A visit with a new friend to Teotitlan del Valle, the famous village of rug weavers

We started at the village church, with its preserved Zapotec relief art

I love all the color in the tower dome

Blocks with Zapotec art are thrown in here and there

Yacyara was even more of an enthusiastic photographer than I was

Visiting the craft marketplace, this weaver was very generous with his time, explaining much of the whole process to Yacyara

We watched him work on this piece for a while, with its exquisite blues

He had quite the selection of rugs for sale, but I'm putting off such a purchase at least for now

Some of the items used to make the dye colors

I loved this little porch, with it's flower pots

Behind the church is a newly renovated Archeological zone

Because of all the tourists that come to Teotitlan, there is great restaurants and a very well kept up village

We had lunch at a restaurant that was also a rug gallery

Yacyara ordered rice, beans, and raw vegetables

Probably the best taco of my entire life, filled with quite a variety of foods, and with a blue corn tortilla!

Now the real fun began, yarn shopping! 

Before final purchases, we took a tour of the dying process

Yacyara bought even more than I did. It was my 3rd time buying at this particular shop.

Next, another visit to the Dixza rugs and organic farm, with AirBnB rooms to rent! Highly recommended. 

A final walk around the church, and I got this snap of the town's wonderfully decorated trash truck

Waiting for the final bus back into Oaxaca City, with plastic bag stuffed with colorful yarn

A visit to Xochimilco, the weaving Barrio of Oaxaca City

Wandering into Barrio Xochimilco, a traditional weaving area of Oaxaca City

Yesterday, Friday March 10, 2017, I went strolling around Barrio Xochimilco, a wonderful neighborhood just north of Central Oaxaca, and a traditional weaving village, now transformed into a near central part of the ever expanding Oaxaca City. The ancient aqueduct that runs from San Felipe into central Oaxaca cuts right through Xochimilco, and just south of the main part of Xochimilco has a large section of arches, now transformed into entryways for houses and alleys.

Skulls and death seem to be the common theme here

The Colonial era village church is, of course, a central part of the area's life. 

The Aqueduct makes a dramatic river crossing

The aqueduct carried water into central Oaxaca from mid-1700s until 1941, when it was replaced by steel pipes. Water was first brought from San Felipe to Oaxaca in a simple canal in the 1500's, until replaced by the Aqueduct.  As you can see from this photo, more improvements are being made to the city's water system, now with PVC pipes. 

Aqueduct arches now lead to homes and alleyways

Wandering on south from the arches led to more colorful places

Xochimilco is a neighborhood I'll be returning to many times, armed with my Nikon camera, I am sure.