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Children’s Cooking Classes Arrive at Casa de los Sabores, Oaxaca, Mexico

Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B.

What better way to begin offering children’s cooking classes than with pizza and mango smoothies. The inaugural children’s cooking lesson at Chef Pilar Cabrera’s Casa de los Sabores, in Oaxaca, Mexico, imparted the basics of kitchen safety and hygiene, composting and recycling, and nutrition, all within a three-hour session. And at the same time, lead instructor Ninfa Raigosa infused the morning with helpful food preparation tips that even as adults we don’t always learn early enough in our culinary lives. But best of all, it took place within the context of preparing recipes which are fun for children to make --- with the dreaded green salad snuck in at the end.

Genesis for Offering Children’s Cooking Lessons in Oaxaca

The idea of offering cooking lessons for young boys and girls came to fruition as a result of two phenomena. Firstly, often in the course of fielding inquiries for cooking classes from tourists visiting Oaxaca with their families, Chef Pilar would be asked whether or not children could attend. Of course age has always been a factor, but often requests have had to be rejected so as to ensure that classes proceeded in an orderly fashion without undue disruption, for the benefit of the mainly adult aficionados of Oaxacan cuisine.

Secondly, many Oaxacans are at a loss for what to do with their children once school is out for summer vacation. While certainly activities abound in Oaxaca, relative to what’s available in larger urban centers, they’re limited. Why not offer a two-week cooking course in July?

And so this initial class held on May 1, 2010, was intended as a precursor to initially a summertime cooking course, and then classes during other holiday times throughout the year. For tourists traveling with children, timing should be perfect. And for multiple families traveling together at any time of the year, this could be just what the pediatrician ordered.

Of course Pilar Cabrera’s reputation as a national figure on the Mexican culinary scene has long been established through her “House of Flavors” cooking school and downtown Oaxaca restaurant La Olla, and more recently through her forays onto the international stage (food festivals in Toronto and San Antonio, with upcoming dates in Austin and Stratford). She hand-picked Ninfa Cecilia Raigosa Paras to head up this new initiative for two reasons. Firstly, Chef Ninfa arrives with a diversity of experience, including educational training (at the Rocatti Centro de Estudios Culinarios), in catering and banquets, at various restaurants, and in specialty bakeries (i.e. Deli Cupcakes and Dulce Nectar). Secondly, and perhaps key, is Chef’s Ninfa’s uncanny ability to relate to children using her amiable personality and warm smile – and just like Pilar, she’s bilingual.

The bonus for American and Canadian children is that with a mixed class of Mexican and foreign visitors, and bilingual instruction, the kids are bound to learn some basic kitchen and ingredient words in Spanish, if not through direct teaching, then certainly through osmosis.

The May 1, 2010, Cooking Class for Children at Casa de los Sabores, Oaxaca

Chefs Pilar and Ninfa were both at the helm of this frist class, attended by ten children of varying ages. Most parents remained on site at the outset, to take photographs and to obtain first-hand assurance that their children would be comfortable in a class of predominantly unfamiliar faces.

In this type of learning environment the ice must initially be broken. Here it was achieved by asking each child’s name and promoting interaction between the children themselves, and with Ninfa and Pilar. The ingredients for each recipe were contained in a separate large, round colorful basket. “Who knows why we use yeast?” And then to reassure parents, “when we cut these mangos to make the smoothies, we won’t be using sharp knives; but you should always be extra careful when using knives, and never, ever raise a knife to head level. Can someone tell me why?”

Recipe sheets are distributed. Chef Ninfa goes through each recipe, pointing to the ingredients in each basket and briefly explaining how they will be used.

For the pizza dough segment, the group is divided into two teams, one learning to make the dough from scratch, and the other about kneading and rolling: “Always mix the dry ingredients first, and use your hands.” And for the benefit of those who had grown up watching their abuelitas making tortillas: “Making pizza dough is similar to making tortillas; if it starts to stick, use more flour.” Hands-on classes tend to work best, especially so for children.

“Okay, anyone want a cookie?” Three times in the course of the lesson, short breaks are encouraged so as to not overload information intake nor run the risk of boredom setting in. “There are plastic bottles of water over here, and a couple of marking pens so each of you can write your name so they don’t get mixed up.”

The children are given a choice of making large or medium crusts, by shaping the dough themselves, or choosing from the several small forms which are provided; hearts, mushrooms, trees, and squares, triangles, circles. The sauce has been pre-mixed, but the children are encouraged to choose their toppings from selections of veggies, sliced meats, and even fresh basil. “Did you know that a mushroom is actually a fungus?”

“Now let’s all wash our hands again. But let’s not forget to first clean off our work areas well, and put the organic waste in this bin, and the rest over there. Does your neighborhood have recycling programs?”

“Attention everybody please; now while the pizza is in the oven we’re going to make the mango smoothies. I’m going to teach you how to peel your mangos, safely, by carefully cutting four strips through the skin ... just like peeling a banana.” The children are encouraged to use every bit of pulp, right down to the pit.

“Here’s the bowl with the mango cut up, and now we’re going to add some pineapple, some orange juice, a bit of yoghurt .... and who knows about linseed and why we add little bit to the blender as well?” A brief discussion ensures about omegas and energy.

Smoothies are prepared and poured into plastic cups accompanied by straws and small decorative drink umbrellas. “Taste how sweet it is; and you know, we didn’t put in any sugar. You can make your own smoothies using other kinds of fruit as well, such as watermelon and cantaloupe, and they’ll taste just as fresh, flavorful and sweet, without any added sugar. By the way, there’s a bowl of strawberries over there if anyone wants a little snack.”

The children are then asked to review their printed recipes for the salad. Some had actually put check marks beside the pizza and smoothie ingredients as they were being used. A lesson ensues about the different types of lettuce, its general lack of taste, and hence the reason for using dressing: “We always use oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and today we’re using balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Has everyone tried this kind of vinegar? Okay then, we’ll each try a bit. It’ll be a bit sweet.”

“Is it soya sauce,” someone asks. “It’s delicious,” another pipes in, while a third emphatically states he doesn’t like it.

“Vinegar and oil have to be mixed together really well. See the oil at the top; now watch.”

Plates are passed out, and each child is encouraged to create his own salad by adding pre-cut vegetables and grated cheese to the organic lettuce. The printed salad recipe sheet concludes with: “Taste, check the seasoning, and serve immediately.”

The pizzas then are removed from the oven and allowed to cool; each child is encouraged to take what he made, as well as to sample from the larger pizzas. The group sits around the large rectangular table, indulging in the fruits of their labor, while chatting and joking with their new-found friends.

Children’s Cooking Classes in Oaxaca Provide Exposure to International Dishes

The summer, 2010, two week course will present participants with an opportunity to learn to prepare menus from different parts of the world, each day represented by the cuisine of a different country. Subsequent series of classes will likely follow suit. Groups interested in single lessons will be able to choose from a selection of international menus, but there will inevitably be restrictions in terms of dishes requiring stove-top preparation, out of an abundance of caution. According to Chef Pilar, “children’s safety must remain the foremost consideration.”

Alvin Starkman has a masters in anthropology and law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Now a resident of Oaxaca, Alvin writes, takes tours to the sights, is a consultant to documentary film companies, and owns Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.oaxacadream.com ), a unique Oaxaca bed and breakfast experience, providing Oaxaca accommodations which combine the comfort and service of Oaxaca hotels with the personal touch of quaint country inn style lodging.

Children's Cooking Classes in Oaxaca, Mexico

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The accolades tell it all: “I had a terrific and very inspiring time in Oaxaca. Your knowledge of the culture and region introduced us to so many interesting people, all willing to share their passion, whether it was for pottery, wood carving, frothy chocolate, the best moles or natural dyes” [Elizabeth Baird].

Elizabeth Baird, one of the foremost Canadian culinary icons of our time, was a participant in the May, 2010, Oaxaca Culinary Tour. So was prolific cookbook author and columnist Rose Murray, who endorsed a copy of her seminal work, A Taste of Canada, A Culinary Journey, with similar praise: “Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge of Oaxaca with us. We know it through your eyes.”

If the foregoing is any indication of the success of this most recent tour, then the thought of what’s in store for participants in future, similarly organized Oaxaca culinary events, should titillate anyone interested in Mexican gastronomy – chefs and foodies alike.

While numbers were small (May is when most Americans and Canadians are content to stay close to home, stow their winter attire, and begin gardening), organizers provided the 8 – 10 participants in each of the week’s daily activities with all that the tour promised, and more: cooking classes with Pilar Cabrera and Susana Trilling, dining at renowned Oaxacan restaurants Casa Oaxaca, Los Danzantes, La Olla and La Catrina de Alcalá, and what impressed the most, getting out into the villages and learning the secrets of local recipes through hands-on instruction from indigenous natives – in their kitchens and over their open hearths and comals.

