Viva La Mexico! Or Oaxaca even...
Written: Jan 17 '05 (Updated Jan 17 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: amazing culture, lots of great items to buy, beautiful beaches and wildlife
Cons: language barrier can be an issue at times
The Bottom Line: Oaxaca is a wonderful state, filled with lots of culture and architectural masterpieces.
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| biscuitfarmer's Full Review: Oaxaca |
One of my favorite things to do in life is to travel. I love nothing more (not including my wife and child) than getting out on the open road, or flying out (depending on the airline) to see a place that I've never seen before. In 2003, I was sent to Mexico with the Air Force, we were doing some training operations, outside of Mexico City. My wife and I decided that while I was there, she'd come down and stay for the two months that I was to be there. During the weekends, we would go out to the different cities, travel around the country, and really get a feel for Mexico as a whole. I even managed to get some leave time, so that I could venture out even farther. This review is going to be one part of a series of reviews on cities within Mexico. I have listed all of the other cities at the bottom of this review, so be sure to see what all Mexico has to offer.
Mexico in itself is one of the most amazing countries, you could ever visit. You can find some of the most amazing hand made gifts from all parts of Mexico, within the little shops. And of course, don't forget the culture, as it's everywhere. You can't go anywhere in Mexico without seeing the culture and the history of each city or village. And in Oaxaca, it isn't any different.
Oaxaca is a moderate sized state and is located on the very bottom of Mexico's west side. In fact, it's so far near the bottom, that it's closer to Guatamala than it is to Mexico City, which is fairly close to the middle of the country itself.
What you need!
When traveling to Mexico, I think it's very important that you bring certain items. One item in particular is bottled water. When I say bottled water, I don't mean bring some bottled water, then refill it. I mean don't EVER drink the local water, regardless of where you are! Well, that is unless you like bowel devouring bacterias. While this doesn't mean you have to be paranoid about taking showers or anything, they just don't have the same water standards that we have in the United States. The major restaurants even boil their water as an extra precaution, so obviously there's somewhat of an issue.
Another thing that you absolutely have to have, is a wallet with a strap. These handy wallets can be placed on your chest, on your arm, leg, wherever, just as long as it isn't in your pocket. We had quite a few Airmen, lose their wallets while in Mexico, so don't think you aren't vulnerable unless you do what you can to protect yourself. If you are female, don't bring a purse, it just makes it that much easier for the pick pockets. While I don't think this is a huge problem, it is enough of a concern, that I would take it seriously.
A Spanish to English dictionary is a must for traveling anywhere in Mexico. The problem with these guides are that they don't include regional dialect, which can sometimes cause problems. Luckily, there are many who speak English in these cities, so there's always someone who can translate nearby.
And finally, you have to have a hat and some good walking shoes. Don't think you are going to get away with wearing fancy shoes out here. You will find yourself doing more walking than anything else, so a good pair of shoes, with great supportive insoles is an absolute must. And as for a hat, yeah, make sure you have one of those, because the heat can be intense. So, obviously make sure you have your sunblock as well.
Where to see Wildlife/Nature
Chacahua
This is one of the most famous national parks in the country of Mexico. It is also one of the most popular tourist destinations, because it is home to three large lagoons. The massive amount of wildlife that you will see around these lagoons is just amazing. We took a little canoe looking thing out on one of the lagoons, and had a whole lot of fun. Our guide made sure that he pulled out turtles, showed us many varieties of lizard, and quite a few other creatures that inhabit Oaxaca.
Santa Maria El Tule
I'm not really sure why this is so cool, but I think it's something that is pretty interesting. Santa Maria El Tule is known for it's tree. Yeah, singular, just one tree. However, this isn't any ordinary tree, because this tree is said to be 2,000 years old. Now that is an old tree, not sure if it's the oldest or not, but I'm impressed.
Where to see history/Culture
Monte Alban
Monte Alban is located on a hill top overlooking the valley of Oaxaca. Monte Alban is the ancient home to the Zapotec civilization that inhabited this area. Monte Alban is a series of staircases, monuments, pillars, buildings, etc that all represent different aspects of a the Zapotec culture. There are some monuments that show the different conquests of the Zapotec and others that depict ritual mutilation (dancing stones).
The Zapotec also had ceremonial games that they would play here. It has been said that these ancient games would pit the Zapotec against their enslaved enemies and if their enemies could beat them in their games, they would win their freedom. Unfortunately for their enemies, these games were generally unheard of to them, so the Zapotec who were quite sufficient in the games, would win. Besides it would be horrible for the home team to lose.
Other pretty cool features of the area are tunnels that go under the site, connecting all of the different buildings. While we didn't try to go through any of the tunnels, I don't think that they are open to the public. However, that would be something to check on while visiting Monte Alban.
One of the best things about this area, is the great view that you get of the valley. While there's not a whole lot to see down in the valley, the view is still quite impressive.
Oaxaca City
Probably the best place to visit while in Oaxaca is Oaxaca City. Known for it's amazing museums and cultural exhibits, Oaxaca City, was a whole lot of fun. This area is home to the regional museum. In this museum, you find ceremonial dress, cultural wood working, different tools of the area, and of course weapons. Lots of stuff in this museum, a definite must see.
Another place that has to be seen is one of the oldest churches in Mexico, dubbed the Cathedral. This Cathedral was built sometime around like the 1400-1500's and is absolutely massive. The stonework is extremely impressive, and I can't even imagine how it was all put together and how long it must have taken.
And one of the coolest things about this city is Santa Catalina, which was built in 1571 as a convent and is now a converted hotel, that you can actually stay in. This is one of the coolest hotels I have ever been to, with a whole lot of history. We spent a lot of time touring the hotel itself, because the architecture was just amazing.
Guelatao
This is a pretty cool place to go, because on top of the hill here, there are two pretty awesome statues honoring Xupa and Lapa, the defenders of Ixtlan. From this hill, you can also see the rest of the city, which is pretty impressive. This is a really good spot to get some great pictures of the area.
Juchitan
If you want to see one of the great old style churches, then you have to see San Vincente Church located in Juchitan. The church is an amazing, old Mexican style church, that has been restored it's once amazing grandeur, while still keeping it historically accurate.
Other great things in this area include an exhibit that features my favorite artist in the world, Salvador Dali, and Diego Rivera at the Culture House. This is actually a pretty decent collection of paintings, and of course, since I love the works of Dali, it was great to see. I just wish that I could have taken some of the works home with us. My wife however, not being all that keen on art, wasn't really into this portion of the trip, and just wanted to look and leave.
Mitla
Mitla is a pretty cool city if you love culture and history. Mitla is actually an archaelogical zone, so you'll see tons of scientists digging around for items from Zapoteca culture.
Speaking of Zapoteca culture, there actually happens to be a pretty cool museum, where you can find some of the coolest crafts made by their people long ago. With different types of hunting instruments, pottery, even rudimentary farming and herding tools. Pretty cool little museum to see.
While we were in Mitla, we actually got to go out to one of the archaelogical sites and help them dig up some pottery and see how it was all done. It was pretty cool, I think we paid about $100 US in order to have the opportunity to spend about five hours working on the dig. Now that I think about it, what a scam. We actually paid to do work, that they normally pay locals to do. But it was a lot of fun and an experience that I definitely don't regret.
Where to swim and relax
Huatulco
This is a great city within Oaxaca, because it happens to be where some of the finest beaches in the area are. With some of the softest sand in the world, it just feels amazing on your feet. My wife and I, decided to stay over night in this area, because the beaches were just so amazing. Along the beaches, you'll see quite a bit of exotic plants and birds as well. These aren't your standard beach dwelling birds that we're used to in Florida, these are extremely colorful, parrot like birds, that are fairly abundant in this region. Another great thing about the area, is that the beaches are extremely gentle for children, as the waves are quite small. The very fine sand seems to be conducive for a great all around beach environment. The beach that we generally go to is Los Conejos, which technically means rabbit, probably because of the wild hares in the area. However Santa Cruz, and La Entrega are also excellent beaches as well.
Pinotepa Nacional
I can't think of anything more relaxing than listening to music. That's one of the main reasons we went to Pinotepa Nacional. We asked where we could listen to local music live and be entertained, and everyone always told us, "Pinotepa Nacional". This is definitely the musical hub for the state of Oaxaca. While this is also home to some great architecture and some amazing history, the music and folklore of the area can't be beat. Lucky for us, I speak a pretty good amount of Spanish, and so does my wife, so we were able to understand the many songs. In virtually every song sang, it's amazing how they manage to sing more about love and life, than about anything else. These people truly do have a great love for life and the land that they live on.
Puerto Angel
I had to list this place, because the water is just so amazingly clear. You can literally walk out for it seems like a mile, because of how shallow some points area, and still be able to see down to the bottom. There are multiple boats that you can hop on as well. We had a younger teenage boy paddle us around the coastline, while we tried to look at some of the exotic fish. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention and my wife and I both leaned over at the same time, and well... I did say it was a little boat and out we went into the water. I'm just glad the little boy understood and laughed along with us. I still felt bad, so I gave him an extra $5, which seemed like a month's income to him with the reaction he gave us.
