Mitla

In nahuatl means "the place of the dead or underworld". It was a contemporary of Monte Alban. It flourished and grew dramatically though after Monte Alban was abandoned. Unlike Monte Alban though, there were still people living and thriving in Mitla when the conquistadores came over from Spain.

The conquistadores took over the region and forced the zapotecas to destroy some of their own buildings and use the stones to construct the catholic church pictured above. The church was built over what was most likely the most important spiritual building to the indigenous people.

This photo shows a piece of a mural that once told the history of the kings and the elite of Mitla. It's amazing to me that pieces of the mural still exist at all.

The zapotecas didn't use any form of cement when constructing these amazing grecas--the designs are simply made by packing the stones together very tightly.

Dar la luz...

On Wednesday of this last week, my four hours at the Red Cross was feeling more like 400 hours because for the first three there were absolutely no patients. Now, not that I wish for harm to befall people or for accidents to happen, but I do want to see something interesting each day that I work at the hospital. Well, the perseverence paid off because last Wednesday may end up being the highlight of the summer for me! I got to watch a woman give birth, which is rare (maybe 2-3 births a month) at the Red Cross because it is strictly for emergencies and the government actually has a program in Oaxaca at the Civil Hospital where mothers can have their babies gratis (for free). It was amazing and a bit disturbing at the same time! I didn't expect to feel so emotional as I watched the baby crown, and then heard the mother cry out, "Una nina, una nina?" (sorry, I can't get the puncuation right on this laptop...). She was really hoping for a little girl. What disturbed the beautiful moment, was that Dr. Paro immediately cut the cord and the student doctor rapidly cleaned up the baby and slapped a diaper on her! I guess I am just so used to all the stories of my friends births were the baby is immediately given to the mom so they can bond even more. Still, it was an experience I will never forget. Oh, and down here, the "romantic" way to say a mother gave birth is "Dar la luz" which means to give the light.

Monte Alban

Last Sunday, our group wound our way up above the city to Monte Alban. It was once a grand city where the elite of the Zapotecas lived from about 500b.c. to 750a.d. The place is amazing, and the people were actually very advanced for the time. They studied medicine, understood astronomy, had a writing system, attempted new forms of architecture, and grew many different kinds of foods. I think that approximately 80,000 people lived in or near the city. As I walked around and took a lot of photos, I tried to imagine what the place would be like bustling with people, shops, markets, etc. It was raining when we visited, which made the place seem even more "mystical" and the rain was actually a blessing because there was hardly anyone else visiting that day.

This is one of the buildings where for the first time in this region, the people went beyond just function. They were creative and artistic in their design.



This is one of the first visions you see after you make your way through the gates and up a little hill into Monte Albon. I just loved the fog and the huge trees...although the weather and vegetation would have been different when the Zapotecas lived here.

This is where the game called Pelota was played. It had religious significance for the Zapotecas and was played in cycles according to their study of the stars. There were two teams each with about 5 players. The teams would work together to get the ball through a hoop (not picutred). I imagine it was a fierce competition because the winners sacrificed the losers, and offered their hearts to the gods.

This is called an estela. Most archeologists and historians believe it is a picture of someone who needed medical treatment and/or was a prisoner held by the Zapotecas. There are many of these stone tablets around the site. It was how they passed their history (both their personal life history and medical knowledge) onto the following generations to learn from.

Another Unexpected Visitor

Last weekend, I went out for dessert with a few other girls. We decided to try a place near the Zocolo and were enjoying our chocolate cake, when we were joined by this little character. He was only 4 years old, but he was already a pro at working the tables at the cafe. He plopped down and started talking with us--I have no idea where his folks were. I pushed my plate towards him, and he hastily devoured the rest of my cake, then began eyeing the rest of my hot chocolate. He finished that off too. It was hilarious. Once the food was gone, he quickly moved onto a nearby table and started the routine all over again.

El Mercado de Abastos

Let's just say this is the largest, dirtiest, most interesting maze of a market I've ever been in. I visited the market last Saturday--which just happens to be its busiest day. The pictures tell the story much better than I ever could.

La Cruz Roja

My summer internship is going to be amazing! I am working in the Red Cross Hospital right around the corner from the college. Can you believe that on the first day they asked me if I wanted to ride along and assist in the ambulances!?! I had to explain that I didn´t want to hurt anyone, so I´d rather just observe initially. This photo is of me on my first day. There are two other girls from the program, Stephanie and Caitlin, who are also working there. Caitlin and I will be working the same shifts.

El museo de Santo Domingo

This is an amazing museum. We will actually be visiting it three times for history excursions while we're here, but I just wanted to give you taste of what I got to see last weekend while I was there.

This is a beautiful fountain--one of the first things you see as you enter the grounds of the church.

Everything is painted in gold.

These are some of the urns that the priests would burn incense in as offerings. The different urns represent the different gods the zapotecas-mixtecas worshipped.

El Camino Real

The first Saturday I was here, we were all invited to a reception at El Camino Real. It is one of the nicest hotels/restaurants in Oaxaca and takes up a whole city block. I guess it costs upward of $500 a night to stay in the hotel. We all got dressed up (or as much as we could--none of knew about this reception before we left) and had a great time. The food was great (I tried octupus and liked it!), there was entertainment, and I got to know a few of the other girls in the program a little better.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Hola. ¿Como estas? So, my summer has begun in Oaxaca and it is already turning into a crazy experience! I arrived on a Sunday night, May 25th...it took all day to get from SAC to LAX to Mexico City to the airport in Oaxaca--which is the size of the airport in Arcata. Upon arrival, my bags were nowhere to be found. So I tried not to tear up too much (I was also very tired by that time) and took a cab to the Casona del Llano. The hotel was great--clean and right next to the place it is named after. El Llano is a large square with four fountains, a statue, and tons of beautiful trees.

About an hour after I got to the hotel, my bags arrived. Sadly, my hiking and running shoes, and my backpack were missing from them. I was told that stealing from bags as they go through customs is very rare, but it means that I will have to purchase some other shoes--a good way for me to practice my spanish in a real situation.

The following day, I met my host, Amparo, and went to her house. That first night in the new house was tough, but I made it. I did however meet another new, unexpected friend the next morning. I woke up around 5:30am to use the bathroom, and as I was washing my hands I noticed some wierd wires sticking out from under the faucet. I stepped back to look...and it was a cockroach!!! Apparantly, they love the water and if you forget to plug the shower drain (like I did that first night), they can get inside the house. I raced out of the bathroom as fast as I could, but no surprise--I could not fall back asleep. However, I met my little friend again the next morning when I was taking a shower, and he died a quick and painless death--an accident with my shoe.