15-17 January 2016
We were up early on Thursday morning to join a guided excursion to Monte Alban, the central site of the Zapotec civilisation that dominated the Oaxaca region from around 500 BCE. The Zapotec people still live in the region and their indigenous language is still commonly spoken in and around Oaxaca.
The archeological site is on top of a 1,900-ish metre high mountain just to the West – South West of the city. The Zapotec people levelled the top of the hill and built a series of religious and political sites at the top over the centuries they occupied the place. Our guide, Miguel, was a local with training in anthropology and linguistics. Essentially his ancestors were the people who were part of the place.
The story of the Zapotec empire was the same , yet different, yet the same as that we had heard at Templo Mayor and Teotihuacan- but just as interesting. The rise and fall of empire, politics, trade and religion.
The site itself is super impressive – being perched atop the steep mountain gave it a distinctive ‘feel’.
A gallery of Monte Alban:
The site also offers a good look at three examples of the ancient Meso-American ‘ball game’,described here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_ballgame
Also, an interesting discovery was the fact that the Zapotec empire practiced practical ‘information operations’ ( aka propaganda). The main ceremonial entrance to the complex had a series of stone carvings flanking the entrance. This was the entrance that ‘diplomats’ from other groups , supplicants or other rulers might enter through. These stone carvings essentially depicted ‘rulers’ or political elites being castrated, disemboweled or both. You can imagine the chilling effect it may have had:
There was a small museum / gallery near the entrance/ exit. It was here that Ness saw the hat she plans to wear when she returns to work after this trip:
We returned to Oaxaca around midday and wandered through Centro to the ‘20 November Market’ .
We grabbed a tasty lunch at a local place in the market that had been recommended by Cesar, our guide in Costa Rica:
The market foyer also featured another ‘blinged up’ nativity scene. Check out the ‘happy’ kids with the Jesus disco:
The rest of the afternoon was spent gently strolling around, people watching in the Zocalo, and looking at yet another Cathedral.
Friday 16th – to Campeche
Another early start (groan – aren’t we meant to be on holiday 🤔?) to head to the airport for our flight to Campeche via Mexico City. Ordinarily we may have considered the day- long drive through the rest of Oaxaca state and Chiapas state to Campeche, but security advice was / is that part of that route can be a bit dodgy. And since this is a holiday and not a deployment, discretion suggested alternative means.
A slight problem arose in that there are no direct flights Oaxaca to Campeche. Then our flight booking via Mexico City was changed so we had a four hour layover on Terminal 2…. So a day of taxis, planes and waiting. One bonus, on the flight up to Mexico City we got an even better view of Popocatepetl and Itza than on the flight up from Costa Rica week earlier.
We arrived in Campeche around 1445 and after a speedy one hour wait for a cab ( which we ended up sharing with a lovely couple from Oregon) we arrived at our digs within the old walled city.
Campeche is on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. In the colonial era it was a major port – and attracted major interest from privateers. Hence it became a walled city, just like you see in the old ‘pirate’ movies. There were essentially two gates in and out : the ‘land gate’ and the ‘sea gate’. Our accommodation is set within that old walled city.
Saturday 17th
After a delightful sleep in we spent the day wandering around the old walled city of Campeche. The area is UNESCO heritage listed, and it is easy to see why.
And it wouldn’t be a Spanish colonial city without another cathedral:
Tomorrow: deeper into the Yucatan Peninsula! (And more Pyramids…)
Ness’ and Mark’s Wandering 