A blog so big it should have been made into 3

I went on more tours around Oaxaca today. It started with visiting a HUGE Tule tree which happens to not really be a Tule tree because those don't exist. The tree is over 2000 years old and was named by the Aztecs who conquered the area. It is over 50m in diameter.

Montezuma Cypress

 We then took a very long drive to the Hierve el Agua. I snapped a few pictures from the van along the way.

Hierve el agua is a natural calcium and sulfur spring. The water is not really boiling, nor is it hot. The way in which it comes out of the ground makes it appear as if it is boiling so that is where the name comes from.

A spring at Hierve el agua

A pool created by the spring

The calcium in the water stains the rocks white. This makes it took like a water fall (when really it isn't). 

Las cascadas

Sitting at the edge of the world

Enjoying the cool water on a hot day

After Hierve el agua we went to another ancient city called Mitla. The city was taken over by the Spanish and destroyed save but one section of a palace. This was to remind the people that their gods were not as strong as the Spanish god. 

The remaining section of the palace

 This is an original building. No acts of preservation were done by the people prior to the 20th century but the building remained intact due to the construction. There are a lot of tremors in the area and the Zapotecs developed a way of dry construction (without mortar) that made the buildings flexible. What they did was place the stones so that there were still small holes between them and when there was a tremor the rocks were able to move freely. 

The original building had red painting on it. The rocks are still stained a light pink from where the were decorated. The red in the picture is from recent restoration to show what it may have looked like.

From the front

Courtyard of the palace

The dry construction

Inside the palace

 The Spanish built a church on top of one of the destroyed sections of the palace. This was to show their dominance over the Zapotec gods. 

After Mitla we went to a textile place where they made rugs. The family that ran the place was of Zapotec origin and still spoke the native tongue (as well as Spanish and English). They talked to us how they cleaned the wool, prepared it, spun it, and dyed it.

The tools of the trade

 They then showed us their method of weaving rugs and several completed rugs. 

The tree of life

After returning back to town I wandered around the Zocalo looking for food and water. I also ran into a clown, fireworks, and a parade. It was pretty awesome! The parade was a demonstration for the Guelaguetza which is a big celebration held at the end of July every year in honor of Benito Juarez. The celebration starts on Monday with two more festivals on the following Saturdays. The name, guelaguetza, comes from a Zapotec work meaning "mutual offering." The celebration focuses on tradition dances, dress, and customs from the different regions of Oaxaca. This year marks the 80 year anniversary of the festival.  

Posing with parade dancers

Posing with a parade dancer

Seguros y Churros

Last night we learned about the healthcare system in Mexico. There are four basic segments and it is all run by the government - healthcare is a deemed a right, not a privilege. In the clinics where I work, the healthcare people have is called Seguro Popular. There are no co-pays, no costs for check ups, lab work, or surgeries. Patients may have to pay for some medications but that is rare. Oportunidades is a form of healthcare that branches from Seguro Popular. It actually costs families money to have, however, if patients check in every 6 months then the government helps cover the cost. A family can only have Oportunidades if they have children (and the children are attending school - school is not a requirement here). 

The other forms of healthcare include: ISSSTE which is for government workers, ISSFAM is for military personnel and their families, and IMSS which is your basic healthcare for the working class and does come with a cost. Usually the employer pays half the cost and the employee pays the other half. If the employee does not want to have to pay for IMSS they may always opt to have Seguro Popular but the healthcare provided is not as good.  

 

I snapped some shots of town on my way to the bus stop this morning. Early mornings and when it is raining are the best times to be out because no one else is. Usually the streets are packed with cars and the sidewalks with people.

The only form of green within a kilo of my place.

At the end of the day I went to a local bakery with some friends: Laura, Taylor, and Kirsten. It was fresh baked and some of it still warm! Sooo good.

It did not just rain today, it poured! And for several hours too.

Taylor and Kirsten (whimp)

Did I mention people do not like rain here? When it rains they go hide and try to wait it out. Normally this square is crowded with all sorts of life. Instead you can see people huddling in the door way of the church (there is a clown on the far right). We definitely felt like tourists when walking around.

Zocalo in the rain

 Eventually we decided to take for cover too and ended up in a sandwich shop. One of the wares included chocolate covered churros. This one is for you, Dad:

Chocolate covered churros and stuffed donos at Tito's

I was moved to a new hospital this week. It is much less exciting but is more intensive. I work with Dr. Francisco Lopez. He is constantly asking me questions about diagnosis and recommendations for the patients. Today he had me write his notes for him on the computer. It was a little degrading when he reworked half of it but I am learning.

