Moon Handbooks Oaxaca

by Whipperman, Bruce

• ISBN13: 9781566915021
• ISBN10: 1566915023
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-09-30
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing

Summary

Whether you're looking for tips on shopping for genuine Mexican crafts, such as handmade masks, carvings, palm weavings, serapes, metalwork, embroidery, and pottery, or viewing coatimundis, peccaries, ocelots, and other wildlife, Moon Handbooks Oaxaca is your tool for experiencing the best of this intriguing destination.

Author Biography

Bruce Whipperman In the early 1980's, the lure of travel drew Bruce Whipperman away from a 20-year career of teaching physics. The occasion was a trip to Kenya, which included a total solar eclipse and a safari. He hasn't stopped traveling since. With his family grown, he has been free to let the world's wild, beautiful corners draw him on: to the ice-clawed Karakoram, the Gobi Desert's trellised oases, the pink palaces of Rajasthan, Japan's green wine country, Bali's emerald terraces, and now, Oaxaca's traditional markets, spectacular ruins, picture perfect vistas, and parklike green pastures. Bruce has always pursued his travel career for the fun of it. He started with slide shows and photo gifts for friends. Others wanted his photos, so he began selling them. Once, stranded in Ethiopia, he began to write. A dozen years later, after scores of magazine and newspaper feature stories, Moon Handbooks Pacific Mexico became his first book. For him, travel writing heightens his awareness and focuses his own travel experiences. He always remembers what a Nepali Sherpa once said: "Many people come, looking, looking; few people come, see." Travel, after all, is for returning home, and that coziest of journeys always brings a tired but happy Bruce back to his friends, son, daughter, and wife Linda in Oakland, California. Bruce invites the readers of Moon Handbooks Oaxaca to likewise "come see"-and discover and enjoy-Oaxaca's delights with a fresh eye and renewed compassion.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(73)
Like its renowned mole sauces, Oaxaca is a rich mixture of influences-indigenous and colonial, traditional and modern. This is a land with 16 native languages, in hundreds of dialects, where even today Spanish is often a foreign tongue. With countless fiestas, crafts villages, colorful markets-and of course, the incomparable cuisine you'll find much to savor.
Land and Sea	2	(3)
Flora and Fauna	5	(13)
History	18	(26)
Economy and Government	44	(8)
People	52	(22)
On the Road	74	(61)
What's your vision of paradise? Whether its snorkeling in hidden coves, figuring out where to string your hammock, or dining on fresh-caught fish under a shady palapa, you'll find all the practical information you need right here.
Sports and Recreation	74	(6)
Festivals and Events	80	(4)
Arts and Crafts	84	(6)
Accommodations	90	(5)
Food and Drink	95	(4)
Shopping	99	(3)
Getting There	102	(13)
Getting Around	115	(4)
Information and Services	119	(8)
Health and Safety	127	(6)
What to Take	133	(2)
Oaxaca City	135	(44)
Stroll the cobbled streets of Oaxaca's capital city, soaking in the colonial charm of its stone buildings. Sit at a zócalo sidewalk cafe and watch the world glide by. Discover handicraft-shopping heaven browsing through traditional markets and private galleries. Or let the whirling colors and dazzling spectacle of July's Guelaguetza folk dance festival draw you in.
Around the Valley of Oaxaca	179	(38)
Welcome to the Zapotec heartland, where villages famed for woodcarving and weaving thrive alongside stunning ruins such as Monte Albán, where long ago a majestic city endured for over 1,000 years.
EAST SIDE: THE TEXTILE ROUTE	184	(13)
Santa Maria del Tule
Tlacochahuaya
Dainzu and Lambityeco Archaeological Sites
Teotitlán del Valle
Santa Ana del Valle
Tlacolula
Yagul Archaeological Zone
San Bartolomé
Quialana and San Marcos Tlapazola
Mitla
Hierve el Agua Mineral Springs
SOUTH SIDE: THE CRAFTS ROUTE	197	(11)
San Bartolo Coyotepec
San Antonino Castillo Velasco
San Martin Tilcajete
Santo Tomás Jalieza
Ocotlán
Ejutla
Zimatlán
San Sebastián de las Grutas
Sola de Vega
Zaachila