Background to the Oaxaca Culinary Tour

Internationally acclaimed native Oaxacan chef Pilar Cabrera Arroyo spent the month of September, 2009, working her magic in Toronto, both as guest chef at several restaurants and invited instructor at a prominent Canadian cooking school. It had been arranged through the efforts of Toronto food writer and researcher Mary Luz Mejia of Sizzling Communications, and several others willing to dedicate their time and effort to ensure a successful month-long event.

Once the framework of the tour had been decided, Chef Pilar was invited by the Government of Mexico to represent Oaxacan cuisine at the Toronto Harbourfront Centre Hot & Spicy Food Festival’s Iron Chef competition (as it turned out, she also agreed to judge the festival’s Emerging Chef competition) which took place around the same time as the tour.

In Toronto Chef Pilar met the likes of Elizabeth Baird (who judged the iron chef event and adjudicated alongside Pilar at the emerging chef competition), Chef Vanessa Yeung (who cooked with Pilar at one of the events and dined with her at one of the private dinner parties), and a host of prominent Canadian food writers and critics, as well as chefs (including Chef de Cuisine Jason Bangerter of Auberge du Pommier) – most of whom had no previous exposure to Oaxacan cuisine.

In true Oaxacan fashion Pilar warmly and sincerely invited virtually everyone she met to come visit Oaxaca. But who would have ever thought that tour organizers would immediately begin receiving inquiries from diners at the various venues, chefs, and media personnel, about traveling to Oaxaca to gain more in-depth knowledge about Oaxaca’s longstanding reputation for culinary greatness. After all, the tour was intended to merely provide an introduction to Oaxacan cuisine. It succeeded in whetting the appetites of Canadians, for much more.

Those who ultimately participated in the Oaxaca tour included aficionados of Mexican cuisine, food writers, chefs and restauranteurs. Some booked the entire tour well in advance, while others only caught wind of the week’s events after they had planned their Oaxacan vacation, and accordingly were permitted to take part in cooking lessons, day tours and evening dining.

Oaxaca Culinary Tour Showcased a Variety of Food Venues and Other Dimensions of Culture

While a theme tour has its raison d’etre, it should not be overly restrictive in its events so as to blind participants to what else a region has to offer – and in this case the impact of other dimensions of culture upon a people’s cuisine. In Oaxaca there is certainly a broad enough diversity of restaurants, food markets, cooking styles and levels of sophistication, to keep foodies thoroughly enthralled for weeks. But it’s the unique and varied cultures, and the melding of New World and Old World ingredients and cooking methods, to which these tour operators also sought to expose their clients.

For this culinary tour, participants learned as much about availability of and regional variation in meats, cheeses and produce (and their cultural significance), as they did about staples such as moles, tlayudas, chocolate, tamales and mezcal. It was all achieved through imparting an in-depth understanding of traditions, through chatting and learning from people at all stations of life. At one end of the continuum were the most humble of villagers who welcomed the group into their homes, to make chocolate by pureeing roasted cacao beans, cinnamon and almonds using a primitive grinding stone (metate), and to make tamales by folding corn leaves over masa, mole amarillo and chicken. And at the other end were the European-trained chefs who explained each dish upon its arrival table from their modernly equipped kitchens.

Oaxaca Culinary Tour Daily Events

One chef arrived in Oaxaca a day early, enabling her to meet with organizers in an informal setting, learning about and indulging at a Oaxaca culinary institution, Tlayudas on Libres, where locals gather between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. for their favorite snacks grilled directly on and over charcoal: a folded, oversized tortilla stuffed with melted Oaxacan string cheese (quesillo), bean purée, lettuce, tomato, depending on one’s sensibilities a thin layer of asiento (pork fat); and choice of chorizo (sausage), tasajo (beef) or cecina (pork). For ardent foodies, a tiny sample of marinated pig’s feet is required. And for the rest, a hot, corn-based drink of atole or champurrado is non-negotiable, especially during the wee hours of the morning.

An American doing his Masters in Nutrition arrived two days earlier, using the time to explore Oaxaca’s centro histórico (downtown historic center) including its quaint colonial buildings and food and craft markets.

Another participant stayed on a day later, after the rest has departed. A local organizer graciously offered to chauffer her to one of Oaxaca’s richest sights known as the San Agustín Center for The Arts, to see a modern ceramics exhibit housed in a spectacular lush mountain setting. And then for last minute gift purchases he drove her to Atzompa, a village specializing in traditional Oaxacan green glazed pottery.

Wednesday

Most participants had arrived by Wednesday, late afternoon, in time for Pilar Cabrera’s walking tour of downtown sights. This enabled group members to gain some perspective on the magic of Oaxaca and to begin planning to how they might want to spend the leisure hours built into the tour.

Dinner was at Oaxacan institution La Olla, Pilar’s own restaurant. The large candlelit table on the roof of the restaurant provided a special view of Oaxaca at night.

[For analysis and critique of the food served at these more upscale establishments, I’ll leave it to the food writers and critics on the tour who are better note-takers and possess greater objectivity and a much more refined palate than this writer.]

Thursday

The morning began with a visit to Tlapanochestli, the research station, museum and teaching facility devoted to understanding cochineal (cochinilla), the tiny insect which has played an integral part in the history of Oaxaca because of its unique quality; when dried and crushed it yields a strong red dye, which with the addition of lime juice and or baking soda changes to tones of orange, pink and purple. Of particular interest for tour participants was its application as a natural colorant for restaurant foods. While sampling a refreshing gelatine / water / sugar based dessert colored with cochineal, our foodies had an opportunity to see familiar grocery store products dyed with the insect (Campari, Danone Yoghurt, Campbell and Knorr soups, make-up and lipstick) and briefly discussed the sensitive issue of adequacy of ingredient labeling.

Then off to San Bartolo Coyotepec in the comfy 18-seater van equipped with bucket seats and A/C. Don Valente Nieto, son of the famed ceramicist Doña Rosa, provided an upbeat, informative and entertaining demonstration of the methods used by his parents and his family members today, in fashioning the well-known folk art form known as barro negro (black pottery). Tour members can now rightly claim that they saw the same demo that Don Valente provided to Jimmy Carter and Nelson Rockefeller, who’s photos alongside Doña Rosa and Don Valente grace the showroom walls.

The humble abode and workshop of Armando Lozano, sculptor and master jeweler of hand-made bronze necklaces, earrings and bracelets, provided the first opportunity for the group to see how most Oaxacans live, and eke out a modest existence. The contrast between the quality workmanship of the family, and its lifestyle, was remarkable, overshadowed only by the welcoming nature of the Maestro’s daughter-in-law who offered the jewelry for sale.

The final two touring stops of the day were directly devoted to food and drink. Lunch was at the unique roadside eatery, Caldo de Piedra, where chef César prepared a tomato and herb based broth which he then poured into a large half gourd for each diner. To each he then added one’s choice of either fresh red snapper, a healthy compliment of jumbo shrimp, or a combination of the two. Red hot rocks from an open flame were then placed in each gourd, and individual meals were thusly cooked, the rocks causing the broth to boil and fish to poach. Only large, hand-made tortillas from the comal and quesadillas amply filled with mushrooms and squash blossoms were needed to compliment the meal, of course along with large pitchers of freshly squeezed orange juice spiked with soda water (naranjadas).

Oaxaca is known for its mezcal (mescal), so what better way to have an introduction to the spirit than to head to Matatlán, World Capital of Mezcal, and learn from a producer with from a five generation pedigree of palenqueros (mezcal producers). Enrique Jiménez welcomed the tour into his parents’ traditional family compound where all witnessed the ancient, quaint and primitive production methods, and then imbibed several varieties of mezcal with chasers of lime and orange wedges, and sal de gusano (the salt, chile and ground up gusano worm mixture), together with quesillo and ricotta-like queso. Then to the Jiménez brand new state-of-the-art facility where Enrique explained his new method of mezcal production. The process dramatically improves quality control while retaining the richest qualities of mezcal produced the traditional way – only smoother.

Dinner at La Catrina de Alcalá provided a nice contrast to earlier events and tastings in the day, with classy Chef Juan Carlos on hand to introduce each dish. Tour participants were so taken with the selection that towards the end of the evening when asked if they wanted to move on to dessert, or perhaps try a venison dish, almost in unison each opted for the latter.

Friday

Cooking classes by Pilar Cabrera are always highly enjoyable and educational, beginning with a visit to Mercado de La Merced for buying fresh produce, through the cooking phase, and finally indulging in the fruits of one’s labor. The entirely of the class has been described elsewhere by me, so no more will be noted.

Each tour participant thereafter had a free afternoon to explore more of downtown, rest, and then dine at a recommended restaurant.

Saturday

After a relatively relaxing Friday it was back on the road for another day of touring. At the handmade knife and cutlery workshop of Apolinar Aguilar, the group watched the master work his wonders, heating recycled metals with the aid of a primitive yet effective stone and mud oven, then forging with only a mallet striking the red-hot metal over an anvil, and finally the all-so-critical tempering stage.

