Oaxaca

Statue of Juarez in front of the Auditorio Guelaguetza.
see all photos »

Oaxaca, pronounced Wa-hacka, was founded by the Spanish in 1521 (they called it Antequera) on the site of a Zapotec and Mixtec settlement. By 1796 it had become the third largest city in Nueva Espana, and grew rich thanks to the export of cochineal and textile production. However in 1854 an earthquake destroyed much of the city, and a further earthquake in 1931 left 70% of the city uninhabitable.

Oaxaca is about 500kms south east of Mexico City, and sits at 1600m. The population today is over 250,000 but this colonial town still retains a real charm and has some great architecture.

Mural showing Benito Juarez and his wife in the Palacio de Gobierno.
see all photos »

The city's favourite son is Benito Juarez, and indeed he is revered throughout Mexico. Juarez was a Zapotec, and came to live in Oaxaca at the age of 13, although at that time he could neither read, speak or write in Spanish. He went on to enter politics, and served four terms as President for much of that time striving against social prejudices, eventually dying of a heart attack while in office. His statue can be found in Oaxaca, and his image is even used as a watermark on car number plates.

"Aztec" dancer.
see all photos »

Throughout Mexico the car number plates usually have a visual representation of the town or state in which they are, and many of the towns of the Yucatan have visual representations of Mayan sites .

The Zocalo is the heart of the town, a place where shoe-shiners set up their businesses, busily shining their client's shoes while the latter sit reading the morning papers. Children play with extra long balloons as birds dance around the water fountains, splashing in the warm morning sunshine. The entire area is a blaze of red flowers - poinsettia plants which have been planted for the festive season.

The beautiful baroque facade of the Cathedral
see all photos »

The Zocalo is surrounded by colonnaded arcades where you'll find cafes and restaurants - although not the cheapest places to eat or drink in town, it is a great way to do some people watching, and soak up the atmosphere, although you will get a stream of hawkers both old and very young trying to sell you their wares.

On the 6th January we experienced the Dia de los Reyes celebrations in the evening. A brass band played as it paraded around the Zocalo, and was followed by a float with several children dressed up in white, while in front of the procession a young boy would run at full pelt with a catherine wheel held aloft on the end of a pole. Some women in the procession carried coloured glass lanterns and every so often others would throw handfuls of boiled sweets into the crowd of onlookers. Children would scurry around at your feet, eager to find every last sweet.

Lantern carrier at the Dia de los Reyes celebrations on 6 January.
see all photos »

Earlier in the day, and on the previous day, we had watched as many of the children released balloons into the air. Attached to each balloon was a card on which the children had written their "wish list" of presents to the Three Kings.

On the south side of the Zocalo is the Palacio del Gobierno which is no longer the seat of the Government, but is a small museum and entry is free. Inside you can see a large mural by Arturo Garcia Bustos depicting famous Oaxacans and the country's history where, amongst others, Benito Juarez is depicted with is wife.

Image of Benito Juarez on Oaxacan numberplate.
see all photos »

The Cathedral also sits on the Zocalo, and has a wonderful Baroque facade. Building started in 1553 but was not completed until the eighteenth century, thanks to several earthquakes in some of the intervening years.

Our only "regret" here was that we never did get around to sampling the delicious "chapulinas" - grasshoppers fried in chilli!