Having escaped from Huatulco with Paul’s help we finally arrived in Oaxaca late afternoon and took a taxi to our Airbnb which Emily had picked out
Having welcome refreshments at our new home with Tim, our daughter Emily and Paul and Alicia. 
This is the courtyard of our Airbnb with bathrooms through the left door and kitchen through the right. Bedrooms were at the side and we had our own private suite upstairs. 
Looking down on the courtyard from above. 
Heading out to dinner as poor Paul had no lunch due to his rescue operation. Oaxaca is all decked out for Christmas. 
This waiter is making salsa table side with all of those ingredients 
Tacos 
and guacamole, what could be better. 
Templo de Santo Domingo which was a former Dominican Monastery. 
The city is really decorated for Christmas. 
Emily trying a local drink made with flowers, not much taste really. This was a great little market and food court though. 
Walking under the old aqueduct. 
Colorful market with fresh produce. 
The sanitation workers were on strike as they hadn’t been paid in a while. 
Father daughter bonding. 
Alicia and Emily were interested in doing a tour to some of the surrounding artisanal craft workshops. They negotiated a private tour for us so we could call the shots.
Our first stop was San Martín Tilcajete which is known for its production of “alebrijes,” which are wood carvings of real or fantastic creatures painted in bright colors and intricate patterns.
We were able to observe the process from carving to repairing cracks to painting.
Very intricate detailed painting with tiny brushes. 
Our next stop was a Friday market in Ocotlán de Morelos. Sandy had read about this La Cocina De Frida but when she saw how crowded the market was she would not take her mask off
and did not eat here.
Paul, Alicia and Jim did have lunch here. 
You can see how crowded this market was and how stressed Sandy is. 
Emily and Tim did their best to support the local economy. Here Sandy is helping them pick out Rosary Beads for a Catholic neighbor who requested them. Unfortunately
she died before they could gift them to her.
There was one building in the market which was the council hall of Ocotlan’s “Palacio Municipal,” a government building filled with murals by
Rodolfo Morales, who is a hometown hero, at this market.
Morales is best known for his brightly colored surrealistic dream-like canvases and collages often featuring Mexican women in village settings. 
Our next stop was San Bartolo Coyotepec which has been known for its Barro negro pottery which was a matte grey due to the local soil. In the 1950’s Doña Rosa accidentally
found a way to make the pottery a shiny black without painting it. The potter above is her grandson.
Our final stop for the day was Teotitlán del Valle which is known is known for its textiles, especially rugs, which are woven on hand-operated looms from wool obtained from local sheep and dyed mainly with local natural dye. This is a demonstration of the natural dyes. 
These dyes discolored our hands for days. 
A very brief demonstration of the loom. 
A walk-in restaurant for us with no prior research or recommendations. It is Christmas Eve after all. 
Selfie shenanigans, guess whose fingers those are, NOT Tim’s. 
Guacamole with . . . . 
Crickets. 
Golden shower tree. 
A bar that caught Paul and Jim’s eye. They just looked in though. 
Christmas Day in Oaxaca. 
Blue on blue. 
Looking for food for Tim, we found this great part of town, Jalatlaco. 
Alicia arranged for a Mezcal and Mole tasting through an Airbnb experience. This was put on by a sommelier in his own home. He served a Mezcal cocktail before starting. 
This is the placemat for the tasting with Jim’s notes. You will note that all 7 cups of Mezcal are empty. Poor Alicia who treated us all doesn’t even drink
and we were all a bit toasty at the end. It was a great experience though.
On December 26, Paul and Alicia headed home to Denver in their Mooney, Emily and Tim rented a car and drove six hours to Mazunte on the south facing coast of Mexico
for a few days of sun and surf before returning to Mexico City and then back to Portland Oregon. We caught the correct flight and headed for home in San Miguel de Allende.
