Lovely Oaxaca

We are back on Indigo in Bandaras Bay after a two week trip (by air,  least you get confused about sailors skipping over mountains) to lovely Oaxaca. Looking over the photos we brought back, I can see how charmed we were by the gracious and unique appearance of the place. Oaxaca is a busy city, with lots of noise and crazy traffic. But it is also knee deep in history, art, and charm.

Prehispanic ruins underlie the city and the surrounding valley, and the images, crafts, and patterns inherited from the many layers of history are everywhere. Including the murals in the City Hall.

We stayed at Casa Colonial, a small bed and breakfast inn and longtime favorite with tourists. The courtyards, verandas, and gardens were charming and full of unexpected details.

The city is full of very old buildings, most of them originally churches or monestaries, now repurposed as museums and cultural centers. The norm seems to leave the buildings as unchanged as possible, with raw masonry or old stone exposed, and only the simplest and most authentic ornamentation restored. The result is restful and majestic.

Lovely Oaxaca, with a wonderful vista anyway you turn.