El museo de Santa Domingo y bicicletas

The Guelaguetza is starts on Monday but the town has been gearing up all week and there have been parades almost every evening. I learned that Mexico has a traditional two month vacation in July and August. A lot of people do not have work which gives them ample time to celebrate their culture.

Wondering around town

Circus rides/games along one of the streets

 Saturday I went to a museum in town. It is next to a cathedral, Santa Domingo, and used to be a convent. There are a lot of ex-convents in town that have been renovated.

The first place we went to in the museum was a huge library. It contained books from the 1400s.

HUGE library

 This is a copy of an old map. The indigenous people in the area drew it to show the land boundary lines. Several years back a group of people were having an argument with the government about land rights. The indigenous people brought out this ancient map to prove that the land was theirs. The government let them keep their land, but they took the map and put it into a museum across town.

One of the many elaborate ceilings

There are a lot of artifacts from the Aztec, Mixtec, and Zapotecs.

Botanical garden that is part of the ex-convent

 If ear plugs are becoming more popular now, does that mean culture is reversing?

How they panned for gold/silver

 After the indigenous artifacts came the history of the conquest. 

Spears used by conquistadors

A depiction of the conquest

The Spanish demanded tributes from the indigenous people. This included gold, cotton, nuts, and several other goods.

I would hate to be the horse bearing the rider wearing these spears

Mexican depiction of the Last Dinner

Benito Juarez is a pretty big individual here if I have not already mentioned. This was his presidential desk.  

One part of the museum is dedicated to the Mexican revolutions. There is a huge poster of some of the revolutionaries. I like to believe Pancho Villa and Emilio Zapato are in this picture if not, please let me live in blissful ignorance.

The uniform of Perifero Diaz

Today there was a big bike race and part of the course was I could watch from my house. They had a huge police escort. The car in front looked like it was having WAY too much fun. Like 60mph over the speed limit too much fun.

Enthusiastic spectators

There were two bikers well ahead of this group. The little girl had soo much fun watching. Her mom kept trying to get her to leave but the the girl would have none of that.

Big group of bikers. 

I have also taken up biking myself. 

At my host family's house in the country.