First Oaxaca

My feet are back on familiar ground after a month of art, language study and absorbing all I could in three cities of Mexico. John and I left Portland on the first of February and arrived home again in the early hours of this morning. I uncharacteristically did not shoot as many photos as on previous trips but here is a sampling from Oaxaca.

We spent about half of our time in Oaxaca; the landscape above will give testimony to its beauty. Sitting in a valley south of Mexico City, it's a hub for the arts; painting, botany, culinary. In addition I never fail to feel a deep connection to the history and vibe of the city. All of Mexico is magical and Oaxaca in addition is a center of diversity; rich inspiration for the artist.

I ran into friends here, women from the art retreat world, friends of a dearest friend, women who invited me in and made me feel welcome and even fed me dinner at their lodging. Nothing is warmer than friends who prepare food for you and talk into the night about art. Our time together was a highlight of the trip. (visit Ellen Benson's work here!)

The Bed & Breakfast where we stayed went out of their way to prepare vegan meals for us. 

These plates were breakfasts; local organic food served each day with fruit, juices, breads and coffee, locally made chocolate or tea.  *sigh*

Our friends from San Miguel joined us around the halfway point of the trip and the food enjoyment continued while we visited museums, the town of Teotitlan, exhibits and markets.

A window inside the Santo Domingo Cultural Center. 

Outside was a huge exhibit of 2501 ceramic statues by the artist Alejandro Santiago. Watch the wonderful explanation and more photos here; better photographs than mine and a moving story of the sculptures.

This is what they looked like on site. 

We visited the Tamayo Museum of Prehispanic Art ...

the Stamp Museum, Textile Museum, Contemporary Art Museum and took many long and serious siestas in addition to attending 3 hour daily language classes and doing HOMEWORK! So lots of study and as much resting as we could squeeze in too. Tomorrow I'll write a little about Puebla and then San Miguel as we traveled with our friends northward. (No, no banditos. There's no more crime in Mexico than there is here.)

After that we'll return to our regular programming. Thanks for not giving up on me during my long time away from the blog. Over and out!