Oaxaca City Part 1

Wyatt met us at the Puerto Vallarta airport. He looked haggard but was feeling better. Karen and I both were still having stomach cramps. Whatever we had was sticking around for another day. We took off at around 9:30 am local time and flew to Mexico city. We descended into the smog shrouded metropolis an hour later. Mexico city is huge, a city of around 9 million it sprawled out beneath us forever.

We got off the plane and were immediately corralled to a line to board our connecting flight. It was the smoothest connection I have ever had. No walking across the airport or catching shuttles to another terminal. Our connecting flight was literally one gate over. Another hour later and we were in Oaxaca disembarking onto the tarmac and into the hot, humid air.

Oaxaca city, founded in 1529, (population~400,000, elevation ~5110 ft) is located directly in the middle of the state of Oaxaca. It is the governmental capital of the state and the de facto capital of Mexico's indigenous heartland. Oaxaca is nestled in a temperate highland valley. The weather is warm throughout the day and evening and cool at night and in the mornings.

Map of the State of Oaxaca

No buses or private taxis are allowed to operate from the airport. To get into the city you must either be picked up by someone or take a collectivo (a group taxi). So Karen walked to the counter and bought our tickets (70 pesos each ~$5). We boarded the taxi along with 5 other people and were dropped off in front of the house we are staying at.

From the outside it looked rather questionable but once we were shown our rooms we were pleasantly surprised. We are staying on the third floor of a small apartment style complex. There are two bedrooms, our own kitchen/living room and a bathroom. The kitchen was stocked with fresh fruit and eggs. Outside is a patio area looking out towards the south.

Since Wyatt wasn't feeling that well, Karen and I went out to explore our surroundings. A half a block away we found a tortillaria and a little farther down a tienda which sold all the essential items we may need throughout the week. We went inside to get some groceries and were promptly assisted by a very friendly and helpful woman. We wanted to buy some broth to make soup but didnt know the spanish word for soup stock. Karen tried asking for chicken liquado (roughly translates to "chicken milkshake") and received a strange look. We tried asking for sopa but ended up empty handed and just used water with lots of veggies. The soup was a nice change from tacos and settled our stomachs.

DAY 2
We woke up feeling rested and much better. After a hearty breakfast of eggs and mashed potatoes we decided to head into town. The town's zocalo (central plaza) was about a 20 minute walk from our house. So we headed out down the cobblestone streets to check it out.

Many of the streets in Oaxaca are one way and lack stop signs or stoplights at the cross streets. The cars simply slow very slightly before zooming past. Crossing the street at first was tricky at first (especially since no one uses turn signals!) but we figured it out with only getting honked at a few times.

The zocalo is basically a large plaza filled with benches and shade trees. It is flanked to the east by the Cathedral of Oaxaca, a massive and extremely beautiful building. On the other three sides are colonial era style buildings that are now filled with restaurants and shops. We walked around a bit and then went inside the cathedral. Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures of the interior. There is something awe-inspiring about being inside a building that big. Pews with giant arched ceilings towering overhead, the silence of the stone looming over you and people on their knees praying; it was an intimidating place. My favorite part though was the nativity scene in the very front of the church, complete with all the animals, and decked out with christmas lights.

Oaxaca's Cathedral 

After leaving the church we went to a quaint little natural history museum located in the no-so-quaint ex gubernatorial building. All the exhibits were targeted for a younger audience but the building itself and two beautiful murals inside made the price of admission worth it. The murals described some of Mexico's history. 

One of the murals describing some of Mexico's history.

Wyatt and Karen looking at the second mural

Interior of the natural history museum/ex gubernatorial building. 

After the museum, we headed to one of the awesome markets in downtown Oaxaca.  The Benito Juarez Mercado is a wild mixture of textiles, Oaxacan knick-knacks, prepared food, and bulk food such as rice, beans, veggies, spices, and fruit. It was a little over-whelming...so much stuff to see!  We bought some rice, beans, spices, and some mole rojo paste.  It was Wyatt's birthday so we made a mole dish with rice and beans on the side. For dessert, we made banana bread.  We tried to go to the market down the street for flour.  We tried asking for 'herina' (wheat flour) but the lady that had helped us the day before looked at us questioningly and pointed us to maza.  We decided to try the maza (corn flour) in our banana bread. It turned out surprisingly well, just a little corny and gluten free!

Our dinner supplies: fresh veggies, fresh tortillas (literally hot off the press), and mole

Wyatt's birthday cake!

Hasta la proxima,
                 -Chet and Karen