Day 11 - In Xela

Day 10

Day 9

Day 8 - Still in Oaxaca

We start our second full day of touring Oaxaca with a good cup of coffee...

then move on to some fantastic sights in the Cultural Museum, a former compound for monks and nuns. Much had been rebuilt due to several earthquakes. But first some distractions on our way there.

Check out the grill work on this bad coffee machine...

A beautiful but narrow outdoor passage way lead to a ...

...peaceful courtyard.

Some of the architecture is marvelous.

 The Horticulture grounds...

Horticulture grounds in the pictures both above and below

The inner courtyard of the Cultural Museum

Many marvelous ceramic pieces
from the complex...

... to the simplest of caricatures.

Lost wax casting, check out the details
above and below.

  

Street views from the Cultural Museum windows.

A view toward the beautiful Church that adjoined the convent/museum.

 More modern technology...

For my lock picking hijo.

My Father-in-law, Don Brestler, a true caballero,
would appreciate the leather work on this saddle.

Very similar to the Permaculture symbol.

Clarion Radio, even then they were in
the sound business.

A view toward the Church's choir loft.

At the end of the tour was the library. It contained many, many old volumes as can be seen below.

 I thought that the lawyer Don would
appreciate this title. One section was open
for public viewing, another closed but for
those doing some serious research.

Dinner started with a light snack, small insects and a brew.
The bugs had a salty grass taste to them.

A very busy tortilla shop near our hotel.

Another stop at the Carpet Shop...

The captivating, magic carpet, up close.

Erasto "Tito" Mendoza Ruiz
The artist's original design and hand woven work.

El Nahual
Apparently, the best carpet shop in Oaxaca. The
proprietor/artist had accolades from Santa Fe, NM
and Vancouver, BC, Canada, amongst others.
Check out his Blog at the above link.

Santos Guitars would appreciate the selection.
A mere plug for my brother-in-laws craft.

Tomorrow we leave for San Cristobal de las Casas...

Day 7 -Touring in and around Oaxaca

Today was yoga in the morning and the Mayan Monte Alban site in the afternoon.

The obscure entrance that initially deceived me led to the inner courtyard of the Yoga Studio

House Of The Angel Yoga Studio
The instructor was German who taught
in Spanish. A very nice studio to add to my
ongoing collection of international
yoga studios I've attended.

La Gata de Yoga

The park just outside of the Yoga Studio, very peaceful.

Some market mayhem during
my morning walk.

More pictures of the Santo Domingo Church

Any wonder where all that gold went?

This is the start of the tour of Monte Alban, the Mayan ruins...

Some of the better pieces of ceramics and stone
carvings were inside the museum.

View from the entrance to Monte Alban toward Oaxaca

Even the Mayans knew about the State of Idaho. Hmmm?

Here's the story, it's actually a time piece.

Quite a large place and difficult to capture in a standard photo.

Another view from the opposite direction looking South. The place is huge.

Southeast view.

The camera looks North

The place was very large and Don wanted me to capture the
immensity of the place compared to him.

That is Don in the background just left of center.

Another look back at Oaxaca

 Post tour dinner back at a cafe in the Zocola...