Cuilapan de Guerrero and Arrazola
WEST SIDE: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ROUTE	208	(11)
Monte Albán
Santa Maria Atzompa
San José El Mogote
Etla
Suchilquitongo and Cerro de la Campana Archaeological Zone
Pacific Resorts and Southern Sierra	217	(82)
Adventure awaits along the Pacific Coast, from kayaking lagoons teeming with birds to riding the pipeline at Playa Zicatela, Mexico's best surfing beach. Heading upland into the Sierra Madre, you'll find spectacular waterfalls and jungle coffee farms to explore.
PUERTO ÁNGEL AND VICINITY	219	(19)
Playa Zipolite
Playas San Agustinillo and Mazunte
San Pedro Pochutla
Chacalapa
San José del Pacifico
BAHIAS DE HUATULCO AND VICINITY	238	(22)
Crucecita
Santa Cruz de Huatulco
Chahue
Tangolunda
Santa Maria Huatulco
Santa Maria Xadani
Santiago Astata
San Pedro Huamelula
PUERTO ESCONDIDO AND VICINITY	260	(21)
Playa Zicatela
Laguna Manialtepec
Atotonilco Hot Springs
UPLAND EXCURSION INTO CHATINO COUNTRY	281	(6)
Santos Reyes Nopala
Santa Magdalena Tiltepec
Santa Catarina Juquila
WEST TO THE MIXTEC COAST	287	(13)
Lagunas de Chacahua National Park
Rio Grande
Roca Blanca
San Pedro
Tututepec
Charquito Atotonilco Warm Springs
Santiago Jamiltepec
San Andres Huaxpaltepec
Santa Maria Huazolotitlán
Pinotepa Nacional
Pinotepa Don Luis
San Juan Colorado
Cacahuatepec
San Pedro Amusgos
Playa Corralero
The Mixteca	299	(58)
Stretching from the jungle-draped Pacific coastline across the cool, cloud-shadowed highlands to the warmth of a sunny desert plateau, the Mixteca is both vast and diverse. Its human legacy is just as impressive, with grand Dominican churches dotting the countryside and ancient Mixtec kingdoms that stir the imagination.
NORTHWEST FROM OAXACA CITY	300	(9)
Nochixtlan
Yucuita
Tilantongo and Monte Negro Archaeological Zones
The Vale of Apoala
DOMINICAN ROUTE SOUTH	309	(8)
Tamazulapan
Teposcolula
Yucunama
Yanhuitlan
DOMINICAN ROUTE NORTH	317	(8)
Coixtlahuaca
San Miguel Tequixtepec
Tepelmeme de Morelos
THE MIXTECA BAJA: LAND OF THE SUN	325	(17)
Huajuapan de León
Cerro de las Minas Archaeological Zone
Santiago Huajolotitlán
Rio Mixteco Valley and Asunción Cuyotepeji
San Pedro y San Pablo Tequixtepec
Santiago Chazumba
Yosocuta Reservoir
Tonalá Canyon
Santo Domingo Tonalá
Santiago Juxtlahuaca
Laguna Encantada
THE MIXTECA ALTA: ROOF OF OAXACA	342	(16)
Tlaxiaco
Chalcatongo
Yosundua and Cascada Esmeralda
San Miguel Achiutla
San Martin Huamelulpan
Santa Maria Cuquila
San Miguel Progreso
Putla de Guerrero
Northern Oaxaca	357	(40)
The north offers something for every outdoor enthusiast: high mountains for hiking, climbing, and camping; tropical rivers and glassy lakes for fishing, swimming, and boating; and crystalline springs for refreshing dips and relaxing afternoon picnics.
NORTHERN SIERRA	358	(10)
Benito Juárez and Cuajimoloyas
Santa Catarina Ixtepeji
Ixtlán de Juárez
Calpulalpan
Guelatao
INTO THE PAPALOAPAN	368	(17)
Valle Nacional
Santa Maria Jacatepec
San José Chiltepec
Tuxtepec
Temascal and Miguel Alemán Dam and Reservoir
San Pedro Ixcatlan and the Islands
Isla Soyaltepec
San Lucas Ojitlán
THE MAZATECA	385	(8)
Jalapa de Diaz
Cerro Rabón
Huautla de Jiménez
Las Regaderas
Nindo-Da-Gé
Sotano de San Agustin
THE CAÑADA: CANYON COUNTRY	393	(5)
Teotitlán del Camino
Cuicatlán
The Isthmus: Land of Plenty	397	(42)
This is a land worth celebrating, with vivid marketplaces and near-continuous velas-as fiestas are known to ist-meños. The grandest vela of them all is late December's Vela Tehuantepec, when an entire town dances to the strains of Sandunga music all night long.
TEHUANTEPEC AND VICINITY	398	(14)
Guiengola
Jalapa del Marqués
Tequisistlán
JUCHITÁN AND VICINITY	412	(8)
NORTH OF JUCHITÁN	420	(3)
Magdalena Tlacotepec
Santiago Laollaga
Lagunas
Santo Domingo Petapa
EAST OF JUCHITÁN	423	(5)
La Venta
The Chimalapa
Unión de Hidalgo
Playa Copalito and San Dionisio del Mar
Santo Domingo Zanatepec
San Pedro Tapanatepec
Rincón Juárez and the Calm Sea
SALINA CRUZ AND VICINITY	428	(11)
Playa La Ventosa
San Mateo del Mar
Santa Maria del Mar
Resources	439
TRAILER PARKS AND CAMPING	440	(4)
GLOSSARY	444	(3)
SPANISH PHRASEBOOK	447	(7)
SUGGESTED READING	454	(8)
INTERNET RESOURCES	462	(2)
INDEX	464