Journeying Outside Oaxaca: Mitla and a village church

Mitla is a Zapotec site, first built and inhabited about 950 A.D. During the colonial era, stones were taken from the walls and buildings to build the red-domed Catholic Church seen above. The architectural detail at Mitla can be seen below.

And meanwhile, the villages are being festooned for the approaching Day of the Dead.

Interior details from the church above.

 Wildly colorful, the designs are an amalgam of indigenous and colonial tastes. The indigenous Zapotec artists incorporated their own motifs into the work. Zapotec masks and headdresses can be found surrounding altars to the saints.

On the Street in Oaxaca

Monté Alban

This Zapotec site was occupied for about 500 years, beginning in 400 B.C. It 's immense. It's only 10 percent excavated. There are a total of 6,000 archeological sites in Mexico. The ancient world is beyond our comprehension; so much is lost to us.

I climbed these steps and another set similar to these and walked around on top of the plateaus in silence, listening to the hum of bees and smelling orange blossoms. I walked in the footsteps of the Zapotecs.

More Oaxaca

Mural depicting part of the history of Oaxaca (the more recent era) in a government building.

The state motto of Oaxaca is on the banner. It translates as Respect for All People Means Peace. If someone builds a wall between here and Mexico, I'm staying here.

More fun facts: Oaxaca is the size of Indiana--unless you flatten out the mountains. Then it's the size of Texas.

There's a spectacular beach 160 miles from here with world class surfing. It's a 6 1/2 hour drive because you have to cross three mountain ranges.

A taxi ride anywhere in the city center amounts to 2 dollars and 50 cents. No tipping.

Day of the Dead is approaching. The city is getting ready. We are all on the same path.