Ruins of Monte Alban

At the ruins of Monte Alban, the first major city of Mesoamerica.  The setting is incredible on the top of a mountain overlooking present-day Oaxaca.  Archaeologists estimate the construction took hundreds of years without the wheel, the horse, oxen or any other large beasts of burden later brought by the Spanish.  

Monte Albán, site of ruins of an ancient centre of Zapotec andMixtec culture, located in what is now Oaxaca state, Mexico. The initial construction at the site has been placed at c. the 8th centurybc. It contains great plazas, truncated pyramids, a court for playing the ball game tlachtli, underground passageways, and about 170 tombs, the most elaborate yet uncovered in the Americas. The site is located on high ground, probably chosen for its defensibility. The great plaza atop the highest hill is flanked by four platforms; two temples stand on the platform to the south.

During the first two phases of Monte Albán culture, temples and other structures were built with dressed stone. Zapotec occupation of the site may be dated with certainty by about the 1st century bc. The beginning of the third and most flourishing phase of Monte Albáncorresponds to the Classic Period (ad 300–900). The influence of the Teotihuacán architectural style is quite evident; the zenith of the period was reached c. ad 500. During the ensuing fourth period, about which little is known, Monte Albán lost its political preeminence, and its structures began to decay. In the final phase, which lasted up to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, the Mixtec inhabited the site; they reused some of the old Zapotec tombs, and the two cultures became fused. (From Encyclopedia Britannica)

This video shows the ballcourt in Monte Alban.

Why was Monte Alban built on the top of a mountain?  How was it built?  For theories, watch the video!

Why was Monte Alban abandoned?  For theories, watch the video!

How are people who get plastic surgery today similar to the ancient Zapotecs?  Watch the video.

The birthplace of Benito Juarez

This post shows the birthplace of Benito Juarez, Guelatao.  I had walked for many days through the Commonwealth of Zapotec villages to get here.  When I get back into the City of Oaxaca, I am accompanied by Paco and Diana from the Oaxacan Ministry of Culture to a ceremony commemorating the death of Benito Juarez.


This is a video of the birthplace of Benito Juarez.

This was taken on my trip from Amatlan to Guelatao, the birthplace of Benito Juarez and end of my long pilgrimage.

Benito Juarez was born on March 21, 1806 before Mexican Independence in the Sapnish colony of New Spain.  He was raised in Guelatao.  Both his parents died when he was 3 and he was raised by his grandparents until he was 12 when he left his birthplace and walked all they way to the city of Oaxaca where he worked and studied with a Franciscan Friar and bookbinder.

  This video shows me taking the daily pick up truck between, Amatlan, where I ended my hike in the Pueblos Mancommunados, and Guelatao, the birthplace of Benito Juarez.  

This is the sign for a reproduction of the house that Juarez grew up in.  The house appears to be two rooms and made of wood and adobe.  

Benito Juarez faced prejudice to become President of Mexico because he was a Zapotec Indian. Indians in Mexico occupied the lowest level on the social class pyramid. Their lives were hard and they were usually very poor. He also came from Oaxaca, a predominately Indian state in southern Mexico. Even today this state has the highest Indian population, receives the least amount of money from the government, has the poorest level of education and highest unemployment.

This is a statue of Juarez as a shepherd.  At the age of 12 one of his uncle's sheep drowned in the pond behind the statue.  Fear of his uncle's anger and the desire to make something of himself compelled Juarez to leave the 20 houses in his birthplace of Guelatao and walk the 50 miles to the city of Oaxaca.  

This is a picture of me in front of the Juarez statue that was placed where Juarez grew up with his grandparents from ages 3-12.  

 Benito Juarez was the first Mexican leader who did not have a military background, and also the first full-blooded indigenous national to serve as the President of Mexico and to lead a country in the Western Hemisphere in  over 300 years. For resisting the French occupation, overthrowing the Empire, and restoring the Republic, as well as for his efforts to modernize the country, Juárez is often regarded as Mexico's greatest and most beloved leader. Several towns, schools, parks, streets and monuments have been named to honor and remember him.

This mural shows Juarez and his wife in front of the Mexican eagle with a snake in its mouth.  

This statue of Juarez is located where his original house was.    The flowers in front of the statue are on the ashes of the son of Benito Juarez who, like his father, was also the Governer of Oaxaca.

This video in Guelatao show the most famous quote from Benito Juarez, "The respect for the rights of others is peace."

This mosaic in Oaxaca shows Juarez as president and, on the right, Juarez as an adolescent learning to read Spanish while working for a bookbinder.  Juarez' employer saw the promise in the young man and paid for his early education in the seminary.  

I met Paco and Diana in the village of La Neveria.  They work for the Oaxacan Ministry of Culture and were extremely helpful with materials and information.  They also accompanied me to the ceremony commemorating the anniversary of Benito Juarez' death (featured below).  

