I.I.III.II – Oaxaca de Juárez: Day Two
OAXACA DE JUÁREZ
I.I.III.II – DAY TWO
14/08/22
My days in Oaxaca would be spent in the mainland; much to a spring-breaker’s chagrin who’d probably visit the city in order to get to the coast. This, according to the locals (and many, many blogs), boasts of beaches that are amongst the best in the whole of Mexico, with Puerto Escondido and Zipolite being the most famous.
I figured I had plenty of nice beaches lined up for me during the entire trip so I could dedicate the six-hour drive to something much more productive. To that end, I found myself on yet another day-tour around the city and its outskirts, together with a family of Mexicans from Guadalajara who happened to be on holiday.
We started off visiting the Tule Tree; a 1500-year-old Montezuma cypress which is thought to have the stoutest trunk in the world. We were dropped off in front of a small square in the small town of Santa María de Tule, with a huge tree at its centre and a shrine at its base catching our attention the moment we got off the bus. Turns out, this was not, in fact, the real deal. It didn’t take much for us to realise which one was.
Next to a church stands the impressively majestic Tule Tree – the tree we were just fawning over up until a few minutes previously paling in comparison to this one. As we ran laps around its massive trunk, it wasn’t at all impossible to picture what our guide had told us – that it can be circled by as many as fifty people! Though still apparently thriving, unfortunately the tree is slowly dying (no doubt because of our doing).
Then we made our way to a textile-making workshop where some locals showed us the entire process involved in making rugs – from extracting pigments from natural sources to the actual weaving process. For instance:
- Indigo: Derived from the Indigofera plant.
- Red: Extracted from nopal which is parasitised by cochineals for at least ninety days, producing carminic acid.
- Orange: The red pigment is mixed with lemon juice.
- Purple: The red pigment is mixed with crushed limestone.
Hierve el Agua
Amongst the attractions close to Oaxaca, my favourite would be Hierve el Agua. This natural wonder is known for its petrified waterfalls made of travertine. These, we were explained, formed over millions of years due to the highly mineralised water running in the freshwater springs leading to deposition of calcium carbonate and subsequent calcification – much like the formation of stalactites and stalagmites in caves.
But wait – there’s more! This phenomenon also led to the formation of natural stone pools through which hot water bubbles, hence the location’s name which translates to ‘water that boils’. Owing to the mineral rich rocks and the presence of extremophilic bacteria and algae, the rocks have an orange hue to them, creating a vibrant contrast with the turquoise water of the pool, the verdant green of the mountains and the bright blue sky.
If that’s not enough, the hot springs are near the edge of the waterfalls themselves; lending themselves a full view of the opposing mountains. I have to admit, hardly anything can top the feeling of enjoying a dip in their pristine, thermal waters whilst looking at such a gorgeous vista!
Painting the studio red
Back in Oaxaca, I found myself heading to my hotel the second the tour was over. With so much to do in one single day, it’s no wonder that I’d end up sleeping right away on most days.
In a way, it felt as if I had been missing out on some aspects of travelling – say the nightlife other backpackers seemed to be all about. Given how much I was experiencing throughout the day, it felt like a small price to pay. That said, my FOMO got the better of me. Chucho, a guy I had met the previous day whilst strolling around the city, invited me to his art studio for a couple of drinks.
Semi-reluctantly, I took him up on his offer instead of getting some much-needed rest. And man was it a good decision. The second I walked into his studio, I was met with all kinds of masterpieces – including a shelf full of masks based on people he’d meet (to be used in an exhibition in London), photographs and portraits he had taken over the years (a professional through and through), and sculptures based on characters he made up for his clay-mation videos and books (which are very popular with kids). Exactly like stepping into a museum – albeit a messy and overly cluttered one, with all kinds of tools and instruments everywhere you look.
After giving me a brief tour and explaining all about his work as the creator of Chucho Caza, I somehow ended up on his couch with plaster on my face – my visage now immortalised for posterity. Turns out, it isn’t just nightlife one gets to miss out on when they choose rest over adventures!
