Our first couple of weeks in Mexico were a blast and time flew as we fit as much as we could into each day, while also driving a lot (more than 1500 miles in that time) and figuring out how to live in our van. The latter included a couple of days spent moving, adding, and subtracting from our build as we determined what was needed to make our lives easier and what was extraneous. We loved our time in Mexico City, Valle de Bravo, and climbing a volcano, but it was time to slow down a little. We found the perfect setting in the state of Oaxaca.
As we drove into the state, we immediately knew we would like it here; the scenery outside steadily grew more green and, after passing many “rivers” with little water in the northern half of the country, we were actually finding lots of bodies of water. Many cacti still dotted the landscape, but these were much larger and clearly had not worried about drought as recently as their northern brethren.
After a quick stop in Oaxaca City to gather supplies and spend the night, we drove up to the region of Los Pueblos Mancomunados, a series of small self-governing indigenous villages in the mountains east of the city that have prioritized ecotourism. Only about 30 miles away from the city as the crow flies, the two felt worlds apart, perhaps in part because it took nearly three hours to get there, driving on very bumpy dirt roads that sometimes felt more vertical than horizontal. (In one case, we were literally driving on a road as it was being built, with workers probably wondering why we chose that particular route as they poured concrete over the existing dirt pathway.) After checking in at the town of Cuajimoloyas, we set up camp in an open field that doubled as the local trout restaurant, complete with pools where the couple running the place kept their freshly caught truchas that could then be cooked fresh to order. We enjoyed the relaxed pace of our surroundings and spent several days hiking among the trees, rivers, and waterfalls, and reading in our hammock while Arya roamed the open fields and developed a taste for the local cow pies (yuck).
We returned to Oaxaca City over the weekend to enjoy the food and culture. Of the former, we treated ourselves to some delicious mole, mezcal sampling, several different coffee shops, and - because we were missing home - not one, but two different Indian restaurants. While we’ve enjoyed lots of food so far, it was deeply gratifying to enjoy a paneer wrap (made with naan of course) and a good cup of homemade chai from a very kind Gujarati chef, who proceeded to give us several recommendations for the rest of our time in the state. The historic center of the city was a joy to walk around, with very colorful buildings, several weddings that we stumbled across, plenty of vendors hawking local wares, including alebrijes, very colorful and imaginative carvings that often combine features from multiple animals and are painted in extraordinarily colorful detail.
Upon leaving the city, we were fortunate to spend a night and morning in the town of San Martín Tilcajete. Just south of the city, this pueblo specializes in creating these alebrijes, which are then sold not only in Oaxaca City but throughout Mexico. Indeed, it seemed like every other shop we passed offered their own interpretation and flavor to this folk art. In the Jacobo and Maria Angeles gallery, we were treated to a tour of their workshop, where they apprentice young artists and have even begun expanding the art form by implementing custom orders from wealthy individuals who love the designs (the highlight was a Rolls-Royce that took over a year to paint). While that remained just a bit out of our price range, we again fell in love with more designs than we could carry, and had difficulty choosing just one to bring us joy and color for the next part of our journey.