A Day in the Market

The church gate in Tepoztlan 

March 9, 2008: Tepoztlan

Dear Grandma,

Mexico is a noisy place. This morning, I woke up before the dawn even though I was incredibly tired. You see, the cocks were crowing, the dogs were barking, and the residents of Tepoztlan must have been excited about market day because they were setting off firecrackers! I could have slept through the cocks and the dogs, but the loud banging sounds made me sit straight up in bed, cussing as I nearly fell on the floor. In fact, I went outside in my jammies to see what the heck was going on. I’m sure that my wild hair and puffy face were not a pretty sight for the students or my Boss, but what the heck – it is a vacation after all!

In a way, the early morning wake up call was a blessing because we were able to have a nice leisurely breakfast at a restaurant near the square. Our group ended up splintering into the “old guys” and the “young’uns.” Me? I was right in the middle – too old to hang out with the students, but quite a bit younger than everyone else on the trip. Oh well. I tossed my hat in with the older folks because I wanted to see and do things, not stay in bed until later in the day. Let me tell you, I did get quite a bit of ribbing about the fact that I was the only 30-something on the trip. I tried to prove my age by pointing to all of my gray hair, but when M. told me that he graduated from high school the same year I was born, well, I lost that particular argument. {SNORT}

I have to say that I made the right decision because the food at that first breakfast was probably the best meal that I have had in a quite a while. They brought us homemade bread and rolls with this peach jam that was so fresh that you could taste summer. We had to be a bit careful with the jam, however, because it still had peach pits in it! We also had eggs and quesadillas and bright blue tortillas made fresh on an outside grill. And the orange juice! Oh my God, the orange juice was spectacular. It actually tasted like a ripe orange instead of that pasteurized stuff that we buy in the paper cartons back home. I’ve only had orange juice like this once before and that was in The Netherlands. It was, as I told my travel mates, truly an orgasmic experience. Let me tell you, that got a lot of shocked looks around the table.

After sitting and eating, chatting and laughing, we signaled for the bill (unlike the States, the wait staff in Mexico does not seem overly eager to send people on their way) and went to the outdoor market. I am not sure how to describe it. Vibrant would probably be the best word, but that really just captures a shadow of the event. People were everywhere, buying fresh fruit and vegetables, beans and flowers, clothing and jewelry. In the center of the market, we could have bought fish and shrimp, sausage and chickens. On one table, there was a whole hog’s head! The effect was a bit heady – a bit smelly, really – but I like the idea of truly fresh food. And the chickens were bright yellow, either from having different feed or being rubbed with saffron; I am not entirely sure.

After walking around for a while, I came across a pendant made of silver and lapis lazuli. It was such a brilliant blue that I had to have it, especially since it will go well with my eyes. And the price was cheap by American standards – only 140 pesos, which is about $14. At another booth, I came across this unusual cross that was made of silver and blue glass with flowers pressed into it. Even though I am not particularly religious – an agnostic really, and then only on my best days – I knew that the cross was pretty special so I picked it up for about 90 pesos.

  

Little Creatures from Oaxaca

    

Then, I looked over and saw a table full of carved animals. They were so bright, incredibly colorful, and slightly weird – just like me – so I was automatically drawn to them. At first, I just took a picture, but the more I looked at them, the more I wanted one. When M. told me that they were handmade by artists from Oaxaca (pronounced Wa-hak-a) and that no two animals were alike, I ended up buying the little giraffe creature (third from the right in the picture above). I am going to put him in my office to remind me of the main reason I work so hard – my job gives me enough flexibility and money to travel to places I never imagined that I would go when I was a child. The little critter is now wrapped up in my dirty clothes to keep him safe until I get home.

   

Along the side of the marketplace was this beautiful gate decorated in beans and grains. It reminded me a bit of the Corn Palace out in South Dakota, but on a smaller scale and (obviously with religious overtones). I followed M. and B. (one of the adjunct professors here at the University of Sorta’ Cosmopolitan) through the gate to see this amazing church. I think it was the Dominico de la Natividad, but I can’t be sure. Since it was Sunday morning, the worshippers were on the way out of Mass when we approached the church. It felt a bit rude to barge through all the people to see inside the church, so I settled for looking at it from afar – and then I made friends with a small dog that reminded me of The Little Dog here at home. That’s another thing I noticed about Mexico – the dogs were free to roam around the towns. I wonder if that little fellow had been to Mass? After all, Father Igo’s dogs always ran into St. Peter and Paul’s when I lived with you all.

   

    

The Market at Tepoztlan

    

After one last pass through the market and the square, we headed off to the hotel to drop off our purchases. At this point, our Fearless Leader, M., lied to us. You see, we were off to the Tepozteco Pyramid, a temple dedicated to the Aztec god of pulque (some kind of fermented drink), fertility, and harvest. Now, M. said it was a hike up the mountain. Ha! That path had a 90 degree incline!* Depending on where you measure from, I made it about 1/3 of the way up the path before I said a few choice words and decided that this was definitely not the activity for me. (Yeah, I need to get in shape before I go to Peru next spring!) As it was, I had a heck of a time getting back to the bottom of the mountain because I didn’t have on my hiking boots and I kept slipping on the rocks. I guess that being a Capricorn really doesn’t make you surefooted and swift when you have short, stubby legs!

      

I don’t feel too bad about coping out because one of the students on the trip decided that she was too lightheaded to go all the way to the top of the mountain. And then, as I learned later, a second student actually passed out somewhere at the top of the trail. Me? I spent my time in a little outdoor café with two other people drinking cheap (but damned good) beer. Yummy! Later, after everyone made it back down the mountain, the older group went to dinner back on the square in a very pink restaurant. I had this stuffed pepper that was to die for, it was that good. And, of course, we had more beer … seeing how you can’t really drink the water in Mexico. Hey, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

   

Love and Hugs,
Disenchanted

    

P.S. Sometime while we were out eating, an American who didn’t know Spanish called the hotel and asked for M. We all thought it was someone from the incompetent travel agent’s office and were really excited. Maybe the buses would show up on time the next day? Yeah, no. It turns out that it was The Coach trying to check up on me. Ha! Maybe he should have studied his Spanish more?  

 * Later, I looked up the site and found this description: “The climb is steep and arduous (the pyramid is about 600 meters above the base of the valley) and timing for the ascent depends totally upon the physical condition of the climber. It can be muddy and slippery in the rainy season and for many, difficult at the best of times.”