The Festivals of Oaxaca
Written: Apr 27 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Authentic Mexico
Cons: Some pickpockets in the market areas
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| TheSmartTraveler's Full Review: Oaxaca |
July 17 and 24, 2000 are the dates for one of Oaxaca's most popular festivals, La Guelaguetza, which means offering. La Guelaguetza is an indigenous celebration dedicated to the god of rain and fertility. It features music, food, dance, and troupes of richly costumed dancers from different parts of the state.
My favorite festival, held on December 23, is the Night of the Radishes. I enjoy the figures carved from radishes displayed in the zocolo. I recommend making your hotel reservation months in advance if you are going to Oaxaca for the Fiesta de los Rabanos.
Other festivals include the Food of the Gods Festival on October 7 thru the 14; the Day of the Dead October 31 and November 1. Many other Oaxacan festivals to enjoy are held throughout the year.
For that special holiday, I recommend a stay at the Camino Real, which is housed in a sixteenth century convent. The Holiday Inn Express Oaxaca is in the Historical Center, the Hotel Victoria is located on the Cerro del Fortin, or stay at the Francia, 212 Calle 20 de Noviembre where the writer D.H. Lawrence stayed in the 1920's. There are plenty of hotels in Oaxaca to meet every traveler's budget.
Things to see in Oaxaca are the Church of Santo Domingo, founded in 1570. The Baroque interior covered with polychrome reliefs and golden decorations, golden Rococo-style alter, massive gold chandeliers, tiled floors and side chapel are truly awesome. The Museo Regional and Botanical Gardens are attached to the Santo Domingo church. The museum displays pieces of gold, jade, and carved bone excavated from tomb 7 at Monte Alban. Monte Alban is only nine miles from Oaxaca and is a magnificent archeological site that offers an awe-inspiring look back into the ancient past of Mexico. Two thumbs up for the Monte Alban site.
I recommend a tour of the Rufino Tamayo Museum on Morelos between Porfirio Diaz and Tinoco y Palacias. This museum has about two thousand pieces of pre-Colombian art that were donated by the painter Rufino Tamayo.
Wander around the zocolo and enjoy a meal of mole, tamales, tortillas topped with meat, soup, or other specialties at one of the many outdoor cafes.
Oaxaca is also a shopper's paradise for black pottery, silver, mother of pearl, jade, lapis lazuli jewelry, shawls, leather, blankets and serapes and other handicrafts unique to this area. Two large markets near the zocolo plus the Benito Juarez Market, open on Saturdays, are great places to make purchases. There are also shops with reasonable prices on many streets all over the city.
Enjoy the festival of your choice in Oaxaca, and the authenticity of Mexico's colonial sights and traditions of their friendly people.
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: John Isaacs
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