Oaxaca
Living the city life for a bit
We’ve left our little nest in the mountainous, cactus fields of Tlayacapan, Morelos, and have moved on to Oaxaca. We landed here mid-December and will finish out our 5 months of exploring Mexico here in Oaxaca.
Each location has been so different, and this is no exception. First off, we’ve not lived in a large city before. We’re in the Reforma district of Oaxaca City - population about 300k in the city and 1+M in the metro area. It’s an area surrounded by anything you could want - large supermarkets, tiny markets, street vendors, shoe repair stores, small engine repair shops, etc. We have a place in a quiet-ish area, nestled among a few major streets and connected by ‘Anadores’, which create micro-neighborhoods of small streets within the city block. There’s a small convenient store about 100’ away, a twice-a-week local market about 1,000’ away. and a large supermarket 3 blocks away.
Oaxaca Culture
Oaxaca is the melting pot of Mexico, located in the southern part of the country. This state boasts 17 different indigenous languages, huge mountains, a stunning coastline, and is known for some of the best food in the country. Its state government systems are completely separated from the federal government, and many things about its extremely artistic culture show the eclectic nature of the state and city. 9 different types of mole, enchiladas verde, fresh chocolate, tamales galore, great coffee, and fresh fruits and juices all make eating here a delight.
Murals and Art
There are murals everywhere - extremely well-done murals, and art of every type. Gavin continues to ask - how are these artists so good, these paintings look so real! It’s true.
The craftsmanship of jewelry, fabrics, and baskets is also really astounding. Traveling along, we’re really not able to buy items that take up space, but if we were here for a short vacation, some textiles would certainly be coming home with us.
Markets
Since living in Tlayacapan and not having a supermarket larger than a USA-sized gas station convenience store, we’ve really embraced the local markets. They’re much better. Interactions with locals in our broken Spanish are sometimes fun, the food is fresher, cheaper, and the people who deserve our money are getting it - all in cold, hard efectivo (cash). Bartering is not a common practice here, which makes it easier. Buying fresh food in the street markets is really great - fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, fresh-squeezed juices, while chicken, carne asada, and chorizo are now part of our meals.
Incredibly, all these markets pop up for a day. Experts in tarp hanging, a street that was busy with cars yesterday might just be a humongous market today.
In fact, we went and visited Tlacolula - the largest market in MesoAmerica (which basically means Latin America plus Mexico). It was indeed huge, and we saw most things there - including ladies wearing dresses from their indigenous village, carrying live turkeys, and even live chickens on the bus (which wasn’t new to see, but still cool).
Hot Wheels
Hot wheels are still the incentive for the boys in the markets. Find all the local dealers, and find the booth with the higher-end, collector-edition Hot Wheels is a bonus. We’ve now run into Hot Wheel (no “s”), the knock-off version.
Christmas Festivities
One of the main reasons we wanted to be in a big city was for Christmas. We knew there would be plenty of sites, activities, and traditions to witness. And we were right - if we know anything about Mexicans, it’s that they love their holidays. Some friends and guides have told us that they consider most of the year one holiday or another, and the Christmas season basically lasts from post Dia de Muertos through mid February.
Deliberate Detour Hub
One of the other reasons we sought Oaxaca was the short week worldschooling hub for Gavin. This week, he’s been with 7 other kids learning about Mexican Christmas traditions, some Zapotec indigenous language, trying different local foods, and more.
Running
I’ve continued running here in the city. A few tricks I’ve learned about running - going on quiet streets to avoid the vehicle fumes, carrying rocks to fend off the dogs, and which nooks are nice and which aren’t. The Benito Juarez National Park is just on the city’s edge, about 4km from our place. While I’ve only just made it to the edge of the park, we’ll try to go hiking when we get a chance.
Running has given me a great perspective of different neighborhoods, small gems, markets, and cool sites in the morning. I’m digging it!
Lucha Libre
Talan and I were fortunate enough to attend a Lucha Libre fighting event. Much like WWF or WWE in the States, these masked fake fighting events are a staple of Mexican culture. It was entertaining to say the least. Inside fireworks, lots of fake moves, and audience participation - it was worth the $300MXN pesos ($15) to attend!
Next in our travels is a short trip to Puerto Escondido, and then off to Nicaragua! Thanks for following, and stay posted or reach out if you have any ideas for future posts or questions!