Good Friday Silent Procession in Oaxaca

Our last day in Oaxaca was Good Friday. Easter is a huge celebration here, so the main pedestrian street was used for a silent procession, starting around 7pm. We hopped on an overnight bus to San Cristobal de las Casas not long afterwards.

The Power of Microfinance

Wasn't expecting to be doing much in the way of work on this holiday (and I definitely haven't been!) but I was pleasantly surprised by a wonderful development-career-related tour we went on  run by a great little microfinance outfit called Fundación En Via (www.envia.org). Just before we left Oaxaca we spent an afternoon with these guys who provide small interest-free loans to women in the villages around Oaxaca to support their businesses. Their rules are simple (and superbly empowering) - all you need are two other women, and you're eligible to obtain your first loan. The foundation works on the principle that these people have the skills and the ideas to put their business concepts into practice (or grow/improve their existing business), they just lack access to capital. The women who join the program attend (free) basic business skills classes, and if they are interested, (also free) English language classes. If you are able to repay your first loan, you'll be eligible for the next one, and so forth.

We visited a few women to understand more about the program directly from them, and it was just as fascinating to see the range of businesses they foundation has been able to support: a taco shop; a small corner-store grocer; a leatherwork souvenir maker; and a rug weaver. 100% of our tour fee was used to provide another loan.

It was a great afternoon out :)

On her third loan - the woman running her taco shop 

A beautiful rug we bought - incidentally from a woman who's also part of the loan program with En Via

Because the tour passed through several villages, we had the opportunity to see some local places of interest. This church was built by the Spaniards... using stones from a sacred temple they tore down in its place. 

Trying my hand unsuccessfully to spin wool at the rug-weaver's house

Church in another village, in full Easter swing

Ceiling inside a church

Cobbled streets of one of the dusty villages we visited - and yes, Mexico has bajaj too! 

Rugs, glorious rugs

Loan recipient holding up two cushion covers we couldn't resist buying from her :) 

Rug weaver's proud mum

Oaxacan Cooking Class!

In Oaxaca I took a cooking class with three absolutely wonderful women. We got stuck into making tortillas, salsas, one of the many types of Oaxacan "mole" specialities, a spicy cucumber drink, stuffed chillies, lentil soup, and quesadillas... Among the ingredients we experimented with were some local delicacies: grasshoppers; agave worms; avocado leaves - and despite the initial raised eyebrows, all of it was delicious! 

Our lovely cooking crew! 

Stuffed chilli peppers with cheese (and drenched in thick cream)

The beginnings of an almond mole

About to blend the almond mole with all of the other ingredients

The most surprising dish we cooked - lentil soup will never be boring again!

Mmmm... Who could argue with freshly made guacamole?

Tasting our salsas... We made four. One had agave worms in it and honestly? It was my favourite. Deeeelicious. 

Making quesedillas. My cooking colleague is making one with stringy Oaxacan cheese and a pumpkin flower. The one already made up (with the little red specks) is cheese with grasshoppers

Roasting avocado leaves prior to mixing in as a herb to flavour one of our salsas

Agave worms - yummo!

The master chef showing us how to make a tortilla

Oaxacan Cultural Museum

Day three in Oaxaca and we visited the Oaxacan Cultural Centre to learn more about the region and see more relics excavated from Monte Alban. Unfortunately everything was in Spanish but it was still  amazing! The building itself is incredible - it's the monastery next to the Santo Domingo Cathedral. 

Inside the monastery

Ceramic sculpture and vase from Monte Alban 

Ceramic sculpture from Monte Alban 

Ceramics from Monte Alban 

Monte Alban ceramics

And more Monte Alban ceramics

Painted Monte Alban ceramics

More painted Monte Alban ceramics

The library

Breathtaking Roofless Church

On the way back from the Monte Alban tour, we visited a 17th-century church... the name of which unfortunately escapes me! Despite its typical brutal history, it was a magnificent building and I thought worth sharing here.

There are bajaj in Mexico too!!