Knife blades are polished to a brilliant shine without laqueur or nickel. Purchasers on this day had an opportunity to have inscriptions engraved on the blades of knives they purchased. In anticipation of the culinary tour, Apolinar had prepared a selection of paring knives, a turkey carving set, a cake cutting ensemble, and bread knives. In addition to the more traditional Bowie hunting knives, swords and machetes, he also had on hand more unusual collector pieces such as knives with deer antler handles and letter openers with blade undulations of the Indonesian genre.

In the tiny village of San Antonino participants were provided with an opportunity to select from the finest imaginable hand-embroidered blouses and dresses – cotton, silk, and blends.

Lunch was in the rustic homestead of the Navarro family, the sisters and mother known for their fine work on the back strap loom, and brother Gerardo for his watercolors. But the main reason for stopping in Santo Tomás Jalieza was to dine with the family in their Eden-like surroundings, and witness their preparation of tasajo on a small hibachi-style grill, and all the steps required to make sopa de guias, a broth made of all the parts of the zucchini plant, and a small piece of corn for added starch. The welcoming nature and all-round hospitality of the family was as impressive as their simple yet immaculately kept rural home and grounds.

The tour day concluded with a visit to the workshop of Jacobo Angeles, master carver and painter of alebrijes, for a demonstration (the particulars and details of which are once again available online as part of a lengthy dissertation about woodcarving in Oaxaca). However what tourists to the region never get to experience, and what Jacobo had arranged for the group, was a lesson in making aguas frescas of limón and jamaica (hibiscus flower), and the pre-Hispanic drink tejate, known as the “drink-of-the-gods.”

After a late afternoon rest back at Las Bugambilias Bed & Breakfast, the group welcomed the leisurely evening walk to Casa Oaxaca, purportedly the best high end restaurant in Oaxaca. Unfortunately on this night chef / owner Alejandro Ruíz was somewhat preoccupied entertaining a group of visiting chefs from diverse Latin American cities, so in this writer’s opinion the experience was somewhat disappointing. Word has it that for the next culinary tour the organizers might pass on Casa Oaxaca unless an acknowledgement of the shortcomings and an assurance of better next time are both forthcoming. Each and every participant in a culinary tour of Oaxaca should expect and receive nothing but the best, of course subject to unforeseen circumstances.

Sunday

The penultimate day of the Oaxaca Culinary Tour provided the broadest diversity of experiences imaginable. The group began at the rug making village of Teotitlán del Valle, but not merely for a weaving and dying demonstration. Rocio Mendoza, one of the daughters-in-law of Casa Santiago owners Don Porfirio and Doña Gloria, with her unwavering warmth and comforting smile welcomed the tour group into the extended family household for a lesson in the traditional methods of making both hot chocolate and tamales de amarillo, the ritual dish served at certain town fiestas.

Both the women and men of the household were present to answer questions and help out. Tour group members to a number were made to feel more welcomed than one could think possible. Each had a chance to take over the task of grinding toasted cacao beans into a hot velvety paste. Matriarch Gloria gave a hands-on lesson on all the steps required to prepare her special tamales, assisting each participant in learning how to place and fold ingredients into a corn leaf, and then ever so carefully stack the batch of tamales into a steaming hot clay container (tamalero) heated over firewood. Once all was cooked, and after a traditional “salud” over small glasses of mezcal, each indulged in the fruits of his or her labor with members of the Santiago family: hot chocolate with sweet rolls on the side for dipping, and a plateful of piping hot tangy tamales de amarillo. Goodbyes were particularly difficult after the establishment of relationships based upon a commonality of purpose – the mentoring and learning about culinary traditions in Teotitlán del Valle.

Two hours in the Sunday Tlacolula market is pretty well required when a group of food enthusiasts is involved; especially when organizers have special relationships with vendors so as to enable tourists to ask questions and take photographs at will. What Pilar did not cover in her Oaxaca market tour leading up to her class, the organizers ensured was explained in detail in the course of the visit to Tlacolula. Traditional market drinks of chilacayota and pulque were sampled. Members purchased decorative gourds, wooden spoons, embroidered aprons and colorful table coverings, and of course chiles to take back home. The aroma of chicken grilling on open flames and steaming caldrons of barbequed mutton and goat filled the air. The pageantry of Zapotec women in their native village dress going about their business buying, selling and trading, impressed all. And the ability of group members to have all their questions answered, sample foodstuffs and drinks without trepidation, take their fill of photos, and wander freely while soaking it all up, provided one of many trip highlights.

The quaint open-air eatery known as El Tigre was a stark contrast to the earlier market scene, but just as welcome, in the nature of a well deserved respite. Each member of the group was able to question comedor owner Sara about salsa preparation, the disinfecting of fresh produce, and cooking techniques and challenges where every menu item is prepared fresh, over a flame on the grill or comal. Once again, a review of El Tigre is available online. The eatery was selected so as to advance one of the organizers’ goals of ensuring as diverse a culinary experience as possible.

The tour day concluded with a visit to the picturesque mountain setting known as Hierve el Agua. The site consists of mineral deposit “water falls,” and bubbling calcium and magnesium-rich springs feeding two poolings of water suitable for a safe, refreshing swim. Most took the opportunity to cool off – and perhaps reap the benefit of the legendary curative properties of the water – while others were content to sit in the shade, chat about the day’s events, and of course take photos.

After the filling breakfast at Las Bugambilias, then hot chocolate with sweet rolls and tamales at Casa Santiago, followed by drink samplings in Tlacolula, and lunch at El Tigre, botanas (appetizer plates) and drinks were the order of the evening, at Los Danzantes, without any doubt the Oaxaca restaurant with the best ambiance by a long shot.

Monday

No visit to Oaxaca, be it for a culinary tour or otherwise, would be complete without a guided tour of the most important and magestic pre-Hispanic ruin in all of the State of Oaxaca, the 2,000-year-old Zapotec site known as Monte Albán. After a brief sit-down and opportunity to quench the thirst, tour participants were shuttled to Susana Trilling’s cooking school to make mole chichilo. Once again, Ms. Trilling’s class has been noted elsewhere by the writer.

Group members were welcomed to conclude their visit to Oaxaca by gathering at an event hall that evening to view a folkloric celebration of Oaxaca’s diversity of dance and music traditions known as the Guelaguetza. But to a number each decided to pass on the idea after such a full itinerary. Instead, they welcomed the chance to finish the tour in a much more casual and relaxed setting, over drinks and conversation at the hillside home of one of the tour organizers, sitting on the open terrace and reliving the week’s events with the fond memories.

Future Culinary Tours in Oaxaca

Culinary vacations in Oaxaca have been done before, and will no doubt continue into the distant future. This tour format, however, was unique for its diversity of experiences and the care taken by organizers to ensure that the expectations of all participants – seasoned chefs, media personnel specializing in the culinary arts and gastronomy, and aficionados of Mexican cuisine – were met, or better yet exceeded.

If the current spate of commentaries regarding the success of the tour and level of participant satisfaction is an accurate gauge, then no doubt there will be future tours, perhaps on a bi-annual basis, with each succeeding Oaxaca Culinary Tour improving on the performance of the previous.

Information on future culinary tours in Oaxaca can be obtained by contacting Mary Luz Mejia of Sizzling Communications, or this writer.

Alvin Starkman received his Masters in Social Anthropology in 1978. After teaching for a few years he attended Osgoode Hall Law School, thereafter embarking upon a successful career as a litigator until 2004. Alvin now resides with his wife Arlene in Oaxaca, Mexico, where he writes, leads small group tours to the villages, markets, ruins and other sights, is a consultant to documentary film companies, and operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ), providing the comfort and service of lodging in a Oaxaca hotel, with the personal touch of a small country inn.

Oaxaca Culinary Tour Success Suggests More Gastronomic Opportunities for Visitors to Southern Mexico

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Arroyo Guacamaya is one of the closest ecotourism sites to the City of Oaxaca, accessible by private vehicle in about an hour, or public transportation. La Guacamaya has most if not all of the features and attractions of the more distant ecotourism locales in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, including mountain biking, nature trails for hiking and climbing, streams and waterfalls, lodging, children’s facilities, and a restaurant featuring fresh fish from the local trout farm – all within a community-managed forest promoting sustainable logging operations.

Getting to Arroyo Guacamaya, Oaxaca Ecotourism Site in Ixtlan District

The village of La Guacamaya, while in the District of Ixtlan, is only a 45 minute car ride from Villa Etla, and thus just over an hour from the City of Oaxaca. Accordingly, while there are a number of reasonably priced overnight cabins at Arroyo Guacamaya, as a day trip from Oaxaca one can easily enjoy a great deal of what the region has to offer.

