've found around the city:

 

 

Monte Albán

Ted. Judy and I tend to skip a lot of “must sees” but felt compelled to visit the pre-Columbian temple complex at Monte Albán during our time in Oaxaca. You can look it up in Wikipedia if you would like to learn a lot of facts and figures about this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Suffice it to say, it is way old, way cool and just six miles outside of town.

What first struck me as we rode our taxi up to Monte Albán is that humans pretty much flattened the top of a mountain to create this building site, which was no small task thousands of years ago. 

The occupants then built an entire city using stone blocks, bonded with mortar and covered in plaster of many different colors. It must have been an awe-inspiring site at the time – sort of a Zapotec Vatican!

During our visit, we saw houses, temples, a ball court and an astronomical observatory. It was all built of stones, many of which had carvings on them. No – it is not as vast or as intricate as Ankor Wat in Cambodia but it is some 1,800 years older!

Ball Court (damaged by Sept 7 earthquake)

Astronomical Observatory

Researchers believe that the Oaxaca valley may be the area where agriculture was first established in the Western Hemisphere but all food appears to be plant based. There is no evidence of any animals used for food or domesticated labor. However, I have a theory that human captives may have served both purposes quite nicely.

When you stand on top of one of the temples, you realize that Monte Albán is surrounded by mountains. You feel as though you are at the center of the world and it is pretty heady stuff. To paraphrase Mel Brooks, “It was good to be the Priest!"

We have seen some of the relics found in the tombs on this site and the craftsmanship is pretty amazing. This was an advanced culture and one wonders what led to its demise. One theory is an extended drought but nobody really knows. 

By the way, if you ever visit Mexico and want to see an image of Monte Albán, just look on the back of the 20 peso note. And who is on the front of that note? Benito Juarez, a poor Zapotec boy from Oaxaca who grew up to become President of Mexico in 1858.

Murals of Oaxaca

Judy. Someone told Ted that a rich man from the area of Oaxaca was kidnapped, and after his release, decided the arts should be available for all here, so he has put up the funds for all kinds of art to be available here.  I don’t know how true that is, but I love seeing all the murals around town, so I thought I’d share a few.

Oaxaca, Part II

Judy. After I sent some photos to a friend, she wrote and asked me about the city of Oaxaca. In her imagination, it is a small town, a pueblo, made up of mud brick houses and a great deal of poverty. It’s a fair assumption; we know so little about cities outside what we read in the daily news, especially in Mexico. Most of us who have visited have seen only border towns or resorts, so a city in central Mexico can be beyond our imaginations, especially one nestled in a valley where two mountain ranges come together. 

Oxaca sign by the Templo

First of all, it’s not tiny. In 2010 the population was listed at 255,000. It’s noted for its colonial architecture, much of it using a pale green-colored volcanic stone. There are dozens of old churches, some from the sixteenth century. In particular, the Templo of Santo Domingo is huge, beautiful, and popular. I’m told there is a months-long waiting list to use it for weddings. The Zocalo, or town square, is surrounded by old buildings as well as booths where locals sell their wares: colorful shirts, dresses, skirts, silver, pottery, etc. Interestingly, many of the local women wear these; they’re not just for tourists and expats. There’s been a soap opera filming here, and I’m told it’s being used more and more as a set because of the beautiful colonial buildings.

 

Oaxaca has an interesting past. Many indigenous tribes were here, particularly the Zapotec, who populate pueblos nearby. These people were the first to cultivate corn and develop chocolate. They have created beautiful silver jewelry from the ore here, and their black pottery from the dark clay is famous. There are ancient ruins here in the mountains of government and religious centers. It is a very old culture.

Adobe, limestone, & stucco

Many of the buildings in the center of town ARE adobe, but covered with stucco. It’s easy to see the adobe underneath because of the earthquakes we’ve been experiencing. Daily we see workers repairing these buildings. Some are built with cinderblock and stucco, and most of the newer buildings use rebar for stabilization during an earthquake. We recently met at woman who was terrified after our last 4.7 quake because she lives alone in a 200-year-old building. I would say it’s worth being scared.

Door to our Airbnb

Inside the door

Walking down the streets the houses are closed off—not very inviting. But if you happen by when a door opens, you often see a lush patio surrounded by rooms—the Spanish/Moorish influence. A Miscellanea  (convenience store) might only be recognized because the door is open. It is, in a word, quaint.

Our rooftop patio

Streets and sidewalks are not so quaint. They’re often filled with potholes, elevation changes, broken concrete, and metal pieces randomly sticking up from the walkways. Recently I read through a guidebook that mentioned these, reminding us to watch our step. Traffic can be rough, which means crossing the street is iffy—but not as scary as Cambodia was.

I walk twenty minutes to my well-taught yoga class at Prana Yoga, and seven minutes to a local spa where I got a killer hour-and-a-half massage, complete with wine at the end. There are high-end dress shops (modern) and thrift stores, just like in any major city. En Via, the foundation that sponsors our English classes, has its offices fifteen minutes away in a gorgeous gated compound, which houses the Cultural Institute. The grounds are green and lush, and the buildings are clean and fresh, built in the colonial style.  

The nearby park is used all the time: kids skateboard or skate around the fountain, lovers kiss in the shadows, teens giggle on their way home from school, and food vendors ply their wares. On Fridays the perimeter is lined with a traveling market, where you can get tacos for about .75 each, while you share a table and condiments with whoever sits down. Saturdays there’s an open-air Zumba class that’s packed with dancers.

Parque El LLano

Speaking of dancers, there are Salsa, Cumbia, Rumba, and other dances taught at Candela, which we pass when we head downtown. The students are glorious to watch.

We can spend $60 on a meal with wine in an upscale and beautiful restaurant, or eat a cup of esquites (corn soup) we buy from a street vendor for .90 each. Once we stopped at a bar to get out of the rain and bought two beers ($2), and the waiter brought us each a bowl of soup. There is terrific food in all price ranges.

There are big grocery stores, but we do most of our shopping at the Mercado down the street. However, eating out is so cheap that we usually eat at least one meal per day out. By the way, we do eat the fruits and veggies, and some street food, and have yet to get sick.

However, lest you think we are living in a little pueblo, once you step outside the Centro, the scenery changes. Our bus to Tlachochahuaya, the village where we teach, takes us past modern buildings on good roads. (The bus, however, is a collectivo, an old bus with no schedule—a conductor stands by the driver and yells out the name of the town they’re headed to, then takes your ten pesos when you get off.)  Last Friday evening we attended a movie at the Oaxaca Film Festival, located in a mall beside a big department store called Fabrique en France. I peered in the door and saw makeup counters: Mac, Estee’ Lauder, etc. Things were definitely more modern there.

There are many expats (Ted has a blog on that), and some tourists, though that number is expected to go through the roof closer to Dia de los Muertos. We attend church in an American mission, and on Saturdays go to the Oaxaca Lending Library to practice Spanish in an intercambio—one hour in English and one in Spanish. My second week of speaking was definitely better, and we both can tell our Spanish is rudimentary but improving. We try not to mix too much with other Americans, basically because we want to practice the language here. The Oaxaquenos  are friendly and helpful, especially if we greet them in their own language.

Living here is not always easy. Our big jug of drinking water needs to be replaced soon; in most public buildings you must put used toilet paper in a trash can, not flush it; we’re not quite used to the soft, sweet bread. But to us, it’s worth it. Big time.