Oaxaca briefs. Part 3 – Mitla

On Sunday morning I left the house at 6:30 am to catch the sunrise over the city rooftops. [Because Oaxaca is surrounded with hills, sunrise and sunset light does not last as long as in other places.] Usually Sunday is the quietest morning of all, but not Palm Sunday. Crowds would pure into streets at 7 am from a morning mass. Everyone was carrying a Jesus made out of reed.



My Sunday destination was Mitla – a city of ruins and textile. I caught a collectivo at 7:30 a.m., ecstatic about being the only person in a car. Not for long lasted my fake luxury – in 15 minutes we picked up a man and three women going to Mitla market. Women were carrying herbs that smelled like mint with a hint of cinnamon. That and gorgeous landscapes along the way made one hour drive (20 pesos = $2) to Mitla very enjoyable.


From downtown Mitla I walked to the ruins though bright sleepy streets of Mitla.




Mitla ruins were different from Monte Albán in scale, design and look and that’s why it is absolutely worth the visit. Beauty in simplicity – zapotec ornaments.

You can enter the palace and get a glimpse of how rich zapotecas lived centuries ago. Thick walls protect from the sun and cold. That's what I call real construction, nothing like my former residence, which is a good-looking high-rise where you either bake in the summer or freeze to death in the winter.







A few more pictures of ruins