There are a number of options for getting to Arroyo Guacamaya ecotourism site:

• Hire a tour guide, driver or taxi, although this option is best for just a day trip since one might end up paying for the driver’s down time if an overnight is preferred.
• Rent a car from one of the several vehicle rental facilities located both at the airport and in downtown Oaxaca.
• Seek out a Oaxaca ecotourism company, although this option might entail unnecessary expense, though an attractive option for those without at least a little facility with the Spanish language.
• From downtown Oaxaca near the Abastos Market, take the bus known as the autobus comunitario de Teococuilco de Marcos Perez, located at Calle Heriberto Jara #118, Col. Libertad.

La Guacamaya is 31 kilometers from the City of Oaxaca, at approximately 9,000 feet above sea level. One leaves Oaxaca driving north towards Mexico City along Federal Highway 190, and continues along the “libre” or free highway, keeping to the right rather than going on the toll road (“cuota”).

About a minute’s drive beyond the Pemex gas station at the entrance to Villa Etla, there’s a clearly marked blue sign indicating “Arroyo Guacamaya Ecoturismo, 13 kilometers,” with an arrow indicating a right turn off the highway.

After leaving the main highway, and until arriving at Arroyo Guacamaya, one does not make any additional turns. It’s therefore an easy drive and extremely difficult to get lost. The road begins as a four-lane paved secondary highway, then narrows to two lanes, and finally, for the rest of the drive one is on a dirt road, often dusty depending on the time of year.

One quickly passes through the villages of San Miguel Etla and then San Gabriel Etla, each with a quaint old stone church located on the right side of the road. The terrain is rolling hills, with mixed semi-tropical vegetation.

The pavement ends shortly thereafter, and the balance of the drive is a gradual climb along a dirt road with numerous easy-to-navigate switchbacks. The roadway is not particularly conducive to motion sickness, so one need not be concerned in this regard.

Ascending, the vegetation changes from agave, cactus and mixed brush, to scrub oak and coniferous forest of predominantly pine. Note the brilliant yellow and occasional red bromeliads growing on the trees.

Arrival at Arroyo Guacamaya, Sierra Norte, Oaxaca

About 45 minutes alter having left the main highway and witnessed changes in vegetation, elevation with corresponding ear popping, and temperature, one finally arrives. A blue sign directing visitors to the cabins and restaurant is clearly visible with arrows pointing to the left down a smaller roadway. To the right the road continues on for a couple of kilometers to the hillside village of La Guacamaya.

Aside from ecotourism and sustainable logging operations, villagers dedicate themselves to predominantly agricultural enterprises. For about half of the year the main products harvested and taken to market (i.e. the nearby Wednesday Etla market) are fava beans and potatoes, and for the remainder of the year fresh flowers (in particular azucenas which have strong cultural significant to natives of the region), berros (similar to watercress), and ocote (wood used as kindling).

Facilities at Arroyo Guacamaya, Oaxaca Ecotourism Site

As of early 2010, the ecotourism site consists of:

• Five brick and adobe cabins each with lighting, a working fireplace, washroom with hot water, and beds. Electricity is provided by solar panels. Beds consist of bunk beds and double beds. Four of the cabins house up to four people, and one up to a family of six.
• A restaurant consisting of a large dining room with kitchen, able to accommodate up to about 50 diners.
• Children’s swings and Jungle-Jim style climbing apparatus.
• An adobe temazcal, scheduled for completion later in the year.

The dining hall, in addition to serving aluminum-wrapped grilled or fried fresh trout, serves standard Oaxacan fare such as meats and quesadillas. Sides include salad, spaghetti with vegetables and mushrooms, beans and tortillas. The fish broth is equally as fresh and delectable as the appetizers and main course offerings. Beverages include water, soft drinks, beer and mezcal.

Ecotourism Activities at Arroyo Guacamaya, Ixtlan, Oaxaca

Adan is a conscientious bilingual guide and resource person, up on ecotourism matters, and anxious to provide advice and interesting information. Consider spending at least one afternoon with him, partaking in the various activities.

The pursuits one can enjoy include:

• Climbing through forests up to the mountain peaks of Siempreviva and La Portillo, from which exquisite panoramic vistas of the valleys and numerous hamlets flecking the mountainsides can be appreciated.
• Mountain biking.
• Walking through the village.
• Learning more about local economic activities and obstacles to the continued sustainability of the community through ecotourism.
• Visiting the trout farm, its pools fed by fast-flowing waters from an alpine spring.
• Hiking to nearby streams and waterfalls, over soft, thick beds of dried pine needles.
• Taking note of and photographing interesting mountain plants such as sedum and echeveria.

As noted, the temazcal should be completed in the year 2010. Tourists to the village will have an opportunity to partake in the ancient healing custom of temazcal – sweat facilitated through the use of steam combined with medicinal herbs – cleansing the body and soul. Some have described the ritual as being akin to the Iroquois sweat lodge.

For children, while the foregoing activities are both safe and educational, Arroyo Guacamaya holds the additional attraction of wooden teeter totters and climbing apparatus, located steps from the restaurant, cabins and temazcal.

Arroyo Guacamaya Compared to Other Oaxacan Ecotourism Sites

La Guacamaya is a relatively new ecotourism site in the Ixtlan district of Oaxaca. It stands alongside Cuajimoloyas, La Neveria, Benito Juarez, Llano Grande, Ixtlan de Juarez, and other similar yet longer-established village ecotourism sites, and boasts similar attractions. While still developing and therefore perhaps deficient in some activities such as horseback riding, the relative lack of tourist numbers in and of itself constitutes part of its allure. And of course, there’s the proximity to the City of Oaxaca, a significant bonus for most.

Contact Information for Arroyo Guacamaya Ecotourism Site, Ixtlan, Oaxaca

Arrangements for visiting Arroyo Guacamaya in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca can be made through one’s hotel or bed & breakfast, or by calling direct: (951) 521-8127.

Alvin Starkman has a Masters in anthropology and law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Now a resident of Oaxaca, Alvin writes, takes tours to the sights, is a consultant to documentary film companies, and owns Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.oaxacadream.com ), a unique Oaxaca bed and breakfast experience, providing Oaxaca accommodations which combine the comfort and service of Oaxaca hotels with the personal touch of quaint country inn style lodging.

Ecotourism in Oaxaca: Arroyo Guacamaya, Ixtlan District, Sierra Norte

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From May until well past summer's end, Oaxaca can be subject to extreme weather patterns. While we've all experienced torrential downpours and damaging winds, here in southern Mexico the region's utility delivery systems - which at the best of times have lacked quality control and are now (mostly) outdated---make for storms which affect most of us in ways we have seldom if every experienced. Whether you're at an internet café, in the comfort of your hotel room or home, on the road or in a restaurant, Oaxaca's meteorological marvels will impact you in new and different ways.

Rainwaters may wash out roadways in lower-lying areas, and as a result you may experience traffic delays. Road closures and virtually impassable conditions may dictate that you make alternate plans for or perhaps just delay a couple of days that anticipated trek up to the Sierra for a weekend ecotour. The sheer volume of precipitation flowing down steep inclines in a brief period of time coupled with the clogging effect of debris are contributing factors.

Depending on wind direction, occupants of homes, offices and retail establishments may find themselves mopping up. The use of weatherstripping is the exception rather than the norm. So be patient if the level of service you expect is not forthcoming when climatic conditions curtail the ability of your waiter or salesperson to attend to your needs. Oaxacans tend to "go with the flow," after having endured months of draught and the resultant periodic shortages of water for daily predominantly commercial consumption, and challenges to maintaining crops and gardens. It's part of the cyclical nature of life, and we quickly become stoic about tolerating and adapting to such temporary natural occurrences...even the minor earth tremors (something different to tell the folks back home).

But it's the impact that the storms have on electricity that is stunning, both while the skies are thundering and for perhaps 12 hours after the last bolt of lightning has illuminated the cerros. One television may be out of commission while another in the same household may be working, but without sound. The computer may not come on after the fireworks have subsided, yet the lights are on. Some bulbs may be operating at full capacity, while others are not...they may function at a reduced candlelight level, or may simply flicker. One phone may work, another not. The refrigerator may be operating but not the microwave. Causes? For one, Oaxaca lacks a sophistocated regulatory framework which might otherwise control matters such as gauge of electrical wire and overloading of circuits. While "obra suspendida" notices (stop work orders) are not uncommon, they result more from a failure to submit basic drawings to the authorities, than from the substance of the construction.

Your reward for tolerance and understanding is the knowledge that soon all will return to normal, and when you are able to get out on the road you may be blessed with a triple rainbow...it's all part of the magic of Oaxaca. The city will appear fresh, ultra clean, and have a green tinge to it, many buildings having been constructed of pale green cantera stone mined from local quarries, the cantera taking on deeper tones after a rain. Oaxaca has been called the City of Jade because of this phenomenon.

Rains and their temporary effects on services ought not to put a damper on one's Oaxacan travel plans for this time of year. The color of the hills and mountains changes from nondescript beige to brilliant green, the temperature range is pleasant at both extremes, and the fiestas are plentiful and filled with unmatched pageantry. Keep your vacation itinerary in tact and you won't be disappointed. For $1 you can always pick up a rain poncho on the street. Most of my pre-residency Oaxaca travel experiences were throughout the summer, and yet here I am, a Oaxacan looking forward to whatever comes my way.

