mountains and mole

hello from oaxaca, where teeming streets and crowded sidewalks do nothing to take away from the color and life of this little city. the traffic here is horrendous but the city is pleasantly manageable and maneuverable on foot, especially in the city center where, in fact, pedestrians rule. we have been here three full days already, joining the pedestrian march as we make endless circles around the zocalo and markets, where food and craft items are piled higher than the surrounding hillsides. on our first lazy and late morning here we visited the museo de las culturas de oaxaqueños, a massive double stone-walled building that is tucked between la iglesia de santo domingo and the adjoining monastery. the museum highlights the pre-hispanic cultures of oaxaca and showcases incredibly preserved artifacts from zapotec, mixtla, isthmus cultures and others in thick-walled stone rooms. the museum, which was a military compound before it was reopened and converted in 1994, would be almost too dungeon-like and stuffy were it not for the airy (but dark) corridors that separate the various wings of the museum and from which there are great views of the outer plaza and city. the museum plays close attention to the continuity of customs in the various indigenous cultures from one era to the next, so much so that it was startling to suddenly walk into the room of conquest and come face to face with cortez. never has there been such a jarring portrayal of the conquest of indigenous people. but to walk back into the streets of oaxaca again is to witness a fusion of the these influences, and many of the indigenous tongues and customs are still alive today (though more so in the central valley than in the city itself). our tour of cultures quickly turned into a tour of tastebuds, which is the one we still haven´t quit. food and flavor in oaxaca is as prized as its crafts, and we have made it a point to try a bit of everything. here´s a run down of our top three: mole negro (yes, there are indeed 7 types, but we stuck to this one which pretty much rules all others in this town), spiced with cinnamon, chocolate, bananas, and chiles, it is sweet but with a bite and smothers chicken or stuffs tamales; tyalludas, made en masse right outside our hostel, are big crisp tortillas topped with beans, quesillo (the stringing cheese of oaxaca) and just about anything else; chocolate de leche con pan, steaming milk and chocolate (ground cacao, sugar and almonds with added cinnamon, vanilla or walnut) served in a bowl with sweet bread to dip--just about the most indulgent cup of hot chocolate you can find. one last interesting side story before we head out for a last round of mole. some political turmoil went down in oaxaca last month and the zocalo is still buzzing with the events of june 14th, when the government called in a riot task force to tear gas the teacher´s union and others. the unions had been striking and protesting for some time and the zocalo is still strung with banners, newspaper clippings and articles, and angry graffiti can be seen on all corners. but except for the vivid photos showing the events in the zocalo on june 14th, and the more at east union reps and supporters that are still hanging out (though not in the same numbers), life for now appears pretty status quo around the city center.

we have thoroughly enjoyed our time in oaxaca and we have certainly eaten our way back to health, so tomorrow we begin a 500km trek, on our way to the largest city in the world...