I have not written in a while, mostly due to technical issues.... no adequate computer, troubles downloading over 1100 photos, busy travel schedule.... but we are on the go again and since last time I wrote, have covered quite a bit of territory in Mexico.
Our travels have basically taken us north. We started out in the Yucatan and have now made it to the Michoacan province to the west of Mexico City. En route we traveled through Oaxaca, Puebla and Mexico City.
After the beautiful Chiapas coast, we headed to the Oaxacan coast which is incredible, rugged and spectacular. We really enjoyed our time there and made our base out of lovely tranquil Mazunte.
Here is a photo of hiking on Punta Cometa along a string of lovely beaches. This punta is a great place from which to watch both sunrises & sunsets over the ocean.
Mazunte is a particularly interesting town due to the fact it completely recreated itself and its economic base which goes to show, no particular economic approach needs to remain static and frozen in time... whereas once there was a massive sea turtle slaughterhouse in the Mazunte region, there is now a great Turtle Centre there and the burgeoning tourism industry focuses on taking tourists out onto the ocean to see the massive sea turtles, dolphins and passing whales. These guys really know how to manoeuvre their boats through the pounding surf and rocky shoreline.
From Mazunte, we carried on over a particularly windy mountainous route to the regal (and interesting) city of Oaxaca where colonial and indigenous cultures meet in an extraordinary (and sometimes explosive) way... the indigenous cultures in this area are incredibly strong and independent. The people still have strong connections to their land, connections which are sometimes at odds with a vision for the area imposed by outsiders.
While we were there, there was a demonstration in the main plaza (Zocalo) demanding full investigations into the disappearance and killings of people from nearby communities who have spoken out against damaging projects. One recent incident included a Canadian mining company operation in nearby San Jose el Progreso which we were told by the people protesting, is supported by the Mexican government but opposed by the local people who were never consulted. One local Zapotec leader who was outspoken in opposing this mining project, Bernardo Mendez Vasquez, was recently killed, and the many people are calling for justice for his death. Since this occurrence, there has also been a protest outside the Canadian embassy in Mexico city calling for a full investigation into his death and respect for indigenous rights.
Despite calls from many human rights organizations for the Canadian government to regulate mining companies operating overseas, that has yet to happen and has been deemed by the current Canadian government as unnecessary and as such, these embarrassing moments of being a Canadian citizen traveling into these regions may continue to occur until these injustices are remedied... In this moment all we could do was look into these people's sad eyes and apologize for the actions of our country.
We then went to nearby Cholula for a couple of days. The widest & largest ancient pyramid of the Americas is here with a colonial chapel, Capilla de la Virgen de los Remedios, built right on top of it. It is unclear whether or not the Spaniards realized this was a pyramid (as it would have been overgrown already and appears like a large hill) when they built the chapel. Here is a shot from the chapel with smoking Volcan Popo in the background.
Then it was on to Mexico City... the big city.... what a place. We timed it nicely because Semana Santa (the Easter holiday) is the quietest time in the city as many of the city's residents vacate the city to vacation elsewhere.
Mexico City has historically been known for its air quality problems and while there is still some smog in the air, we also noted various attempts to clean up the environment there, and overall, Mexico City is nowadays a pleasant, interesting and cosmopolitan city. Here is one of the pedal cabs operating in the downtown historic centre. There is also an efficient (and cheap) metro covering much of the city and bikes for rent from kiosks all over the city. On Sundays, the 2 inside lanes of the main street Paseo de la Reforma are closed to autos and are instead filled with some pedestrians and many cyclists. We spent a bit of time wandering down the side of this bicycle-filled street and noticed how happy people looked, how much safer the streets felt and how people (of various social backgrounds) were all socializing with each other. To do away with automobiles from public space and replace them with bicycles and pedestrians makes astounding change.
On Easter Sunday we went to the Cerro de Tepeyac / Basilica de Guadalupe. In ancient times, it is said this place was a temple to an Aztec goddess and nowadays it is a shrine in honour of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Patron of Mexico and is scattered with a series of ornate churches in her honour. On our travels through Mexico (and even in South America), we have encountered shrines to the Virgin of Guadalupe everywhere, even in some very obscure places. She does indeed bind Mexico together. Reverance for the Virgin Mary is strong throughout Latin America.
The location of the basilica does indeed feel like sacred space. It is said that in the 1500s, Mary appeared to a local indigenous man by the name of Juan Diego. Where she stood, it is said, a spring appeared and the waterfalls seen cascading down the rocks in this picture originates from that same spring. The place is gorgeous and peaceful, full of trees, roses, birds, butterflies and bees. Indeed it is a space where peaceful power may be felt.
Downtown Mexico, we saw lots of well-attired people. For male shoppers, there is seemingly no end to suit shops. Here is one of the well-appointed characters downtown in suit and fedora.
We went to the Museum of Anthropology which is situated in a large city park, Bosque Chapultepec. Here, we saw the jade death mask and jewels taken from the tomb of King Pakal at theTemplo de los Inscripciones at Palenque ruins (we earlier visited Palenque while in the Chiapas). The museum provides an excellent historic & contemporary overview of the incredible diversity and wealth of Mexican indigenous cultures.
Before leaving Mexico City, we took a bus tour to get to Frida Kahlo's Blue House in the suburb of Coyacan. The artist Frida is one of the most famous artists in the world and her up and down relationship with famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera is legendary. This blue is an interesting colour, lonely, startling, ominous and exciting. Within the walls of this house and coping with great pain suffered as a result of polio and a subsequent trolley bus accident, Frida lived many of her days and created many of her interesting pieces of art.
Peyote Song
The blue flowers.
The blue flowers
which are
behind the mountains
which are talking,
which are talking.
You
who claim to know it all,
interpret them,
interpret them.
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