Alvin Starkman has a Masters in anthropology and law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. Now a resident of Oaxaca, Alvin writes, tours couples and families to the ruins, craft villages, market towns and more off the beaten track destinations, and owns Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ), a unique Oaxaca bed and breakfast experience, providing Oaxaca accommodations which combine the comfort and service of Oaxaca hotels with the personal touch of quaint country inn style lodging. You can arrange for Alvin to pick up the contents of your extra suitcase by emailing him at oaxacadream@hotmail.com.

Stormy Weather: Rainy Season in Oaxaca

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First-time travelers to Oaxaca, as well as return visitors and snowbirds, can all help to improve the financial lot of many struggling residents, aside from simply visiting the city and spending.

It’s a fact that tourism has indeed returned to the central valleys of the state of Oaxaca. But as a result of the US economic crisis in 2008, so have many Oaxacans: Oaxacan immigrants, documented and otherwise, had previously been eking out a modest existence north of the border, often wiring money back to their motherland on a regular basis to help out parents, children and extended family members in need. With fewer available jobs, the people flow has now been reversed. Oaxacans are coming back to their native soil. The economic implications are twofold:

1) There are now more Oaxacans vying for work which continues to be a scarce commodity.
2) With fewer Oaxacans working in the US, less money is being sent home.

Many hotel and B & B guests arrive with two suitcases … one filled with their clothes and toiletries, which fits snuggly inside a larger one. The latter is used for the flight back home, to pack up purchases such as rugs and other textiles, black pottery and a variety of different ceramic pieces, alebrijes, and more traditional fine art. That larger suitcase need not be brought down empty. Those who have already been sensitized to Oaxaca’s economic plight sometimes ask what they can bring to leave behind, filling their second piece of luggage with used clothing, pencils and pens, T – shirts and caps with logos of their local sports teams, and much more. And then there are the travelers with young children who recognize that by the time the next summer arrives in their hometowns, the kids will have outgrown virtually everything they’ve brought down for them to wear. Here in Oaxaca they find new homes for shoes, shorts, jeans, dresses and shirts.

Within less than an hour’s drive from downtown Oaxaca, townspeople in marginal communities subsist on tortillas, beans and rice, with meat and poultry reserved for only the most special of occasion. Medical clinics and dental facilities are often stocked with inadequate equipment, instruments and supplies, and schools lack books. Even the brightest students and those with the most drive and desire are denied the opportunity to complete their secondary education because the cost of transportation to attend high school in the larger centers is prohibitive relative to the means of their families.

Every visitor to the city of Oaxaca has the potential to make a significant contribution to the economic amelioration of residents of towns and villages in the central valleys, apart from buying handicrafts and art.

We all have much more clothing than we need. Just look in your closet or in that chest of drawers in the basement. You might even find your daughter’s old pair of eyeglasses from two prescriptions ago, useless to you but invaluable to a downtown optometrist with ties to villages with children whose parents have no money to buy glasses. Dig out that gift from your mother-in-law --- the sweater that’s far too gaudy, or the T – shirt she brought for you on her trip to Turkey three years ago, still in the plastic wrapper. Do you really think that as you get older it’s realistic for you to actually start exercising as you did before, and that you’ll actually lose that paunch and fit into those size 32 jeans? How long do you think it will take for those shirts with Saturday Night Fever collars to come back into style? Here in Oaxaca they’ve never gone out of style.

The reluctance to personally distribute what you can no longer use is understandable. Certainly filling up a couple of green garbage bags in the course of your annual spring cleaning and then taking them to the local clothing drop box is easier, and the anonymity which comes with it is somehow preferable. It precludes any possibility of that feeling of discomfort that often results from directly confronting differences in economic status. But for those Oaxacans in need, all contributions are welcomed and tremendously appreciated.

Bring whatever you can. And if you’re not a packrat, there are other ways you can help:

1) Ask your neighbors and relatives. They’ll be happy to use the new-found closet space.
2) If you’re a medical or dental professional, search the shelves in your storage cabinet for instruments that have become obsolete for your state-of-the-art practice.
3) If you’re a manufacturer with over-runs, or wholesaler, jobber or retailer with stock that you just can’t move, consider packing up whatever will fit into that extra suitcase.

Not knowing what to do with it once you land in Oaxaca is certainly a legitimate, but not insurmountable concern. Again, there are several options:

1) The manager of your hotel or B & B might assist in distributing clothing to members of his cleaning staff who in all likelihood are of extremely modest means, or might suggest that some items be given to one of several local charities such as Estancia Fraternidad or Casa de La Mujer.
2) If you plan to tour some of the craft villages, your tour guide or driver might be able to assist you, although residents of the more popular and consequently successful towns such as Teotitlán del Valle and San Martín Tilcajete might not be the ones to whom your generosity should be directed. Consider spending part of a day getting away from the more traditional tourist sights, perhaps venturing into the hills and tiny communities, the inhabitants of which are predominantly campesinos. This affords an opportunity to see first hand the modest lifestyles of most Oaxacans and experience the “real” Mexico. Your chauffeur should be happy to accommodate, and you can distribute goods as and to whom you wish.
3) Drop your donation by the Oaxaca Lending Library on Calle Pino Suarez. Its volunteers are involved in a number of outreach projects.
4) Contact me and I’d be honored to come by your accommodations, pick up whatever you have, and ensure that it goes to good use.

Regular visitors to the city and the numerous returning snowbirds are afforded an even better and easier opportunity to help. Consider leaving your entire Oaxaca wardrobe and all your toiletries in Oaxaca, permanently. Remember, you still have more than enough to wear at home, and already having bathroom items awaiting you upon your return to Oaxaca can be quite convenient, especially in light of airline restrictions regarding sprays and bottles.

Pack it all up in a few boxes, or better yet buy an inexpensive chest of drawers to store your belongings, like I did about a dozen years ago when I was a frequent visitor to the city. Toss in a few bars of soap or pieces of cedar to keep it all fresh smelling. Then impose upon one of your Oaxacan or expat friends to keep it for you in a closet, corner or storage room. For your subsequent visits to the city all you’ll be bringing down will be two suitcases filled with treasures for those in need. And remember, with all that Oaxaca has to offer shoppers, craft collectors and art aficionados, there’s never a risk that you’ll return north with empty luggage.

Alvin Starkman has a Masters in anthropology and law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. Now a resident of Oaxaca, Alvin writes, tours couples and families to the ruins, craft villages, market towns and more off the beaten track destinations, and owns Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ), a unique Oaxaca bed and breakfast experience, providing Oaxaca accommodations which combine the comfort and service of Oaxaca hotels with the personal touch of quaint country inn style lodging. You can arrange for Alvin to pick up the contents of your extra suitcase by emailing him at oaxacadream@hotmail.com.

Traveling light to Oaxaca

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Most tourists have no idea that only a couple of hundred yards off the main highway, a minute or two from the black pottery village, is one the most fascinating destinations that the state of Oaxaca has to offer children and adults alike. And yet the majority of travelers have a least heard or read a snippet about the natural red dye which comes from a tiny insect and is used to color the rugs they buy in Teotitlán del Valle, and other products including some of the foods and beverages we eat today...the grana cochinilla fina, commonly known as simply cochineal.

I suspect that from reading their guidebooks or speaking to tour guides and taxi drivers, visitors are not generally made aware of the importance of this little bug on the world stage over centuries; or perhaps they think it's enough to buy a tapete and be told it's been dyed with cochineal, and see and touch a few dried insects...rather than spend 40 or 50 minutes in amazement. It might be different if they knew that during the conquest era, next to gold and silver cochineal was the most valuable commodity known to mankind, and that in 1758 Oaxaca exported over 1.5 million Spanish pounds of it to Europe, Africa and Asia for a multitude of uses including the dying of fabrics including uniforms worn by British nobility and cavalry.

Together known as Tlapanochestli, the quaint research facility, museum, ranch and open-air teaching environment is located at Santa María Coyotepec off a dirt road only 15 minutes from downtown Oaxaca. The attraction is designed to hold the interest of travelers of all ages and all backgrounds, from layperson to academic or professional.

Upon entering Tlapanochestli you'll be greeted by one of the employees who works the ranch, or perhaps one of the two scientists who run the research and teaching programs, Engineers Manual Loera Fernández and Ignacio del Río Dueñas. You'll learn about the lifecycle of the cochineal, how it attaches itself to and feeds off of a certain variety of nopal cactus, and about its harvesting and preparation for use as a dye. Both kids and grownups will delight and be awe-struck at having either a live or dried bug squished on their palm yielding the scarlet pigment. You'll be taught why not all types of nopal cactus are suitable for production of cochineal, which ones are used to make salads, and about varietals which produce the sweet red edible fruit known as tuna, seasonally sold in marketplaces just as apples and oranges, and just as often encountered as a sorbet flavor or fresh fruit juice.