Wreaths and flowers to commemorate the death of Juarez in the Plaza of Benito Juarez in the city of Oaxaca.   He reduced the power of the Military, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Aristocracy.  He changed Mexico to become more secular with individuals receiving equal protection under the law -- more, one might argue, like the United States.  I find this interesting because Juarez came from a traditional Zapotec culture, which is so different from the United States.

Many dignitaries were in attendance for this ceremony.  

The governer of Oaxaca speaks of the importance of Benito Juarez today. 

Today Benito Juárez is remembered as being a progressive reformer dedicated to democracy, equal rights for his nation's indigenous peoples lessening the great power that the Roman Catholic Church then held over Mexican politics, and the defence of national sovereignty. The period of his leadership is known in Mexican history as La Reforma (the reform), and constituted a liberal political and the social revolution with major institutional consequences: the expropriation of church lands, bringing the army under civilian control, liquidation of peasant communal landholdings, the separation of church and state in public affairs, and also led to the almost-complete disenfranchisement of bishops, priests, nuns and lay brothers.  

Mixtec village

After 4 hours of bicycling I finally arrive at Santiago Apoala.

I made the trip to see the town considered the center of Mixtec culture to compare it to the Zapotec areas.  Both Mixtec and Zapotec have a strong bond with their natural environment and have a culture of community service to strengthen their communities as well.  Both groups have a system of usos y costumbres where the men will give one year out of every 3 or 4 to work for the community without pay as, for example, a police officer, park ranger, health worker or even the town president or mayor.

On the road to Santiago Apoala.

The above video show the landscape before we descend into the town of Santiago Apoala.

The fertile fields in the valley of Santiago Apoala.

The Apoala River dominates life. Mixtec farmers have diverted it to irrigate their fields. Most of the trails that lead to sites of interest are reached by following the river as it winds and it figures prominently in the Mixtec creation myth. According to legend, two giant trees growing along the banks of the Apoala fell in love and, to ease their longings, interlaced their branches and roots. The first Mixtec man and woman resulted from this union and the great Mixtec culture was born.

The Mixtec creation myth tells of the intimate ties between its land and people. It is a union that exists to this day. In Apoala, farmers strain with beasts of burden to cultivate squash and maize in the harsh, stoney soil. 

In this picture and the video you see the waterfall that according to Mixtec beleif, is where the first humans came from.  The name of the waterfall is the Tail of the Serpent.

The two videos below are different parts of the Tail of the Serpent waterfall.  This waterfall leads into the Apoala river that was integral to the birth of Mixtec Culture.  

Learning Zapotec from Don Alfredo

Here Don Alfredo teaches me about native plants like yerba del borracho.

Don Alfredo explains that he has a dog named Tango to protect his sheep and other animals from the coyotes.  

Don Alfredo explains that many of the local herbs are used in the Zapotec cooking.  

In this video Don Alfredo explains a little about the local mushrooms.  Some are edible and some are poisonous.  They look the same to me.  

In this video I learn some Zapotec from Don Alfredo after we get to Latuvi.  He says, "We have just arrived in the town of Latuvi.  We will see you later." in Zapotec.

Latuvi to Amitlan

This is Latuvi in the morning.  Latuvi means rolled leaf in Zapotec.  This is an area where the Zapotecs fled to from the more accessible towns of Guelatao and Amatlan during the Spanish Conquest.  Latuvi means rolled leaf.  Legend has it that the first residents escaped the Spanish wrapped in a leaf to keep warm.  

In this video my guide teaches me some Zapotec.  It was an oral language but has now been written.  He teaches me "Good bye," Thank you," and "What is your name?"  He finishes the lesson with numbers 1-4.  I really appreciate his patience.  

In this video my guide explains that corn, squash and beans are all planted together in a sustainable manner that had been used for hundreds of years before the birth of Benito Juarez.  I translate calabasa as 'pumpkin,' where squash may be a better translation.





In this video my guide explains the practice of usos y costumbres, a defining component of the Zapotec culture. Usos y costumbres is a traditional practice where every three years a Zapotec man will work for the community without pay for a year. They serve their community as police officers, park rangers, educators and health workers among other things. This system has been in place for hundreds of years and during the era of Benito Juarez.

Pueblos Mancomunados

After getting to Oaxaca I did everything I could to get to the mountainous Zapotec area called the Pueblos Mancomunados.  I took a 6 am bus 2 hours to Llano Grande the next day to start my trek.  I designed a 5 day trip on foot through the small Zapotec communities to my destination of Guelatao, the birthplace of the most famous Zapotec, Benito Juarez.

