Architecture Through the Ages, Part 2: Monte Alban

At the center of three fertile valleys, Oaxaca is a natural site for a city, and in fact has been one for thousands of years. From around 100 B.C. to 750 A.D. it was the capital of the Zapotec empire, which ruled southernmost Mexico contemporaneously with the Mayans further east and south and, for that matter, with Rome and Constantinople in Europe.

At it peak, it held around 25,000 people, with a big ceremonial center surrounded by temples and ball courts:





Among the most famous discoveries at Monte Alban were the "danzantes," sculptures initially thought to be of dancing men, which lent their name (many years later) to one of Oaxaca's best restaurants. But later research has shown that these "dancers" were actually shown being tortured and killed:


The religious history of Mexico is not a pretty one; more on that later as well.

Mexican Architecture Through the Ages -- Part 1

The next six or more posts will take a look at architecture and archeology through the ages, not in chronological/historical order but in the order we experienced them, which turned out (coincidentally) to be roughly from smallest to largest. These pictures are from Mitla and Yagul, two archeological sites in the valleys east of Oaxaca.

After the Zapotec empire of Monte Alban collapsed in around 750 A.D., the region divided into smaller city-states, and remained that way until the arrival of the Spanish (the Aztecs were never able to firmly conquer this far south). Mitla, one of the main local powers during this period, is notable for the fine stonework and painted-stucco decoration on its buildings:




Nearby Yagul is most famous for its ball court, one of the largest ever found:


While the stonework of Mitla is unique, many of the other features we saw that day will recur in subsequent posts, including the Spanish church built over the ruins, using many of their stones:

Where the Jobs Are

The farmers' markets aren't the only thriving ones in Mexico: so is the job market, especially in Oaxaca, to judge by all the help-wanted signs we saw. Most in demand seem to be waiters, cooks and pizza makers:




But we also saw ads for people to work at sales counters, cashiers, and even, in one case, motorcycle repairmen:



(I have no idea what a "lava-loza" is, other than that it probably involves washing something.)

If you decide to apply for one of these jobs, be aware that in Mexico it's apparently legal to discriminate in ways that would be totally out of the question for Americans, as this sign specifying someone between 18 and 25 years old makes clear:



Of course these jobs probably pay a pittance compared to what Americans would make, or even what Mexicans could make by immigrating illegally to the United States. But it's good to know that not everyone has our particular economic difficulties.

In the Markets

After posting about an economist, it seems appropriate to turn my attention to markets. Mexican markets are some of the biggest and most diverse I've ever been to. The first one we visited was in the village of Tlacolula, outside Oaxaca. Its specialties included an entire row of chicharron stalls, each sellling what looked like the skin of an entire pig, fried whole:

The next row was lined with charcoal grills, grilling thin sheets of beef and the accompanying vegetables to order:


And so on, and so on. Later in the week we visited a market in Mexico City, which was even larger (and a good bit cleaner and more sanitary-smelling). Its goods range from the usual fruits and vegetables (left) to gigantic pinatas, being filled by the people in the aisle to the right:



Among this market's specialties were flowers and plants. It is the season for poinsettias, a plant native to Mexico; did you know they come in tree form too?

Who's That on That Billboard?

In the United States, the Harvard economist Joseph Stiglitz is the sort of person who appears in newspapers from time to time, a moderately well known talking head. In Mexico, it turns out he's a rock star:

The Gentle Charms of Oaxaca

A long time ago, a well-traveled foreign correspondent I worked with told me that Oaxaca, Mexico, was his favorite spot in the whole world. Coming from him, that was high praise indeed.

It took nearly 20 years before I got around to visiting it myself, and at first it was a letdown: the road in from the airport is dusty, crowded and lined with shabby shops and houses, poorer than any other part of Mexico I had ever seen.

But after we checked into our hotel in the old, colonial-era downtown, its charms began to reveal themselves:

At one of the grand old churches, a couple named Angelita and Humberto were getting married, amid mariachis, dancing giants, balloons and hundreds of gawking townspeople:

It seemed a little over-the-top, but at the same time genuine -- the crowds around us may not all have been local, but they were overwhelmingly Mexican. Just celebrating with their countrymen on a cool autumn night.

This set the tone for what turned out to be a great trip.

Leaf Peeping on Poughkeepsie Bridge

We went up to Poughkeepsie yesterday to check out Walkway Over the Hudson, probably the most impressive rail-to-trail effort anywhere in the world. The reason is its use of the 1880s-era Poughkeepsie Bridge, 1.2 miles long and 212 feet above the Hudson.

The bridge went out of rail service after a fire in 1974 and sat, abandoned and rusting, until this project began a couple of years ago.

I've put most of the pictures and narrative in a Facebook album rather than here because the format handles lots of pictures more easily, but it should be available to you even if you're not on Facebook or are not my friend.

Pictures don't quite do the thing justice, although this one comes close:

Hope you check out and enjoy the album.