I'm a bit behind with posts since it's been very busy. We have clinic service three days a week, and classes all week as well. Last weekend we went to Teotitlan to visit a women's weaving cooperative. We saw several beautiful tapestries and learned about the weaving process, including how to make natural dyes! I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Rained a little beforehand but otherwise it was a beautiful town!

And of course, nature!

An informative mural.

Nueva Vida - the women's weaving cooperative we visited!

 

How to weave:

1) Shave a sheep!

  

2) Comb through the wool

 

3) Twist a bit of the end of a piece of wool to wrap around the spindle

 

4) Pull and turn!

 

5) Yarn!

 

6) Add a bit of dye, and you're done!

But where do we get the dyes from?

From nature! Here, one of the weavers demonstrates mixing bark in water to get a pink color.

Blue, from rocks collected along the coast. Tend to be expensive, so blue tapestries are a bit costly.

Green!

Within a few minutes, one of the weavers made three different colors, similar to those found in this tapestry.

An example of a smaller tapestry made without dyes. Note the rectangular pattern - very common in Zapotec work.

The tree of life - another symbolic piece in Zapotec culture.

Nueva Vida provided great insight into indigenous culture, weaving, and women's roles in Teotitlan. Not to mention we got an amazing meal to end the day!

 For our first free Saturday, the entire student group headed for Hierve el Aqua ( a waterfall and hiking trail site). First, we had to take a bus to the town of Mitla, which was nearly an hour ride. Afterwards, we headed up the mountains in a truck - I sat in the back and got great photos! It was a really bumpy ride, and it started raining as we got farther up the mountain. We finally reached the waterfall site, half an hour later, took some photos, then headed over to the hiking trail. I am soooo glad I wore sneakers - it was my first hike and I was really scared. We had a guide, but the mountain was extremely steep and had narrow paths along the way. We ended the day with a relaxing  dip in the waterfall pool, and headed back to Oaxaca! Check out the photos below for our exciting journey.

At Mitla, we stopped for a bathroom break. The station had an interesting altar dedicated to who I believe to be the Virgin of Guadalupe, a significant figure in Mexican culture.

The back of the truck we took up the mountain. There were seats in front but I decided  to sit in the back to get photos of the scenery.

Here we go!

As we got farther up...

We finally arrived at the site, and of course, we saw stray dogs.

The pool! We went hiking first, so when we came back, there were barely any people there.

Up we go! Check out the walking sticks our guide gave us!

Along the way people have carved they names into the plants...

Amazing view!

Hey all! Sorry for the lack of updates. This post is just a continuation of our market trip, and a concert we went to on Friday! The concert was held by an orchestra for free, and all the music was based on Queen. Check out the photos below, as well as some of the video I will also upload.

Oaxaca is famous for its mole

Found at a small craft shop

These cute figurines bobble in the wind!

Might get one for my room...

Gorgeous earrings!

Beautiful hand-made dresses

Caught sight of a small dance occurring in the streets. Trumpets and drums provided live music and dressed up men and women entertained a crowd.

Where we watched the orchestra play. Check out the line at the side!

The concert hall ceiling - check out that beautiful mural!

Orchestra, guitarists, and singer!

We went for dinner afterward - I got this chocolate coffee.

Drink one of the guys at our table ordered, though I'm not sure what it is.

Quesadillas!

Looks delicious!

My food! Chicken with mole!

Raining when we finally started to head home - had an amazing night!

Photos from yesterday! Dr. G took us on a tour at "centro", the town center, and we visited some markets. There's still more but I will post those up when I have more time.

Artisan market - we didn't get to shop much but we're definitely going back.

CHOCOLATE!! (And of course, mole in the back!)

Another view of the market.

"Centro"- a park like area with people selling all kinds of goods.

There were several people selling balloons as well.

Genuine leather bags and wallets at the market.

It is common practice in church to buy candles and light them to make a prayer - and here is a "modern" method of having bulb candles instead of matches!

Church of Santo Domingo

Close up of the piece above the altar.

Hand-woven clothing

Not sure if these guys were playing independently to make a bit of cash or if they were part of the restaurant entertainment they were standing next to. We were in a bit of a rush!

We've seen quite a few dogs just running around outside, some with collars, others without.

Church of Santo Domingo

Outside the church

Ceiling of the church - very beautiful patterns and photos!