Dr. Francisco going over a lab report with his patients

 When walking home from the bus stop I got mixed in with a large group of people. It turned out I was following a funeral procession that took up the entire street! 

Funeral Procession

 While waiting for the head doctor, Dra. Maggaldi, to come talk to us we played Manzanas con Manzanas. It was a lot of fun - even though we did not know 2/3rds of the words!

Manzanas con Manzanas

At the end of our day we wandered around the Zocalo, which is the main trading hub of the city. It is a big touristy area with people playing music and trying to sell you crafts. Did I mention my camera is dying? A slow painful death. I would like to apologize now for the poor quality of pictures you will see from now on.

Zocalo

Race Day and Monte Albán

This morning my family and I woke up early to participate in a race. It was a 5K around the main square of the city. It was a lot of fun, free, and I earned a shirt! Afterwords my group and I went on an all day tour of Monte Albán and some surround pueblos. 

Sunblock warriors! 

Tour guide with the Albán tree

Monte Albán is located just outside the city and is the ruins of a Zapotec and Mixteca culture. The name for the site is Spanish: Monte for mountain and Albán meaning white. There are trees that cover the hill called Trompillos and in the Spring white flowers bloom on them.

Over looking the complex

 Monte Albán is spread across four mountains. The Zapotecs were the first to live in the region and actually spent 50 years flattening the tops of the mountains by removing the dirt. They built their temples on the top of the mountains. This was also the place that the elites lived. The lower classes built their houses carved into the sides of the mountains.

A Zapotec sundial 

Wood carvings

After Monte Albán we went to two pueblos. The pueblos are home to artisan families. Oaxaca is known for its wood carvings, black pottery, and woven rugs. At the pueblos entire families work together to produce the final product. The first pueblo focused on wood carvings. The wood used is taken from the Trompillo trees. The trees are classified as either male or female depending on their size. When first cut the wood is very soft and easy for the carvers to work with but hardens with time. Once harden the painters follow the lines of the wood to finish the product.

An old Dominican church we passed on the way to the next pueblo. There were two quinceañeras occurring while we were there.  

There are a lot of tremors in the area. One, several decades ago, caused half the pillars and the ceiling to collapse.

We stopped for lunch at this 'all-you-can-eat' restaurant. They serve food that is traditional all over Qaxaca. 

Soupa de Qaxaca

This soup is a Qaxacan specialty. It has corn, squash, green beans, spinach, and tastes rica!

Barro negro

The final place we went to specialized in black pottery. Traditionally chunks of rock were allowed to soak in water for a month. After becoming soft they were formed into the desired shapes with a hand wheel. There were then placed in a helm for 17 hours. These pots were then used to carry and store water. Today, the pots are more ornamental. A few decades ago a technique used to make these pots appear shiny was developed here.

Classes and the Hospital: 

I started taking Spanish classes Monday and began working in a local clinic today. What an experience! The clinic I am at is for lower class people and is set up so that they do not have to pay the visit. I believe they do have to pay for some of the medications provided. It is interesting to see how the doctors get by with little funds. A big culture shock, for me, was the lack of gloves used. They just do not have the money to constantly buy new gloves. While I was there today I worked as a scribe for the doctor and helped with vitals. I saw everything from a pregnant 16 year old coming in for a check up to a woman who had chopped off the top of her finger during work (yes Mom, I told them about you). 

The woman cut her finger with a machete and was missing half her nail bed. There was blood everywhere. Despite the anesthesia shot into the finger the woman was not able to endure more than three stitches. I don't blame her, it looked painful. I really wish I had brought my camera with me.

There was also a boy with epilepsy. He was at school and had a tremor inducing vomit all over himself. The teacher brought him in thinking he was very sick. I wanted to go hurl. No one wore gloves when working with him (and only the doctor wore gloves with the woman with a cut finger). When the doctor and I went back to her office to see regular patients (the boy was in an Emergency Room) she went to work at her type writer. After a minute she realized how smelly her hands were and we washed our hands. 

One of the final patients when I was there had a vaginal infection due to an IUD. We looked the door, the woman stripped her pants and lay down on the table and the doctor opened her up. Now I know what an inflamed vagina looks like.  

A graduation party

I have also had time to walk around the city with the others in my group. As we walked to the markets for dinner after class we came across a party that took up a whole street. It turns out it was a graduation party for a local school. Mom, Dad, you have high expectations in December.

