Good Friday in Oaxaca
Puebla to Oaxaca
We had a long day of travel ahead so we had a 6 AM departure time. We left earlier than breakfast was available, but the hotel packed us a small box lunch so we had something on the way. It would be approximately a 7 hour trip.
Part way through our trip, we stopped at Zoologico Magico, a business by a small family that specializes in making Alebrijes in San Martin Tilcajete. Alebrijes are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical (fantasy/mythical) creatures, traditionally made from papier-mâché or wood. The art form originated in Mexico City in the 1930s, when Pedro Linares, a papier-mâché artist, began creating surreal, dreamlike creatures after experiencing vivid hallucinations during an illness.
We were given an overview of the process of the carving, drying, and painting process. We were then given a small animal to paint ourselves. After painting we enjoyed a nice lunch prepared by the family. The restaurant was recently opened since the the mother of the family could no longer carve the Alebrijes due to vision issues and was planning to take up a job at a local restaurant. Instead, the family decided to open the restaurant.
Oaxaca
We arrived in Oaxaca in the late afternoon. We checked into our room, the nicest one of our trip, and then headed out on an orientation walk. We explored the main square, the food and handcrafts market, the cathedral, and were also able to see the Good Friday procession. After a short walk, we stopped by a rooftop bar for a quick drink as a group. After a drink, we all went our separate ways and found a good spot for dinner. Laurie had a black bean and chicken quesadilla and Matt had a chili relleno with cheese and crickets. We then explored the city a little and stumbled on a local craft market.
