Dan Will Travel

Monte Alban

The Oaxaca valley has two very important Mesoamerica sites, Monte Alban and Mitla. For lovers of historical ruins like me, these were both really great.

Monte Alban is one of Mesoamerica’s most spectacular ruined cities and lies just outside of Oaxaca. It reigned for over 1200 years from 500 BC through about 750 AD, most of this time ruled by the Zapotec peoples. The restoration work is very well done and you can get a true feeling for the size and scale of the ancient city.

White flowering tree common at Monte Alban.

View of the famous building J, dating from about year 1 in Christian calendar. The only building not at right angles and cause for much speculation about other worldly influence. There are well preserved carvings readily visible on the exterior walls that some say substantiate their theories.

Pretty intact carving from period I (500 BC>0)

View from the speaker’s position, North Platform. The entire layout emphasized acoustics. When the king spoke from this place, all of those people down there could hear him! While you are visiting the site, the guides will demonstrate this and you can hear everything.

Yes, I did climb these steps. Not easy for me, but that little railing sure helped!

Very well restored/preserved ball court, Monte Alban. Supposedly, some types of mistakes by a player resulted in their beheading. These ball games were taken very seriously throughout the various cultures of Mesoamerica.

Posted: December 9, 2019 by admin

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Oaxaca Countryside

My guide took me to many towns around Oaxaca. Here are some shots showing what we saw.

El Tule cypress tree. One of the largest trees in Latin America, over 2,000 years old and looking just fine. Look at its size compared to the town church! The town did a super job making a very nice park area around it.

Yes, grasshoppers. Quite crunchy. As were the ants.

Inside a never completed cathedral from the 16th century. These bright sunny days make for great shadows.

What a cute little trash can! Just along a side road, I think near a school.

Limestone “waterfalls” at Hierve El Aqua. There are bathing pools in the flat areas above the “falls.” Not an easy place to get to, but quite popular.

Posted: December 8, 2019 by admin

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Mexico, finally!

Well, finally Dan got to Mexico. Why I did not before is a mystery to me now that I have seen it. Tim suggested that I start in Oaxaca, which lies south of Mexico City about 1:30 hours by plane. The mountainous area is populated with a number of different indigenous groups and each has a long and significant history of artistic skills. The town layout itself dates from 1529 is eminently walkable with many superior restaurants serving the traditional Oaxacan moles as well as very forward fusions of these historical foods with new twists.

Oaxaca seems to be an ongoing center of political opinion and struggles to improve the situation for workers. I soon learned what the translated term “blocks” meant. Somehow the people protesting commandeer buses and such and use them to block key intersections to promote their cause. How they take over city buses is not clear to me, but everything seems peaceful and sort of just part of daily life here. Not ideal if you want to get from point A to point B but they are so cool with it, it is hard to get upset.

Guides and drivers are super good and inexpensive and allow you to get out into the countryside to see the sights and the best crafts. And, you all know I love to shop, so I was very happy here!