  The Pueblos Mancomunados (Commonwealth of Villages) are eight remote Zapotec villages in the thickly forested highlands north of the Valle of Tlalucula. For centuries, in a unique form of cooperation, the villages have pooled the natural resources of their 290-sq-km territory, which include extensive pine and oak forests, sharing the profits from forestry and other enterprises.  Elevations range from 2200m to over 3200m, and the landscapes, with their canyons, caves, crags, waterfalls and panoramic lookouts, are spectacular. 

I walked in a counter-clockwise fashion from Llano Grande to Cuajimolya to Benito Juarez, La Neveria, Latuvi, Lachatao and Amatlan.  The villages are about 4 to 6 hours away from each other on foot.  I had a different guide for each leg of the trip.  They taught me about the local flora and fauna, their interesting and unique form of community service called usos y costumbres, and even a little Zapotec history and language.

Sunrise between Llano Grande and Cuajimoloyas.

Zapotec refers to a native people of Mexico, their language family consisting of more than 15 languages, and their historic culture and traditions. Today, most of the Zapotec languages are endangered.

The Zapotec people are centered in Oaxaca, to the south of central Mexico. In Pre-Columbian times they were one of the major Mesoamerican civilizations. 

Looking down on the cloud forest.

In this video I walked by some of the communally owned forested land in the commonwealth of Zapotec villages.  For cooking and heating most families use firewood instead of natural gas.  These villages use a sustainable forestry model to protect the forests that prevent soil erosion in their communal lands.

Wildflowers

In these videos you see my guide Nefreti demonstrate his knowledge of the medicinal plants in the forest.  

Rather than go to the pharmacy, these people are more likely to use traditional Zapotec remedies from local plants.  He explains in Spanish the first video about how a local plant is used to treat anemia.  In the second video I find some wild mushrooms with the help of my guide.  I then explain how impressed I am by their preservation of the forest to prevent soil erosion.

This video demonstrates what to do with the local plants if you get scared. You hit yourself with these branches to beat the fear or bad feelings out of you.  The fear is then destroyed when the branches are burned. Later in my fellowship I took a tamazcal, a Zapotec sweat bath.  A curandera or traditional healer smacked me with these branches and to remove bad feelings and emotions and then threw the branches in a fire to destroy them.  

Behind me to the right hand side you see the town of Cuajimoloyas.  This was a 5 hour hike from Cuajimoloyas going through forests, meadows and farms. 

The azucena flower.

Here I am at the town of Benito Juarez.  This is not to be confused with Guelatao, the birthplace of Benito Juarez.  At this point I am on my way to Guelatao.

Statue of Benito Juarez in the town of Benito Juarez

Orchids in the forest.

The Zapotec call themselves "The People" (Be'ena'a). The implications of this term are many: 'THE people of this place,' 'The true people,' 'Those who didn't come from another place,' 'Those who have always been here.' "The People" tell that their ancestors emerged from the earth, from caves, or that they turned from trees or jaguars into people, while the elite that governed them believed that they descended from supernatural beings that lived among the clouds, and that upon death they would return to such status. In fact, the name by which Zapotecs are known today resulted from this belief. In Central Valley Zapotec "The Cloud People' is "Be'ena' Za'a."  They are called "The Cloud People" or "The People of the Clouds" because the live in the cloud forest.

This hanging moss was everywhere in the cloud forest.

This moss was right next to pine trees and orchids and this cactus.  The wide variety of plants and trees is due to the dramatic changes both in elevation and in rainfall from the dry to the rainy season.

Most of the trip from Latuvi to Lachatao followed this river.

Fund for Teachers Grant

     My name is Andrew Pascarella and I received a Fund For Teachers Grant this summer to research Benito Juarez and the Zapotec people.  For over a decade I have taught social studies at Benito Juarez Community Academy, a Chicago Public High School in the Pilsen neighborhood and I am looking forward to sharing what I have learned with my students and reenergizing my teaching!  I have returned to Chicago after my trip and will now organize my photos and videos so I can blog about my the incredible experience made possible by Fund for Teachers.

 **  This is a statue of Benito Juarez at his birthplace in Guelatao in Oaxaca, Mexico.

      Benito Juarez, the first indigenous president of Mexico, is a great role model for my students and the perfect namesake for the school.  Orphaned when he was three years old, Juarez lived in rural and mountainous Guelatao in a traditional Zapotec Community.  When he turned 12 years old he dramatacally changed his world by leaving his village to descend to the big city of Oaxaca.

In addition to leaving a rural world for an urban one, both Benito Juarez and many of my students have had to learn another language to prosper.  Juarez learned Spanish in order to have more leadership opportunities in Mexico.  Over 150 years later my students, mostly recent immigrants, must study English in order to have more opportunities in the United States.

**This is a picture of me in front of a mural in the Governmental Palace of Oaxaca.  You see Benito Juarez and his famous quote, "El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz."  This basically translates to, " the respect for the rights of others is peace."