But your tour is not only about the insect and its host, but includes learning about a plethora of other natural products used to dye foods and fabrics, such pecan shells, oyster conch, pomegranate, marigold, moss, onions, and the añil plant which produces our blues and indigos. Combining some of these dyes with the cochineal results in yet a further spectrum of color. You'll also discover how to use cochineal in combination with lime juice or baking soda and with different colored natural wools to produce orange and purple hews.

One cannot help but marvel at the diversity of commercial products which utilize the cochineal as a coloring such as lipsticks and makeup for those allergic or sensitive to synthetic red and orange tones, Danone yoghurt, Campari, and even Campbell's soup. Often artists have opted to employ cochineal and other natural colors for their work, and accordingly witness walls adorned with examples of fine art created without the use of chemical-based paints. The photos of Prince Charles' attendance at Tlapanochestli is a testament to the world's continued fascination with the historical and contemporary significance of the grana cochinilla fina. In the gift shop there's an opportunity to purchase dried cochineal for your own use, ink in an attractive wax-sealed bottle, paints and pastes, balls of yarn, soaps, clothing, and for the children perhaps a paint set consisting of dried cochineal to crush using the miniature clay pestle and mortar, along with coloring pages with instruction sheet directing how to use the kit and produce your own shades of red, orange and pink.

A short video puts the production of cochineal into its proper historical context using facts, anecdotes and mythology, along with colorful imagery, narrated using language easily understood by children. At the same time those with a background or interest in the sciences will have all of their questions answered. The film outlines the pre-hispanic use of the pigment; the development of an internationally regulated industry attracting the attention of worldwide heads of state from The Conquest forward; its importance in the global marketplace as the strongest and most brilliant dye known to humankind; and its decline in the mid 1800's upon the invention of synthetic coloration and the subsequent adverse impact on the Mexican economy. While Oaxacan production and export never did recover from 19th century recessionary factors, the video concludes on a upbeat note documenting the industry's resurgence in recent decades in the face of widespread health concerns regarding the continued reliance on synthetic substances to dye commercial products.

After your cinematic journey back into history, and having gained knowledge about how natural dyes are produced and used in a multitude of applications, your perception of not only Oaxaca but also the Western World will have been enhanced forever...whether you're in Oaxaca shopping for rugs, watching the native vendors in a market or ordering ice cream; or sitting in the comfort of your home and sipping a Campari and soda.

Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B., resides in Oaxaca. For information about combining an excursion to Tlapanochetli with a daily tour which includes other sites, Alvin can be reached at Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.oaxacadream.com). In addition to running a bed and breakfast and arranging tours, Alvin writes for a number of travel websites and a Canadian national antiques newspaper, does translations for a local monthly, and assists one of Oaxaca's preeminent native chefs with her private cooking lessons.

The Best Kept Secret in Oaxaca - Cochineal

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An examination of the occasional tourist review of quality, reputable bed and breakfast accommodations in Oaxaca, reveals commentaries on at least one popular travel website relating to noise, insects, smells and sanitation.

Travelers to a Southern, Third World country, who want at least partial immersion into the host society as an element of their total vacation, must recognize that their choice of accommodation is an integral ingredient of the overall experience. By virtue of not selecting a Holiday Inn, Fiesta Inn or high end hotel in another international chain, you're making a statement, and it's not necessarily about how much you can afford or choose to pay.

Tourists who opt to lodge in the quaint, traditional setting of a family-run bed and breakfast, guest house or small hotel in Oaxaca seek a taste of "the real Mexico," and a personal touch... but such a choice at times comes with night-time noise, unfamiliar insects, the odd unpleasant odor, and house rules which our Western mores, fueled by ethnocentrism, might lead us to mistakenly believe result in unsanitary conditions.

Even opting for the more traditional lodging style is no guarantee that your experience will be any different. Oaxaca is Oaxaca ... a UNESCO world heritage site, so it must, and of course does, have something special to offer, including its multiplicity of rich and diverse cultural traditions.

***************

Invite a middle class Oaxacan couple to vacation in your suburban home in Chicago, New York or Toronto. The unaccustomed, every morning before leaving for the day's activities, will go outside and place a neatly tied plastic bag in the trash ... soiled toilet tissue.

The state of Oaxaca, as is the case with many Mexican destinations, does not have the quality of waste removal infrastructure to which you are likely accustomed. Oaxacans have learned that the best way to avoid clogged and backed up drains, minimize the likelihood of unnecessary repair costs, be a considerate neighbor, and act in an ecologically responsible manner, is to not flush paper into either the municipal drainage system or the septic tank.

Although toilet paper has been around since late 14th century China, and the first flush toilet was developed in 1596, it seems as though we're still struggling with the perfect recipe for excrement disposal ... at least here in southern Mexico. But are we unsanitary? You be the judge: your hotel staff removing the bagged Charmin from the hotel every day or two; or running the risk of sewage coming up from the drain either in your lodging or outside on the street.

Your hosts will not ask you to leave for breaching this often unwritten rule, and they'll probably never know that you've done so. But do consider their request. And by all means, when you have Mexican house guests with you in your home town, tell them they can, and should, flush it down.

Unpleasant odors are a fact of life from time to time in most rental accommodations, and in fact in the majority of Oaxacan households regardless of socio-economic rank of their inhabitants. It's a function of antiquated municipal water delivery and waste removal systems. At certain times of the year our tap water arrives somewhat less than transparent, even though we religiously use and clean our filters---it's even been known to happen in some major American and Canadian cities from time to time during a hot spell. The water is nevertheless safe without boiling or additional treatment, for bathing, doing dishes and other non-ingesting purposes. A partial solution is to order trucks, known as pipas, to fill our cisterns. The water usually, but not always, arrives crystal clear, sometimes even with a bit of green algae, evidencing its origin from a pure mountain spring, though not Irish.

In the rainy season at times sewers overflow and otherwise manage to create peculiar smells for a short while. We learn to control and eradicate such temporary scents in short order with one or more antiseptic-style formulations.

Noise and the prevalence of insects and small animals is a function of the lodging environment you choose. Certainly if you elect to stay on the top floor of a suburban hotel with hermetically sealed vinyl or aluminum windows facing a pool or alleyway, you'll reduce the likelihood of encountering late-night noise and harmless tiny lizards.

Many travelers are drawn to downtown lodgings where inevitably there will be noise at night, predominantly from vehicular traffic, and as you get closer to the zócalo, from music and year-round fiestas. As you move out from the centro histórico, the quality of the din begins to change, at times characterized by canine barking, rooster calls and a plethora of other sounds echoing across the valley. Regardless of where travelers elect to stay, there will no doubt be the resonance of horns, bells, whistles and calls of vendors plying their wares, and of late night fireworks. This is part of the culture of southern Mexican society, on the one hand lacking noise bylaws (or at least their enforcement), and on the other evidencing a richness of tradition, albeit different from that within which most tourists to the region have been raised. Many visitors either purchase ear plugs at a local pharmacy or bring along their own, certainly doing the trick, if that's what you want, that is to reduce the opportunity to enrich your oratory sense late night before retiring, and in the early morning hours.

Selecting a lodging style characterized by rooms with wooden doors and windows opening onto a lush courtyard, or perhaps a guest house with aesthetically pleasing adobe walls assuring tourists of a fresh and comfortable inside temperature no matter how hot it is outside, enables vacationers to enhance their Latin American travel experience. But you will see the odd spider, maybe even little lizards which keep mosquitoes in check, or ants or beetles depending on the time of year. It's all a trade off, for both guests and their hosts. We fumigate periodically, but have environmental concerns as well. We might try to visually enhance our accommodations by putting art on the adobe walls, although this creates an ideal hiding place for harmless crawling insects. We maintain a rustic look with pine or cedar doors and windows which we might leave open during the day for fresh air circulation, and to welcome the pleasing perfume of flowering bushes in our gardens, but even with screens we cannot keep out every minute courtyard critter.

***************

The rewards of selecting an accommodation-type which fits into the context of the vacation experience you seek are innumerable. There are only two prerequisites: that you seek to understand, get used to and in certain cases welcome, and accept for at least a week or two, the lifestyle, worldview and cultural traditions of others who in fact are not all different from you; and that you remember that your hosts are dedicated to providing you with value-added service which above all will ensure your comfort, safety and security, and enjoyment of the magic of Oaxaca.

Alvin Starkman operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Until a house guest walked off with about 20 pairs of ear plugs from a night table drawer, he was gratuitously supplying them. Alvin received his Masters in Social Anthropology from York University in Toronto in 1978, taught for a few years, and subsequently attended Osgoode Hall Law School. From 1986 to 2004 he was the litigation partner at Banks & Starkman, specializing in family law. Although a frequent traveler to Oaxaca since 1991, it was not until he ceased practicing law that he took up permanent residence in the state capital in 2004. In his spare time Mr. Starkman takes couple, families and small groups touring the craft villages, towns on their market days, ruins and other attractions including more off-the-beaten-track sights; writes articles about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca; translates from Spanish to English for a Oaxaca-based website; writes a legal column for a Canadian national antiques newspaper; is occasional consultant to documentary film production companies working in Oaxaca.

