OAXACA'S ANCIENT SPLENDORS

OAXACA, Mexico In 1932, while excavating at the ruins of Monte Alban, Mexican archaeologist Alphonso Caso poked his flashlight into a narrow underground opening. The beam revealed an astounding sight.

Inside was a dank tomb containing the gruesome remains of nine corpses surrounded by a priceless array of gold, silver, amber and turquoise jewelry. Nowhere in Mexico had treasures like these been discovered in such abundance.

Spectacular Monte Alban is one of many archaeological sites scattered through the mountainous state of Oaxaca.

The region also is home to one of the most attractive colonial cities in Mexico, vibrant folk art and unspoiled ocean beaches.

Oaxaca (wah-HAH-kah), the state capital, is hidden away in a luminous valley 300 miles southeast of Mexico City. It has long been a cultural center, and foreigners as well as Mexicans come back year after year to enjoy the city's Indian heritage and Old World ambience.

The heart of Oaxaca is its spacious zocalo, or main square, reputed to be the liveliest in Mexico. Beneath its elegant shade trees, lovers stroll hand in hand or cuddle on ancient wrought-iron benches, while Indian vendors hawk everything from handsome traditional serapes to homemade swizzle sticks. At night, musicians stage rousing concerts from the plaza's ornate bandstand, and people congregate in sidewalk cafes to enjoy the show.

Dozens of outlets displaying the state's bountiful handicrafts line Oaxaca's cobblestone streets. Store shelves are packed with black pottery, papier mache sculpture, and outrageous wooden animals painted in electric colors.

Elaborately embroidered huipiles (tunic-style dresses), woven rugs, net bags, baskets and hammocks dangle tantalizingly inside open-air stalls. On Saturdays, Indians wearing multicolored traditional clothing bring their goods to town, and the huge Juarez market south of the plaza bustles with activity.

In the Mercado de Artesanias (Artisans' Market), Indian women work on backstrap looms. They sit and weave with babies tucked neatly inside rebozos (shawls) slung across their backs. The complex designs seem to flow effortlessly from the women's fingertips as they gossip in the Zapotec language.

Oaxaca is also renowned for its festivals. During the Fiesta Guelaguetza each summer and the Fiesta de la Soledad in December, the city throngs with visitors, who come to enjoy regional folk dances, craft fairs and street theater.

City of Great Churches

Oaxaca has many fine colonial churches, some dating to the 16th century. Most notable are the massive cathedral, with its elaborate Mexican-baroque facade, and the sumptuous Church of Santo Domingo. In his 1930s travel memoir, "Beyond the Mexique Bay," Aldous Huxley called Santo Domingo "one of the most extravagantly gorgeous churches in the world."

A former convent adjacent to the Church of Santo Domingo houses the Regional Museum of Oaxaca, with its remarkable collection of artifacts rescued from the tombs of nearby Monte Alban.

Among the wonders exhibited are Mixtec jewelry with intricate gold filigree, carved jaguar bones, and a macabre but hauntingly beautiful human skull inlaid with turquoise and white seashell.

Nearby, the Rufino Tamayo Museum displays hundreds of pre-Hispanic sculptures donated by one of Mexico's best known painters. These unusual pieces from all over the country were cherished by the painter, Tomayo, for their exceptional power and beauty.

The museum itself is a graceful old mansion with airy rooms and a courtyard overflowing with plants and flowers.

Juarez Lived Here

The House of Benito Juarez is also close by. Juarez, a Zapotec Indian, rose from humble beginnings to become president of Mexico and Oaxaca's favorite son. His former home is now open to the public and can be toured for a small fee. The stark, simply furnished rooms reflect the austere lifestyle of this beloved reformer.

Just outside of town, the vast ruins of Monte Alban sprawl on a mountaintop flattened without the aid of buildozers. A magnificent civilization began here more than 2,000 years ago and continued to flourish while Europe languished.

This impressive city, inhabited first by Zapotec and then by Mixtec tribes, is marked by ceremonial buildings and pyramids constructed around an enormous central plaza. At the southern end, a great stairway leads up to an expansive platform bearing the remains of two temples. From this vantage point overlooking the shining Oaxaca Valley, it is easy to experience the feeling of grandeur that must have inspired these ancient peoples to build here.

North of the Great Plaza, 170 subterranean tombs have been excavated so far. Most notable is Tomb 7, where Alphonso Caso eventually unearthed more than 500 precious objects. Some of the chambers can be entered by ladder, and guides explain the significance of the paintings and carvings that adorn their walls.

The Wonder of Mitla

At Mitla, 25 miles west of Oaxaca, are the ruins of another major religious complex that was still functioning when the Spanish arrived during the 16th century.

Today, giant cactuses stand guard over five groups of abandoned ceremonial buildings. Viewed from a distance, the low- slung structures blend in with the surrounding village, but closer inspection reveals thousands of geometric mosaics crisscrossing their walls. These intricate angular designs, painstakingly fashioned with primitive stone tools, are unique in Mesoamerica. The Spanish conquest saw several of Mitla's ancient buildings dismantled to build a colonial church that still stands near the site's entrance.

The road to Mitla branches off to numerous Indian communities known for their excellent tianguis, or weekly craft markets, and to less-visited archaeological sites like Yagul, a fortress city perched on a hillside with a commanding view of the valley.

At Santa Maria del Tule, eight miles from Oaxaca, is an immense 2,000-year-old ahuehuete tree, considered the biggest of its kind in the world. The tree dwarfs the village church and continues to sprout new foliage and to shelter armies of songbirds.

By Air to the Beaches

For people in search of sun and surf, tropical Puerto Escondido (which means "hidden port") on Oaxaca's Pacific Coast lies only a short flight away over the mountains. This small resort-fishing village is blessed with endless stretches of sand and relaxed, friendly people.

The rough beaches to the east are popular with surfers, but Puerto Angelito, a sheltered cove just west of the village, has safe swimming and snorkeling. On the town beach, fishermen mend their nets under palm trees and impromptu soccer games provide evening entertainment.

Monte Alban's tombs gave a privileged look at Oaxaca's rich past, but Bahais de Hautulco, a new luxury resort area on the isolated coast east of Puerto Escondido, offers a glimpse of the future.

The Mexican government's resort development agency is calling Hautulco the next Cancun and predicts that luxury hotels, pristine bays and lagoons teeming with birdlife will attract 2 million visitors a year by the turn of the century.

Copyright 1995
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.