Regulas 

Dani was sick early this week so I made her a get well card (Mejurate pronto!). I quickly learned that when you give something in Mexico, it opens the flood gates for more in return. Dani and Vero made me a thank you card each plus another they made together. They also gave me random items they made including: a newspaper boat, some sort of painted bottle they say is for my basura, and a black paper that I can scratch drawings into.

View of the sunset from one of the squares. 

Church where the Organ Concert  was held

Tuesday night some of the others in my group and I went to an Organ Concert held in this church. The organist featured Oaxacan music with a percussion accompaniment and the audience even sang along with one song. The organ looked very old and two people stood by to help the organist work the stops.

La Protesta

Sunday was Mexico's presidential elections. Oaxaca is not pleased with the results and have been holding protests every day. The locals assure me that this is normal and that Oaxacans love holding protests.

ps. See Dad, I am drinking water. See??

La primera de julio: still getting to know my new home

This morning I met the other students, there are seven of us all together. We took a tour around the city to learn where the hospitals are and how the bus system works so that we may use it when we have exchanges.  Most of the other students spoke limited Spanish so the guide spoke in English. Today was election day for Mexico. There were a lot of events going on associated with it (including a lot of fire works). As we drove around the city we passed the building were people go to cast their ballot. There was a line wrapping all the way around the block. 

My host family is pretty awesome. For lunch, Evangalina (the mom) made agua de horchata. It is new favorite drink. I spent most of the afternoon/evening playing games with Danny and Vero. When Vero asked me if I wanted to play a game with her I though she was asking me if I wanted to go home. Jugar and Hogar still sound similar to me. I had to go ask her mom what she was saying! I think we went through every game in the house including (but not limited to) Sorry, a Janga version of Phase 10, Operation, Hide and Seek, Tag, and something that involved piranhas. They even tried to teach me a number game but I could not understand.

Jardin Etnobotanico

I walk by this botanical garden on my to the school. It boasts plants from all over Oaxaca.

Benito Juarez

 A statue of Benito Juarez, pointing towards Monte Alban, overlooks the city. He was an Indian (native race) and orphaned at the age of three. His uncle took him in and he became a shepherd in the mountains. There was a lot of civil unrest going on in Oaxaca at the time. When Juarez was 11 he decided to go into the valley to learn what was going on. He went to live with his sister and took a job for a Franciscan. The Franciscan was impressed with him and over looked his training. Juarez's first language was Zapotec (native tongue), his second Latin, and his third Spanish. As an adult he helped overthrow the French Occupation of Mexico and the Second Mexican Empire. He later became President of Mexico. Oaxacans are very proud of his success story and the capital city is named after him (Oaxaca de Juarez).

Monte Alban

 Benito Juarez points towards Monte Alban, which is everything in this picture plus some. Only about 10% has been excavated. If you look closely, some of the hills have an additional bump. These are thought to be unexcavated sights.

The guaje tree from which Oaxaca received its name

When the Aztecs came to Oaxaca another group of indigenous people lived here called the Zapotecs. Instead of taking them over the Aztecs and Zapotecs had some sort of mutual agreement. The Aztecs named the valley for the type of tree that grew there. Oaxaca is derived from the Nahuatl word, Huaxyacac, which refers to a tree called a guaje. Confused how Oaxaca comes from Huaxyacac? Me too. I still have a hard time explaining to my dad that an Oa is pronounced "wa" and xa is pronounced "ha." The name was later passed on to the Spanish Conquistadors. This tree is very important to the Oaxacans. 

Marcado de carne

After the tour, the other students and I went to one of the big markets in town. This vendor sells raw meet. I think they also cook it (but I'm not positive). The guy with the green strip is a student named Isaac. He bought pork sausage. He had me help him with his order, which ended up with me having to sample some of the food. mmm...

Corn on a stick?

The Oaxacan form of cotton candy. They boil it, put lime juice on it, salt, butter, cheese and chili powder (in that order). I could eat ten of these.

Tacos!

My family hosted an exchange student from Leon, Mexico this past school year. The one thing he suggested I do was try the tacos. I spent a long time looking for these bad boys (as well as chocolate covered grasshoppers but I think they use a different word because no one knows what I'm talking about). It looks more like an English Taquito but much bigger. As always: served with bean paste, guacamole, salsa, and cheese. It was delicious!

ps. I love the food here and the weather. It is soo much like Southern Oregon. Freakishly hot during the day but warm rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon/evening. Good think I brought my sombrilla!