Where to shop
Juchitan
This is a great little city within Oaxaca, as it's home to some of the best culture, and some of the best hand crafts. We came here originally, because we wanted to see the famed San Vincente Church, however, we ended up staying a while and purchasing quite a few little arts and crafts while we were here. The prices are pretty amazing, considering how many items that we bought. For the $200 that we spent, we would have probably spent around $5000 for all this stuff in stores in the states. Of course, where better to get a good price than the source, I suppose. We bought mostly pottery while we were here as well as some great woodwork that we still have on display in our home.
Mitla
While we actually went to Mitla for it's historical museums, we found an excellent market where we bought some great textiles, something that this area is well known for apparently. They also have some of the best fruits and vegetables at the market as well. I just highly suggest washing them off thoroughly before eating them, as my wife felt somewhat sick after eating a prickly pear.
Pochutla
This little city, is pretty cool, because this is where I bought my miniature guitar. We actually, were just driving through here and saw a market. I just had to get out and check it out, because no market is the same. I immediately saw miniature guitars, tuned and ready to go hanging from a stand. I then proceeded to offer up cash for it, however, the boy that was selling them was more interested in my cheap watch, so I made a trade instead. So for my $15 watch, I got a cool little guitar, that I broke about two months later. I think my wife sabotaged it personally, but hey, it still looks really cool, even if it sounds horrible now.
Restaurants
Eating in Oaxaca is an experience all of it's own. We never really had the opportunity to sit down and eat all that much while we traveled in this region. We were limited on time, as I could only be out on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before having to return back to work for more training, Monday morning. However, when we did eat, we ate quite well. For about $6 US, you get a pretty impressive meal at a lot of the small local restaurants. I never had the opportunity to finish all of the food that I was given, which unfortunately is sort of like a disrespect to the cook, as they expect you to eat it all. You can find all sorts of cultural Mexican food, from burrito style wraps, to numerous rice and cheese dishes. There are also some really strange foods, such as something that I swear they said had donkey meat, but I could have translated that wrong. However, I wouldn't be surprised as there definitely are some unique items in this area, including the food.
Hotels
Staying the night in Oaxaca can be a bit of an experience. While there are the massive hotel chains, that you see all over the world, modified to fit the landscape, the most fun you'll have is if you stay in one of the less standard lodging. We actually stayed most of our nights in the extra bedrooms of the locals, who rent out their homes for extra money. While this sounds somewhat strange, it's a fairly regular practice by the locals. The best part about staying in the homes of the locals is that you get a great introduction to the city and are told exactly where to go to see everything. You also get to eat some of the best local cooking there is, and it's all part of your stay.
Unfortunately, when we stayed at the home of Maria and Miguel, we were followed around by their like 6 or 7 children the entire time we were around their house. There was a window on our room as well, but it wasn't really covered, so anyone could just look in, and that meant their children stared at us quite a bit. Apparently, we were quite exotic to them, and they just had to be around us at all times.
Another issue with staying at local homes is that you have to pay in cash or trade. So make sure that you have extra money on you. Many don't care if you pay in American or Mexican funds, as long as you pay in some form of cash.
Payments
While many of the major attractions and merchants accept credit cards, generally American Express, travelers checks are a much better choice. There are far more places however, that accept cash, as it's always the best choice. Many places also accept American money, however, it is much better to just cash in your American for Mexican, and have a field day. I suggest going down there with Traveler's Checks, and cashing them in at the Bank (El Banco) for Mexican funds. This will prevent you from losing much if your money is stolen, and will allow you a lot more freedom, as it's universally accepted.
Final thoughts
Oaxaca is a great place to visit. While the large majority of the area is a lot like the United States in terms of how we live, and the luxuries that we have, there are some very tiny villages and cities that seem absolutely lost to society. Here in Oaxaca barter is still a very popular form of receiving goods, and we took advantage of it. While the majority of the area has evolved and is becoming more modern, there's still quite a lot of things that you can do, which reflect old Mexico and old culture. This is one of the things that makes the state so great.
I highly suggest making sure that you take the time to learn some Spanish before you go, as they speak quite fast. I have a pretty strong background in Spanish, as does my wife, and we had a really hard time keeping up at times. While there are quite a few people that speak English, in the smaller villages, you aren't going to be as lucky, and sometimes not even sign language is going to help you. While there are a large variety of different dialects and lots of slang, for the most part, Spanish as a whole is very universally spoken and understood.
And in closing, this is an experience, that you'll remember forever. The architecture is so amazing, that you will not just take home a lot of pictures, you're going to take back ideas that you want to use on your own property. We have already begun planning out a rock pond/garden featuring weather worn stones, and exotic plants for the framing. You too, will come back totally inspired by the area.
Reference Book Reviews
Easy Spanish Phrase Book
World Wide Travel Reviews
Bari Italy
Salina Italy
Oaxaca Mexico
Airline Reviews
Jet Blue Airways
Alaska Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Midwest Express
Virgin Atlantic
Southwest Airlines
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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