OAXACA

During my time in Mexico back in 2014, I got to spend a few days in Oaxaca being dragged around on a whirlwind bus tour. But for the sake of this photo dump, let’s start at Monte Albán.

This is one of the oldest cities of Mesoamerica, and was a main political center in Zapotec society. For centuries on centuries Monte Albán was the home for tens of thousands of people. There aren’t a ton of details on why it ultimately collapsed, but by the time the Spanish had begun their reign of terror this site had already been long since abandoned.

Today, this site sits a few miles out of Oaxaca’s main center and draws in tourists by the busloads. Kinda hard to be a hater when I too rolled up in a small bus and a straw hat that my host mom insisted that I wear to prevent my pilgrim ass skin from burning. Shit, I was even wearing shimmer sunscreen and drinking a sparkling water because I got flustered in the gift shop. It’s ok, I wanna push me down too.

My favorite set of ruins I got to see in the Oaxaca area, and maybe even in all of Mexico, has to be Mitla. Of course, this is solely due to architectural detail alone. This is still all Zapotec, but varies from Monte Albán as it was the main religious center versus political. Ah yes, and it isn’t on a mountain. But the design work here is unmatched and is what makes Mitla stand out amongst the rest.

Quick vibe shift - mezcal. Since this originates in Oaxaca, there are tons of places just outside of the city where you can “taste” (and by taste I mean slam a few shots for some reason) and see how mezcal is traditionally made.

This also seems like a fitting place to end this dump considering the rest of my 2014 photos cannot and should not be repurposed. Thanks for making it this far.