A DAY IN OAXACA:
ONE OF THE NEW WORLD'S NICEST CITIES...Part One: The Morning.
(Each image links to an enlargement)Given the long and illustrious history of Mexico, it is only fitting that just a few kilometers to the east of the oldest urban center in the Americas is one of the loveliest present-day cities in the Americas - the city of Oaxaca. All visitors to Mexico should consider Oaxaca (pronounced Wah-HAH-cah) a "must-see." Over the centuries, Oaxaca has become particularly adept at preserving the old and the interesting, while simultaneously keeping pace with the demands of even the most discerning foreign visitor.
And by "discerning", I do not wish to imply "wealthy", as do so many these days, but rather appreciative of quality and value for money in accommodations, food, souvenir purchases, art galleries and sightseeing. Your personal budget is irrelevant. Oaxaca is a city for everyone and one of the inevitable consequences of any stay there is the intermingling of the really wealthy, even aristocratic, with impoverished backpacking bohemians - in the markets, sitting around the plaza and in visits to the numerous archaeological sites nearby.
Tourists here don't simply visit - they discover their own Oaxaca, their own favourite places to eat, sit, shop and sip a pre-dinner cocktail. And many return, time after time, finding more things to do with each visit.
Of necessity, therefore, these suggestions for a "Day in Oaxaca" are nothing more that a personal anthology of treats and surprises. They continue to entice me, on my periodic return visits, just as they did more than twenty years ago when I first made the acquaintance of this venerable city. You will no doubt make your own discoveries, add your own special delights.
Putting aside for a while such mundane time-fillers as looking for a suitable hotel, let's start in the heart of downtown, sipping freshly-brewed, locally-grown coffee in one of the cafés fronting the main plaza. The locals call their plaza the Zócalo, though in strict usage the term is reserved only for that great, now-barren square in the centre of Mexico City. Here in Oaxaca, a Moorish-looking kiosko in the middle of the square is shaded by lovely trees. The term "Zócalo" was used simply in imitation, the sincerest form of....
But the use of the term does not imply that Oaxacans look up to the capital city. Oaxacans are far more proud of their own fine city, just as they are of their state's most famous son, the revered nineteenth century national president, Benito Juárez.
Despite being built on undulating land, Oaxaca is one of the most regularly laid-out cities in Mexico. In fact, the character of the local terrain is said to be why the settlement was first christened Antequera, after the town in Spain which was also built on uneven land. Oaxaca's street plan was set out by a mathematician, Alonso García Bravo, who also redesigned Mexico City after the fall of Tenochtitlan. He must have liked his design since he lived out the remainder of his life here in Oaxaca.
Finishing my cup of coffee and fancy sweet rolls takes longer than I thought, mainly because of the steady procession of young boys and girls table-hopping with their varied wares and sales pitches. Reluctant to take "no" for an answer, they insist that I examine their jewelery, stroke their onyx animals and admire their brightly-patterned rugs - even if I don't buy anything.
I stretch my legs in the direction of the cathedral, a short block away fronting on the small Alameda de León plaza. Sitting on a shady bench admiring the cathedral's magnificant ornate facade, I am momentarily distracted by a balloon salesman whose multicoloured balloons contrast splendidly with the building's greyish rock. Somehow, the cathedral seems more squat and massive than when I was here last time. Perhaps the numerous seismic shakes in this region have forced it to shrink into the ground in self-defense. The city and its plethora of superb buildings have often suffered minor damage as a result of the geological and social upheavals that have punctuated the seismic centuries since the Spanish first arrived.
Every time I look inside the cathedral, I hope to find that I was mistaken in dismissing it so casually the last time I saw it; however, the cool air that greets me as I step through the doorway perfectly anticipates my sense of disappointment at the relative lack of interest that the interior holds, at least from my unashamedly irreligious perspective.
I step outside again, into the bright and welcoming sunlight, and turn the corner. Sauntering along the rather arty, pedestrianized promenade (Andador de Macedonia Alcalá), I drift past attractive shop fronts and enticing doorways, many marked with commemorative, historical plaques. A steady stream of tourists trickles past me. I wonder whether my next destination, the church of Santa Domingo, will this time fail to provide me with the sense of amazement and astonishment that it has always invoked on previous occasions. I fear I may be disappointed, just as I was on entering the cathedral.
I delay my arrival at Santa Domingo by ducking into the Museum of the City of Oaxaca to gaze at the current exhibit of contemporary art in two of its upstairs rooms. This building was supposedly built by Hernán Cortés, the famous conquistador. Though intended for his personal use, he never lived here. Then I dive into a craft store, inhaling silently at the prices and mentally calculating probable profit margins. If only the artesans themselves could charge this much! A gaggle of chattering Europeans shields the till, each waving a credit card. It's not like my first visit, when international credit cards were virtually useless.
Here, across a small garden, is the imposing exterior of Santo Domingo. I hesitate again, looking above the doorway for St. Hippolytus the Martyr, the patron of the Dominican province which was centred on Oaxaca. There he is, wearing his Roman soldier's uniform, with a plumed helmet at his feet, helping Saint Dominic support the church. At several places on this west-facing facade, which for maximum effect deserves being seen in the late afternoon sun, are Dominican dogs, holding torches.
I can't put off the moment any longer. Prepared to be disappointed, I step inside...
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