Accommodations in Oaxaca, Mexico: Ants, noise and toilet paper

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Don Isaac recounts awaking at 4 am, then walking from his village of Matatlán, with his mule, to Oaxaca, arriving some 14 or 15 hours later ... just to buy a large cántaro, the traditional clay vessel then used for making and transporting mezcal. Often he would stop en route, at Santa María el Tule, for a drink of refreshing tejate before carrying on. Quenching his thirst, putting his feet up for a short while, and chatting with his favorite tejatero, made the arduous journey accepted custom, just part of the job.

Eighty-eight-year-old Isaac Jiménez Arrazola has been producing mezcal in Matatlán all his life, just like his father and grandfather before him, his sons Enrique and Octavio, and now his grandchildren. The town has a colorful history and pride in being one of the oldest colonial settlements in the country, founded in 1525, only a few years after Cortés arrived in Mexico. But for literally hundreds of years the crowning glory of Matatlán has been its status as world capital for the production of mezcal. In fact by 1980 this dusty one-horse-town had about 360 palenques [the facility where the agave plant (maguey) is processed until mezcal slowly drips out of the still] each producing about 2,800 liters monthly.

"All of my children," Don Isaac emphasizes, "from when they were very young, the boys and girls alike, learned all the steps ... preparing the fields and tending the maguey, watching out for infestations, harvesting, and the process in the palenque. And my wife Juana would be in charge and do everything when I was either on the road selling, or playing in the band. You know I'm a musician as well, just like my grandfather Fidencio. He was a Master violinist."

Fidencio Jiménez Romero was born in Ejutla de Crespo in 1870. Towards the turn of the century he moved to Matalán, as a young adult, and became the family's first generation of mezcalero. He and his son both learned to distill mezcal the old fashioned way, using clay pots for receptacles, and carriso (tall river reed, similar in appearance and functionality to bamboo) as the tubing required for the condensation and cooling processes. It wasn't until grandson Isaac's generation that copper was introduced into the town. That was in 1935. From then until the early 1940's, copper revolutionized the means of production, while at the same time modes of transportation also underwent dramatic changes.

The family patriarch recalls that using clay for transporting had its definite downside, being fragile and at times dangerous. So when the opportunity arose to transport in latas de mantequa (large tins in which lard was then sold), he seized the opportunity. And then with the arrival of larger plastic containers, a further change occurred. But by about 1943, with the Pan-American highway by then almost arriving at Oaxaca, imported oak barrels began to appear. Don Isaac saw a chance to transport even larger quantities.

"In those days we never thought about aging. We used the barrels because they were big, and I could fit 12 - 14 of them on my truck, to go on my sales routes to towns and villages on the coast and in the mountains. It would take about a month to sell everything I had, so that was the longest time mezcal would be allowed to age ... until I was sold out and could return home with a truckload of empty barrels. But when I realized I was losing a lot of mezcal due to barrel swelling and evaporation, I went back to plastic. I just couldn't afford to sell from the barrel."

Throughout the 1950's business was good, with national markets opening up as a result of improved highways. The family put their modest profits to work by purchasing additional tracts of land for growing agave. In 1957 they moved operations into the family homestead (still occupied today by Isaac, his wife, and son Octavio and his family).

When asked to be town mayor (el presidente municipal) in 1966, Don Isaac of course couldn't refuse the three year post, even though it was an unpaid position. It was an honor, and considered part of tequio, one's moral obligation to the community. Finances were strained, but with the assistance of the family, business continued, and in fact thrived.

By the 1980's, the Jiménez family had begun to barrel-age, bottle and export. The family realized that it could command a higher price in the marketplace by producing a smoother product with a different, and often more pleasing flavor, imparted through barreling. This more than made up for shrinkage.

Isaac's two sons' fates had been sealed. Octavio had less of an interest in academics than some of his siblings who went on to complete university and teach. Although he attended high school, he was more interested in working the fields and life in the palenque. Brother Enrique completed his secondary school education, then entered university in Oaxaca, obtaining a degree in industrial chemical engineering. During his college years he would spend the week living in Oaxaca, and then Friday afternoon his father would pick him up and bring him home to Matatlán. There he would work at the family business, from time-to-time putting his newly-learned expertise to work, bringing welcomed innovation to various aspects of production.

Finally, by 1993 the family had its own domestic brand, Mezcal del Maestro (now known as Mezcal del Amigo) which has met with success in both Europe and the US.

Having five well-established types of mezcal in production has given the Jiménez family a measure of security. With Octavio and Enrique now at the helm, the family has recently made a bold decision to move into the 21st century. The brothers are at the cutting edge of a new technique for baking agave which will enhance quality control, while at the same time enable them to preserve the centuries old production methods of stone-crushing the carmelized maguey using horsepower, literally, fermenting in pine vats, and distilling using a clay-brick oven.

Matatlán today remains a small town with the paved Pan-American highway running through it, mezcal factories and outlets (fábricas and expendios) on both sides of the road extending for perhaps a mile. Fields of agave under cultivation blanket the rolling hills in each direction. But turn off the highway and you can still step back into time and venture into the Jiménez homestead and watch mezcal being made as it was in the early 1900's, when Fidencio Jiménez Romero was teaching everything he knew to his youthful grandson, Isaac. Just ask anyone in town how to get to Don Isaac's, where you'll meet Octavio and Enrique Jiménez, and yes, their children, the fifth generation of mezcaleros.

Mezcal del Amigo, the Jiménez family brand, will be producing mezcal at its new facility on the left hand side of the highway, entering Matatlán, effective early 2008. You'll be able to witness each stage of the production process, and taste a variety of high quality mezcals. And you can also ask one of Don Isaac's grandchildren to run you by the old homestead to see how it all started.

Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the villages, including Matatlán for a visit to Mezcal del Amigo.

A Family Tradition: Five Generations of Mezcaleros, Producers of Quality Mezcal in Matatlán, Oaxaca

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Thankfully the recent expansion from 24 to 40 seats hasn't detracted from the intimacy and quaintness of this downtown Italian restaurant and pizzeria. It still has classy yet welcoming décor of deep cranberry and white walls, simple pine tables and cushioned chairs stained dark to enhance a bistro-like feeling, and not to be overshadowed, floor-length draperies well-matched to the magenta / wine tones. The soft sound of jazz heard from the street is alone enough to make you want to take a peak in, and then you're hooked.

You're warmly welcomed by Italian owner Simone, who is almost always on hand. His presence remains, yet more in the nature of consultant, available to make suggestions, innately knowing when his attention is needed, and when not. He advises regarding selections from the printed menu, or large blackboard. We've never been disappointed with his wine recommendations, each having been carefully chosen by Simone so as to ensure appropriate pairing of food with wine, as well as affordability for middle-of-the-road patrons.

The primary culinary reason for visiting Vieja Lira is its pizzas. However, the fish, seafood, pastas and zuppas run a very close second. And even if the temptation to order a traditional plato fuerte is too great to resist, and you're inclined to pass on the pizza, suggest to others in your party that pizza as one of the appetizers might satisfy the curiosity if not secret yearning of all.

Drinks arrive almost as readily as the crusty, soft yet dense bread, hand-cut to be drizzled with the herb infused olive oil or perhaps some paste-like salsa de chile de arbol.

The pizza is one generous size, with crust as thin as I've ever chomped, surely worthy of winning an award. It borders on the thickness of a tortilla or perhaps tlayuda. For this cena our eight-slicer had cheese, tomato and the usual herbs and spices, each quarter with a healthy topping of one of artichoke, black olive, mushroom and pepperoni. While it was the first appetizer to arrive, and we knew there were more entradas to follow, the four diners in our party were drawn to devour it all, without even a single, obligatory "no, you take the last piece."

Our appetizers were rounded out with a bowl of ten or so medium-sized garlic shrimp, skewered, and an order of bruschetta of chicken liver paté, dare I say good enough to remind me of my grandmothers' recipe from The Old Country. Watch out asiento, schmaltz is making inroads into Oaxaca.

My wife's seafood bouillabaisse consisted of a medley of seafood and fish, juices appropriately spiced with a blend of fresh local herbs including your standard Italian selections, served in an oversized bowl. I continued with the crustacean theme, indulging in a hefty serving of fettuccini with seafood including squid, octopus, shrimp, scallop and local langostina in their shell. One of our guests ordered seared tuna over a bed of mixed exotic greens. She'd requested "rare, much less than medium," I piped in "almost still swimming," yet the plate arrived disappointingly overcooked, bordering on well. Without question or discussion the dish was removed, and in short order another serving, properly grilled, arrived with appropriate apology. The final entrée was one of the daily specials, rabbit with choice of penne or linguini, in a tangy tomato sauce.

