Poking around the pueblos of Oaxaca: Vista Hermosa
Morning clouds hover lazily over the city as we finish our coffee in a zocalo cafe in Oaxaca. It’s as if the clouds, like my friend and I, aren’t in any hurry to move on. As we saunter the several ...
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Spring-time boogie: From Oaxaca to California
Misol-Ha, where the trail takes you behind the falls. Situated between the Mayan ruins at Palenque and the city of San Cristobal, in the highlands of Chiapas, this site has been developed as ejido (co-...
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Midnight on the Isthmus: Returning home to Chiapas from Oaxaca
After an exciting week visiting a close friend, meeting new ones, and immersing myself fully in the rich cultural experience that is Oaxaca, I was headed home to celebrate Christmas with my family and ...
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Rain, rain go away: Summer in Oaxaca
Whether rain or shine, the protests in front of the government palace in Oaxaca go on. This banner, with likenesses of Ricardo Flores Magon and Emiliano Zapata, says "This paradise, this flag, this lan...
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Traffic control, Mexican style
This picture was taken in the Sumidero Canyon, a man-made lake in Chiapas. The cliffs reach over half a mile in height in places.
© Dan McWethy, 2000
Gringos call them "speed bumps". Mexicans nic...
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Lila Downs
Lila Downs Sanchez and her band will be appearing at the Alvaro Carillo Theater in Oaxaca on February 12. It's a benefit for the Casa de Mujer. If you're in town, don't miss it. Photography by Diana Ri...
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El Arbol de Tule: probably the biggest tree in the world
At over 2000 years old, El Arbol del Tule, which is actually an Ahuehuete Cypress, is amongst the oldest living trees in the world. With a 10 meter (33 feet) diameter trunk it is also considered by many to be the broadest tree in the world. The circumference of the trunk is an amazing 54 meters (178 feet) It is over 40 meters (130 feet) high, boasts a foliage diameter of over 51 meters (170 feet), and weighs over 500 tons.
read moreHistory of Oaxaca: The Modern Era
History of Oaxaca
Part 3 - Modern Era
By Maria Diaz
Her Bio
Her email: maria@oaxacalive.com
Part 1 Pre-Hispanic Era - Part 2 Colonial Era
Let us continue our...
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Why am I laughing? Street clowns in Mexico
Mutual aid and survival in the mountains of Oaxaca
This road, graded to a high standard for gravel-based bituminous construction, was less than one year old when it washed out. Fortunately, there was still enough mountainside left to make a bypass. Man...
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December in Oaxaca
In December in Oaxaca there's a fiesta almost every day, which makes this colonial city one of the most popular holiday destinations for both foreigners and Mexicans. We describe below the main ce...
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Green means food, red means starvation: Agriculture in Mexico's Mixteca Alta
These bells were removed from the church at Santa Maria Tiltepec. An earthquake caused severe structural damage to the bell tower in June of 1999. Erosion caused the red gashes in the surrounding hills...
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History of Oaxaca: The Colonial Era
History of Oaxaca
Part 2 - Colonial Era
By Maria Diaz
Her Bio
Her email: maria@oaxacalive.com
Part 1 Pre-hispanic Era
Welcome to the continuation of an overview o...
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Stay in Mexico, or go North to work? Every family's dilemma
There are three sons missing from this family portrait. They have gone "North" to find work. Like most villages in southern Mexico, theirs depends on its' migrants for the money to buy food, clothing a...
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The Oaxaca library: A project of, by and for the people
Ruth Gonzalez, Librarian, in the front room of the Oaxaca Circulating Library, where she has worked for almost all the 35 years of its existence
© Diana Ricci, 1999
For the English speaking commun...
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Bring it with you when you come: Susan Trilling in Oaxaca
Bahias de Huatulco on Mexico's Oaxaca coast
Bahias de Huatulco (pronounced Wa-tool-co) located on the coast of Oaxaca, ( map) about six hours from Oaxaca City by car, and approximately three hundred miles south of Acapulco, is the latest d...
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History of Oaxaca: The Pre-hispanic Era
History of Oaxaca
Part 1 - Pre-hispanic Era
By Maria Diaz
Her Bio
Her email: maria@oaxacalive.com
In three installments we will present a history of Oaxaca, its pe...
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Huatulco: an undiscovered paradise
I just returned from four days in Huatulco, located along the coast of Oaxaca at the end of the Southern Sierra Madre mountains. The area's nine bays and twenty-three beaches stretch 35 kilometers alon...
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Internet services and cyber cafes in Oaxaca
Internet Service Providers are readily available. All services support modems to 56k baud. Here are five:
Antequera Red, at Colegio Militar #1009, 3rd floor (across from Gigante Reforma) is an unaff...
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Who's boss here, anyway?
This picture appeared with an earlier article, "The Servant", about four years ago. The girl is still playing and singing along the "tourist walking street" in Oaxaca, as are a couple of her you...
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Gringos helping to fight AIDS in Mexico
Condon Mania, a project of the Frente Comun Contra SIDA (Common Front Against AIDS), sells health - and life - to hundreds of Mexican youth and adults every month. The Frente's major concern is slowing...
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A Glass Garden
There is a sense of permanence in so much change.
"Travel is like peeling an onion, at least one layer will make you cry."
I don't recall who wrote that line, but it holds true. My trek started in th...
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