Our day began once more in the cafe below our B&B. Derek had a breakfast sandwich with fruit that looked so good I know what I’m having tomorrow morning! I had avocado toast – one can never go wrong with avocados! – with an egg hiding under all that greenery making a truly yummy start to the day. Gilian had something with bananas that was not photogenic but certainly smelled delicious!

We headed out, as planned, to Monte Albán, a pre-Columbian settlement – the oldest in the Americas. It sits at an elevation of around 6,400 feet, 1,300 feet above the level of Oaxaca city. I will confess that the elevation made me a little breathless on climbs – and there were many! These pre-Columbians loved their steep staircases! Click on the left arrorws to see all the photos.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Monte Albán was the ball court. The pre-Columbians who lived here and in other Central American settlements played a game that allowed the use of the head, the chest, the elbows and the knees – but not the hands or feet. The “ball” weighed 25 pounds and was often a stuffed human skull. 😖 The sides of the ball ground were not bleachers as they appear to be, but were lined with lime to make them slippery so the ball would roll back down if hit up onto the sides.

Monte Albán proved to be a perfect place for a family photo!

A large tree made a welome space, not only for shade, but for another family photo. Click the side arrows to view both images.

Lunch in the Monte Albán restaurant, out on the patio, provided relief from the sun. The tostadas were excellent too. Oaxaca has lived up to its reputation as a foody city!

The rest of the day brought two happy surprises.

We drove south for an hour or so to San Martin Tilcajete, a village of artisans specializing in painted wood carvings. We weren’t sure what would be open as today is November 20th – Revolution Day, a national holiday – celebrating the start of the revolution that ousted 35-year president Porfirio Días in 1910. We found lots of artisan studios open in an fantastically colourful whimsical community. While there was a theme to the carvings, each artisan’s work was noticeably different from the others. Scroll to the end of both galleries to see all the images.

Graham blended right in with one of the wall murals!

On the way home we stopped for coffee and a snack at Café Rústiko on Av. de la Independencia. What a delightful surprise when a parade passed right by, complete with marching band and people hurling – not tossing! – candy at bystanders. It was like a second Hallowe’en for Alistair who scrambled about picking up the sweets.

Dinner was at Expendio Tradició, a restaurant specializing in mezcal drinks and foods, no tequila on the menu. The mezcal margarita was smokily delightful. I failed to take photos our of dinner which was delicious! Starters istmo de tehuantepec cheese balls and guacamole with small grasshoppers (!) were excellent. Traditional red esquite soup and traditional memilitas completed our meal. The boys have been amazing in the face of these exotic foods, trying everything with enthusiasm.

Following dinner we wandered to the Zócalo, the town square, where Independence Day celebrations were in swing. The bandstand was decorated with strings of folded orange crepe paper and looked like a beautiful giant jellyfish.

We’ll spend our last night at our Oaxaca B&B above the restaurant with this view over diners. Mexico City here we come. Adiós Oaxaca.