Santa Ana del Valle

Our hike began with a second-class bus trip to Tlacolula de Matamoros; from there we took moto taxis (tuk tuks) to Santa Ana del Valle.
Santa Ana del Valle is situated a little off highway 190, west of the city of Oaxaca past Tule and before Mitla. It is in the community of Santa Ana, in the hills that surround the pueblo that the Mexican Revolution (1910 - 1920) began when Francisco Madero rose up against the government of Porfiro Diaz.

Our first order of business was to hire a guide. We didn't know where to go, and the guides didn't know where they should take us. In the end, we wandered in the hills above the pueblo. It was good exercise.

Along the way, we saw a crop of Nopal grown to breed the insect cochineal. Cochineal are used in the making of red dyes. Santa Ana is a weaving town.

There's a water table in the area, so there's no shortage of water. Our hike took us past a few reservoirs and water pipes.

Jerry, who was one of the hikers, made reservations with a comedor, which was the only restaurant in Santa Ana, and the proprietor had plenty of cold Corona waiting for us. For the grand total of forty-five pesos each, we had an all you can eat meal consisting of BBQ chicken, beef, rice, tortillas, salsa and Jamaica.

The festival of Senor de Esguipulas, which is the celebration of water, was going on that weekend, and so after comida we watched the parade.

hiking in Oaxaca - San Augustin Etla

Last Friday's hike involved a walk that followed the aqueduct from San Augustin Etla to a power plant. Etla is a valley adjacent to the city of Oaxaca. It's where the city gets its water. But, the city doesn't pay for the water it takes from the valley. There's the rub. The last time I was in San Augustin Etla, one of the many pueblos bearing the name Etla in the valley, we couldn't go into the museum.

The day before someone had been shot and killed over a reforestation dispute.

There are different hikers each week, but when my hiking buddy Joan is in town she and Nievas are pretty faithful. Nievas is our mascot. She's a gentle, but spoiled little dog of mixed breed; who was rescued from the streets. On this hike, she kept jumping in the water.

The water in the aqueduct flowed toward San Augustin Etla, therefore, as we walked toward the power plant, each time Nievas jumped in she drifted away from us. Rescuing her became the main preoccupation of Joan and I.

It was impossible to keep up with the rest of the hikers. We put Nievas on a leash to prevent her from jumping into the water. She wouldn't walk on the leash. She kept finding shady spots under trees where she'd lie down and wouldn't budge.

Finally, we gave up and went back to San Augustin. The hikers who made it to the power plant weren't far behind. We all had a beer, and then went our separate ways.

The hike was somewhat of a challenge; it wasn't steep but, in places, the trail was badly eroded. The drop into to valley could cost someone their life. At one point, I clung to the ridge of the aqueduct while my footing touched on loose stones. In other spots, we climbed up rocks with sheer drops into the valley below.

(Photo of Nievas and Joan at the beginning of the hike. Photo of me along the aqueduct)

Hiking in Oaxaca - Cerro Del Fortin

Ciudad de Oaxaca is on a plateau surrounded by hills. One of the Spanish words for hill is cerro. They’re called hills because they aren’t snow capped, nor do they have peaks. And yet, they’re still high and steep.

One of the cerros that surrounds Oaxaca is called Cerro del Fortin. On this hill there is an auditorium, where the annual Guelaguetza is held the last two Mondays in July. Guelaguetza celebrates the many traditions of the sixteen indigenous groupings of Oaxaca.

Also on Cerro del Fortin is an observatory and planetarium.

On Friday, our hiking group, whose members vary from week to week, met at Santo Domingo Cathedral, walked up many stairs, through a tunnel, to the auditorium, past the observatory and up to the top of the cerro.

At the top of the cerro, there is a white cross.

When the Aztecs arrived in Oaxaca, during the 15^th Century, they established an outpost on top this hill.

It was cool when the day began, and so I wore a sweater and vest. By the time we were at the top of the cerro it was hot. I need to dress with more layers. A black sweater will not do in the heat of the day, although it was a good idea for the morning coolness. If I’d had another layer, I would have been able to take my sweater off.

Hiking in Oaxaca - Benito Juarez to Cuajimoloyas

I love the outdoors, and few things please me more than hours of wilderness trekking. In Manitoba, the Canadian province where I lived for many years, I belonged to a hiking club. Since I came to Oaxaca two years ago, I’ve been in search of hikers.

I’ve met people who said they liked to hike, but I had no luck finding anyone who wanted to regularly venture into the hills and tramp the paths for hours. Basically, I experienced some talk, but little action, with the exception of my friend Joan. However, Joan and I travel a lot, and we’re not always in Oaxaca at the same time. The group needed to be bigger than just the two of us.

A couple of weeks ago I met my new friend Larry. I asked my usual question, “Do you like to hike?” Lunch with my friend Joan and Larry’s friend Anome gave birth to our fledging Oaxaca Friday hiking group.

When most people think of Mexico they think of cactus and desert, or sand, cliffs and sea. Few people envision lush pine forests. But, it is lush pine forests that surround the city of Oaxaca. Ecotourism is a growing industry in the state, and many of the mountain villages provide guides, and the opportunity to explore the Sierras either on horseback, riding a mountain bike, or simply hiking.

Last Friday, we, a group of four, drove the steep gravel road to the village of Benito Juarez, where we parked the van at the tourist office and asked for a guide. For the small sum of $150 pesos our guide, Aria, would spend the day with us. $150 doesn’t easily divide into four. I suggested we each contribute $50 pesos, which is less than $5 Canadian dollars. For surprisingly little money, we began our venture into the forest from Benito Juarez to Cuajimoloyas. It was uphill all the way. There was a time in the middle of the hike when I didn’t think I could make it. My legs grew wobbly, I had trouble breathing, and I was dizzy. We rested for a few minutes. I spoke to our guide explaining I needed a slower pace. With a slower pace I was fine, and when we reached an area that was less steep I experienced a natural high and felt great!

It took four hours to climb to Cuajimoloyas. We decided that rather than hiking back to Benito Juarez we would look for transportation that would take us there. My campañeros, none of whom speak Spanish, believed we could easily get a collectivo or a bus. A collectivo, which looks like a taxi, functions like a bus. Collectivos have set routes and collect people along the way.

Neither our guide, nor the Cuajimoloyas tourist employee, spoke English. Therefore, I was the only person who could communicate with them. I was told that no collectivos or buses went to Benito Juarez. So, I had asked it someone in the community could take us. My friends, paying no attention to what I was saying, amongst themselves, came to the conclusion that either a bus or collectivo would go to Benito Juarez.

I didn’t know whether they lacked trust in my translation, or lacked trust in what I was being told. Either way, I was concerned. I didn’t want these nice Mexican people to offer a ride only to have my friends refuse the lift, believing a bus or collectivo would take us to our destination. I explained this to the tourist office staff person and asked him to hold off on finding someone.

He did what Mexican people are inclined to do. He smiled, nodded his head and went off to find someone. Soon he returned, pointed to a pick-up truck, and told us that was our ride. Fortunately, my extranjero hiking buddies complied. We got into the back of the pick-up truck and took a short ride down the hill.

It was a delightful day.