Sunday in Tlacolula

Today we visited the town of Tlacolula, which is located about 24 miles from Oaxaca city, and which is famous for its Sunday market.

We walked to a bus stop where we could catch a bus to the town.  But before a bus showed up, a "colectivo" pulled up, and we took that instead.  An explanation of what a "colectivo" is... it a taxi which follows a specified route, and picks people up and drops them off all along that route.  The driver will take as many people as he can cram into his taxi.  Since there were only three or four passengers for most of the trip, it wasn't too uncomfortable.  The fare for the ride was a ridiculously cheap 20 pesos ($1.50 US) per person.

We arrived at Tlacolula, and it was a short walk to the beginning of the sprawling outdoor market which is one of the largest in the state of Oaxaca.  Block after block of streets are closed to traffic, and are filled with vendors selling their wares.  This is where country folk come to buy almost everything under the sun.  Here you can purchase a pair of shoes, or a pair of jeans,  kitchen utensils, pirated DVDs, tools, or even a yoke for your oxen.  Of course there is every kind of fruit and vegetable imaginable.  You can buy a grilled chicken, or you can buy a live turkey to butcher at home for dinner.  Many of the people are Zapotecs, the predominant indigenous tribe of central Oaxaca.  You will hear the Zapotec language being spoken almost as much as Spanish.  The women tend to wear traditional attire.  (Photographing them is often frowned upon... so I concentrated on photographing the colorful displays of produce.)

Amidst the food and clothing and household goods, there are some local handicrafts.  These little clay piggy banks and skull figures made a colorful display.

In the midst of the bustling market, the town's church and its atrium are a relative oasis of calm.  The building dates back to the 16th century.  Attached to it is the spectacular Chapel of Our Lord of Tlacolula.  The chapel is a jewel box with every inch of the walls and ceiling decorated with saints and angels and gold gilt.

Our visit to Tlacolula ended with an unexpected treat.  On the town square there was a performance of folkloric dances from different regions of Mexico.  The dancers were students who study dance at the town's cultural center.