OAXACA SITES

                          Churches and More

      Because of a fear of earthquakes, Oaxaca has many churches with original facades of green quarry stone, giving the city the nickname of  city of green temples. The city’s churches are the most lavish in Mexico.

We spent most of one day visiting churches in the colonial city. There are numerous churches so we could not begin to hit them all but we saw the most important ones.

      The Church of Santo Domingo, built in the 16^th century, has a lavish carved façade. Although the building started in 1572, it was 200 years and 12 million gold pesos before the church was completed. Because of the long time span it reflects a combination of Gothic, Romanesque, Baroque, and Moorish designs. The impressive interior showcases a gold

covered altarpiece. Each of the 14 lateral chapels is a unique beauty. It is traditional for Mexican churches to use masses of flowers everywhere.

The inside of this church is overwhelming. There is not a square inch of wall or ceiling that is not covered with gold. It is extremely ornate, yet beautiful in all its busyness. We were awe struck and at a loss of words as we sat and looked up at the ornate decorations.

      The old convent now houses the Museum of the Cultures of Oaxaca once known as the Regional Museum.  The massive 16^th century structure is flanked by the Temple of Santo Domingo, the entrance plaza and an extensive desert botanical garden in the back. Some of the long hallways are decorated with frescos and other ornamentation, while other hallways are stark and shiny from centuries of thick white paint.  The many old cell rooms serve to display a large collection of pre-Columbian and colonial artifacts. Instead of guides computer display screens provide additional information in each room.

     The Basilica de Nuestra Senora de la Soledad is on Calle Independencia.  The front baroque façade is one of the finest examples of stone carving in Mexico. It is beautiful. The city’s patron saint, Maria Santisima de la Soledad, at one time had a five-pound gold crown decorated with 600 sparkling stones and diamonds.

A couple of years ago some of the stones were stolen. From a distance it looks like she is dressed in gold filigree, but underneath is a layer of black fabric.

The church has a lavish golden interior. A crystal chandelier hangs in the middle of the church. At each corner of the cross four angels hold smaller chandeliers. On each side of the altar two cherubs bear staffs with frosted globes. Along the walls, about waist high, are paintings that resemble marble slabs. They are quite different in their painted gold frames.

As is the custom masses of flowers were inside.  The eye-catching doors at the front of the church are carved wood painted in white and mauve.

     The Hotel Camino Real was originally a Dominican convent built in 1576. Masses of hibiscus, bougainvillea, palms, and exotic hanging plants provide surprises around every corner.  A three-tiered fountain in one of the courtyards is known as the nun’s lavabo. The domed structure on a circular row of arches holds up the central pool from which water flows to twelve small and twelve larger washing bowls where nuns did their laundry. It is quite a unique structure.  We were told a few years ago Japanese bought the hotel El Presidente and renamed it. They have installed air conditioning, extravagant lighting for a show and other amenities that go against the city’s colonial atmosphere. Residents are upset over these changes and are trying to buy the hotel back, but the Japanese won’t sell. Although the hotel is the largest and most expensive in the city the food is notoriously bad. I’m not sure of the present status.

      At Santa Maria del Tule we viewed  the famous 2000-year-old Tule Tree. The Mexican cypress is said to be the largest tree in Latin America. The gnarled house sized trunk divides into a forest of elephantine limbs that rise to 15 stories high. With little imagination all sorts of figures can be seen in the gnarls of the trunk. Three small boys, dressed in green sweaters and pants, escorted us around the tree shining a mirror on the trunk to point out various images. Then they would say, “Do you see?” They were cute as can be and well deserving of our tips.

       Oaxaca is a lovely city and we certainly enjoyed our visit there.