Two bottles of Italian merlot having been retired, the restaurant by now almost empty, we were nevertheless still inclined to continue with just a bit more catching up with good friends. A couple of brandies and herbal teas, a tiramisu, and a coconut ice cream served in its half shell, most agreeably put the finishing touches on an evening of overall contentment.

Vieja Lira
Trattoria & Pizzeria
Pino Suárez 100
Centro, Oaxaca
Hours: 1 - 11 p.m., closed Tuesday
Tel: 516 – 1122

Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, tours couples and families to the craft villages, market towns, ruins and other sights in the state's central valleys, and is special Oaxaca consultant to documentary film production companies.

Vieja Lira Trattoria and Pizzeria in Oaxaca, Mexico

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Ecotourism as we know it in the Ixtlán district of the Sierra Norte, may never reach the Mixe because of its distance from the city of Oaxaca amongst other factors. However the Mixe still has many of the trappings which attract travelers who want to get away from urban life and see different and more natural sights. In terms of material culture, the district may in fact be superior. Certainly the drive, best handled as a two-day excursion, has much to offer beginning just as you start your ascent out of Oaxaca’s central valleys.

What’s in store should you venture off with your own or a rental vehicle for this 280 kilometer trek (round trip), are cave paintings; cascading springs; meals so fresh that the roadside eateries have no need for refrigeration; markets; by-products of the agave plant such pulque and mezcal; pottery in a style and color not often encountered in the state capital; and on a daily basis women wearing unique, regional dress.

The drive itself, without stops or side trips, takes upwards of 3 hours, beginning in Oaxaca and ending at the recommended final destination of Santa María Tlahuitoltepec. But it’s the journey which holds much of the allure.

Driving from Oaxaca to San Lorenzo Albarradas, situated on the cusp of the Mixe, takes about an hour, and is accessible by continuing along Highway 190 beyond Mitla. The first sight of interest is Xaagá, a small village whose main industry is loom-made cotton scarves, shawls and rebosos, as well as shirts and blouses, all wholesaled to middlemen or to merchants with stalls in Mitla, Tlacolula, el Tule or Oaxaca. Xaagá is also known for its 3,000 – 10,000 year old cave paintings. For between 50 and 100 pesos you can hire a local to guide you right up to them. The last several yards of the excursion are a difficult climb, so wear hiking boots or running shoes. Even if you don’t do the final leg, the drawings will be quite close to you and easy to photograph. You can continue up the dirt road from Xaagá to the bubbling springs and “waterfalls” of mineral deposits at Hierve el Agua. Great for swimming, in one of two poolings reaching just over 6’. Unless you start out quite early, it’s recommended that you stop at only one of these two sights, perhaps saving the other for the drive back, depending on time available. If it’s Hierve el Agua, it’s best to take the alternate route by returning to Highway 190, especially during rainy season, and in light of the ongoing dispute (an inconvenience only) between two villages each claiming the right to exact an entrance fee from tourists.

Back on Highway 190, after about 10 minutes you’ll pass San José del Paso on the left, another marginal community whose residents eke out a modest existence producing cotton textiles. A few minutes later you’ll encounter two quaint mezcal “factories,” directly across the highway from one another, much more rustic and traditional than the larger more commercial facilities catering to tourists, which one encounters en route to Mitla. On balance, one of the two small facilities will be in full production, with the ability to witness a couple of the steps in the process, be they the agave baking in an in-ground oven, a mule crushing the cooked by-product, fermentation in pine vats, or the firewood-fueled still with the purest of mezcal dripping into a plastic or copper recipient.

If you miss the process, about 10 minutes further along the highway, just before the San Lorenzo Albarradas cut-off, on the left you’ll come across another fábrica de mezcal, this one with a combined restaurant entitled Comedor El Tigre. No electricity and no refrigeration. Not needed. A very friendly family owns the place. Don’t expect a menu, but rather the mother or her daughter-in-law rhyming off what’s available for breakfast or lunch: memelitas, quesadillas, huevos al comal, huevos con chorizo, chorizo asado, tasajo, cecina, or a daily stew. All safe. Served with beans, and of course salsa made fresh before your eyes and served in its molcajete. Perhaps best of all is being able to pick up a tortilla straight from the comal over open flame.

About a kilometer up the road you´ll find a sign directing you to the right to Hierve el Agua (by the alternate route). The last 15 minutes of travel to Hierve el Agua is on dirt road, but a new paved road is being cut through the mountain range.

Until this point in time in the trip the vegetation, since the approach to Mitla, has been mixed scrub, cactus, and some crops under cultivation, with agave predominating.

Back on the main highway, the next hour is spent gradually climbing to Ayutla, the first town of any significance in the Mixe. Vegetation quickly changes from agave to pine and other conifers, and building construction from brick to wood. Large bags of pine charcoal for sale pepper the roadsides. On the approach to Ayutla, on your left you’ll discover the first of two or three pottery outlets. Stop by, make some purchases, or simply keep a mental note of prices since you’ll stop by another further along and can always return to this one on the return trip.

You’ll also begin to see trout farms, with large man-made tanks fed with a continuous flow of fresh water from the springs higher up. These aren’t for fishing, but rather for buying fresh fish to take home, or eat in an adjoining restaurant. On this trip we spent the night at Hotel Restaurante “Tek,” located on the left, just beyond Restaurante el Epazote. “Tek” served the best trout my wife has ever eaten, baked in a large aromatic leaf and sealed with foil, with a stuffing of melted quesillo, tomato, chile and other spices, and topped with chipotle mayonnaise. The hotel, purportedly the best the town has to offer, was basic to the extreme, with shared bath. Take your own sheets and pillow cases. For 200 pesos a night for a couple, though, it was hard to complain. Dinner for two with a couple of shots of mezcal, a beer and bottled water came in at 126 pesos.

On this particular Saturday, there were bare-back horse races on the outskirts of town, in a valley flecked with pools of fresh water suitable for family swimming. Our hotel hosts were kind enough to take us to the races. Unfortunately, the main sight in town, the cascading springs which are apparently in quite a picturesque setting, were inaccessible as a result of a dispute over water rights between this population and that of the village up the road, Tamazulapan del Espíritu Santo. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Tamazulapan is about a 15 minute drive from Ayutla. On the approach to the village, on the left you’ll see another terra cotta pottery outlet. The owner and her children are very congenial, and in fact offered to take us to a nearby village where the pottery is formed and fired. She also escorted us to the marketplace, showed us around, and asked that we make sure to not miss the pulque festival scheduled for later that Sunday.

Here you’re finally in the heart of Mixe country and will see women dressed in typical garb consisting of a dark reboso over the head, white blouse in one of a variety of styles and embroidered with tell-tale stitching, and either a long dark or white with embroidery skirt with palm leaf wrap-around belt over which a red, colorfully embroidered second belt of cotton is tied.

Until recently there was no market day in Tamazulapan, the townspeople attending Ayutla for its Sunday market. But now, as a result of the dispute, Tamazulapan has its own Sunday market. While traditional blouses can be purchased in the village at a reasonable price if bought from the women’s cooperative, there’s a better selection up the road in Santa María Tlahuitoltepec.

Tlahuitoltepec is about a 35 – 40 minute drive from Tamazulapan, the last 15 or so minutes on a dirt road, winding and dipping into the valley. Its market day is Saturday. The native clothing referenced above is manufactured at ranches fairly close to town. If interested in seeing the production process, ask a resident and you’ll be pointed in the right direction. Here, as in the other market towns, you’ll encounter a fermented sugar cane drink and fresh pulque. Curiously, mezcal is not made nearby, at least not that we could ascertain, yet pulque which comes from a different variety of agave, the pulquero, is a common beverage sold along the street and in marketplaces. The reason is likely that the pulquero tolerates a colder climate than the espadín variety of agave from which most mezcal is produced.

In any of the foregoing three towns and villages you can hike in the countryside, meet the local residents, and be warmly welcomed. They’re not as accustomed to encountering foreigners as are those of the other districts of the Sierra Norte, and many struggle with Spanish. You’ll find that the further you venture into the Mixe, the more soft-spoken the people become, strikingly more so than those encountered in the central valleys of Oaxaca.

The order of sights outlined above is simply a function of starting in Oaxaca and arbitrarily listing stops in the order that each village or town is initially encountered. By all means design your own itinerary, consider market days, when you want to stop at which restaurant and for bedding down, and most importantly based upon your particular interests, be they for craft purchases, hiking, or simply meeting and perhaps photographing the local folk. Without a doubt we’ll be back in the Mixe, stopping in different locales, wandering off the highway to the tiniest of hamlets, and assuredly reaching deeper into the district, ultimately arriving at Santiago Zacatepec.

Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. He was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and became residents in 2004. Alvin writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, tours couples and families to the villages, and is an occasional consultant to documentary filmmakers.

Oaxaca, to the Mixe district of the Sierra Norte region: The drive and some highlights

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