Walking tour, Zaachila Market, shopping and walking

I believe I left off a day early, without telling you about our free Oaxaca walking tour.  The tour met in front of the cathedral in the Zocalo at 10am.  We got there a bit early so we popped into the cathedral for a few minutes.  If you remember from the last post, we had watched a video on the bus about Oaxacan tourist spots. We saw many of these places on our walking tour.  One place they talked about in the video and on the tour was the cathedral so we had learned a bit about some of the artifacts in the church.  We couldn't find any of them when we went in alone but fortunately, the tour started there.

The cathedral, and apparently, the holy spirit in front of my camera

Our tour guide, Gabriel

 Here is the Cruz de Oaxaca.  Something about pirates trying to destroy it and not succeeding, god is good or something.  Gabby had not heard of it and I can't find anything online but the story (which I obviously didn't listen too closely to) was in our bus video so I took a picture, a blurry crappy picture.  Why am I putting this blurry crappy picture in? Because it took a lot to find the cross and you have to reap the benefits of my church search, whether you like it or not.

Update:  Val who is obviously better at the googles found some articles about the cross so I know I'm not crazy.

This next one is Jesus de Raya, Jesus of the light.  At some point, in the distant past, the church burned to the ground but this crucifix survived, unscathed.  Therefore, it gets it's own special name (and room).  This is also a crappy picture.  I am starting to think that I shouldn't take pictures in cathedrals: bad lighting, or my name is damian and my camera is damned, one or t'other).

We walked for over two hours, no money well spent.   What did we see, let me check the camera.  Turns out I took very few photos.

This is just so stereotypical I had to take it (even though the 'stereotype'
of the 'lazy' Mexican is as wrong as it can possibly be, these people work HARD)

Another church picture, this one is the virgin from
my first visit to Santo Domingo service.  I see she is still blurry

This is an ancient aqueduct that still runs along the west side of the city
Now it is a ritzy neighbourhood.  I think I have another picture I took later too.

Then we stopped at another church, I will spare you the photos,
but the best part of this church is that there is an entire courtyard below
that is filled exclusively with ice cream shops.  

We staying in for dinner that night.  The next day, Shirley went for the tour of the Botanical Gardens and mom and I headed to a nearby Zaachila, a small town with a big market day on Thursdays.

We walked to the bus station (another one on Bastemente, bus station central).  But is turned out to just be a city bus that happened to pass through Zaachila.  We got off at the right spot because some other passenger took pity on us and told us where to get out, and which way to walk.  

The market was huge, and packed, and not anything different than our little neighbourhood market.  We walked around for a bit, bought a few fruits and veg.  But it was so packed, it was not particularly enjoyable to just be there and absorb the atmosphere.  

We took a bit of respite from the mayhem at the cemetery nearby.  Always lovely to spend time among the graves, so peaceful and calm.  Actually, now that I look at the pictures, I remember, this graveyard was kind of different than ones I have been in previously.  There were very few Virgins on the graves and a plethora of crucifixes.  So many Jesuses.  And worst of all, the Jesuses were plastic so most of them seemed to have disarticulated over time.  The cemetery was like a battlefield, with tiny body parts strewn everywhere.  Here are two Jesuses someone picked up and nailed to a tree (social/religious commentary or just a convenient spot?)

This guy has lost his legs.

I did manage to find a Virgin Mary or two though.  They are so much more photogenic.

Notice amputated Jesuses below her though.

That night we all went out for dinner at a seafood place nearby.  We forgot it was Valentines so we had to wait a bit for a table but once we sat down, the dinner was delicious.  I wish we had found this place sooner.  No photos.

Next day, today, we went to buy our tickets for tomorrow's event (just wait, it should be good!) and to go back to the ritzy neighbourhood by the aqueducts arches.  There were some little crafty-gifty shops around there.  I bought a table cloth.  Did I need a tablecloth?  Oh shut up!  With that poor attitude, I'm not even going to tell you about the next purse!

Anyway, here are some photos from our travels.

The aqueduct

people built houses right up against the aqueduct and then used the arches as doorways.

I did not buy one of these chickens

I also did not buy this chicken.

We were out all day, stopped for a coffee and got home in time for dinner.  And now I am catching up on the blog.  This was a short one.  We didn't do too too much and when we did stuff, I didn't take that many pictures.  Shirley leaves tomorrow morning so we will start a new era again.

Here is some street art: