With just under 6 weeks left in Oaxaca, Simon and I are trying to make our way through our ever expanding list of places we want to visit before we leave. Having visited the vast majority of the tourist attractions within and surrounding the city, we are down to the last few pre-Hispanic sites and towns etc.

Last weekend we decided to visit various places; San Bartolo Coyotepec, to learn about the barro negro (black pottery), Yagul, to visit the archaeological site and to stop into a Mezcal factory to learn more about the spirit we have consumed so much of over the last 8 months.

So on Friday afternoon we set off to San Bartolo, taking a bus from Calle Bustmante which takes about 20-25 mins and costs just $9 pesos (keep an eye out for the road signs, Mexican buses don’t have any means of informing you of your location). On arrival we were dropped right outside the museum which showcases some of the finest examples of barro negro, it’s fairly small, but at $20 pesos entry its definitely worth a look around.

We then crossed over the highway and followed the signs to Alfarería Doña Rosa, one of the oldest and largest workshops in the town that has been producing the black pottery since the 1900’s. Upon arrival a mini-bus of Mexican tourists had just arrived, so we tagged on with their group to watch a demonstration and learn more about the origins and history of the barro negro. You don’t have to be part of a tour to get the presentation, they’re happy to give it to anyone who asks. We learnt about Doña Rosa Real Mateo who back in the early 1900’s discovered that burnishing the barro negro (which was traditionally dull-grey), with quartz stones gives the pottery a distinctive shine.

After a wonderful demonstration we wondered around the workshop and made a few purchases as everything was so reasonably priced. When we were done at the workshop we made away back along to the main street, popping in and out of various shops to see the pottery on offer. Once we were ready to head back, we hopped in a colectivo on the highway and got dropped off back in the centre for $10 pesos per person.

Next stop Yagul!

Battling the Oaxacan public transport in the heat on a Sunday is just no fun, so when a friend of a friend wanted to join us and offered to drive, we jumped at the offer! We set off early to beat the heat and arrived just after 10am, as we turned off the highway the gates were closed and I’d read it was a 1.5km walk up a hill to reach the site which didn’t sound like much fun (if you travel by bus out to the site, unfortunately there’s no choice but to make this walk unless you can find a colectivo willing to drive you up). We figured as there was no lock we could just open them and go through…. So that’s exactly what we did. We pulled up into a deserted car park and told the man in the ticket office that the gates were closed, possibly explaining the empty car park, or perhaps 10am on a Sunday is too early for tourists?

Either way, we had the place to ourselves so took our time exploring the fascinating Zapotec site. Smaller than Monte Alban and lacking the huge structures and temples, and less spread out than Mitla; Yagul sits somewhere in between, but it really has a charm about it that I loved. The views of the Tlacolula valley are breath taking, and the maze-like buildings are great fun to explore.

Yagul (meaning ‘old tree’ in Zapotec) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most studied sites in the region, and it’s pretty easy to see why. The site was inhabited from between 100-500 BC, and has three distinct areas; the fortress, the residential area and the ceremonial area. The ball court at Yagul is the second biggest in Mesoamerica after the huge court at Chichen Itza.

After finding our way through mazes, soaking up the stunning views and climbing to the top of the fortress on the hunt for Zapotec ‘baths’ carved into the rocks we decided the heat was getting a little too intense and we were in need of some lunch so we set off for Teotítlan (a town famous for its traditional weavings). We wanted to avoid the restaurants set up for the tour busses, so found ourselves a small comedore and ordered some delicious roasted chicken tlayudas with lots of guacamole and of course, a few tacos on the side!

Feeling refueled and with our stomachs lined, we set off for a Mezcal factory as we wanted to learn about the process behind this institutional drink here in Oaxaca. As we made our way back down to the highway from Teotítlan there was a small Mezcal factory on the opposite side of the crossroad that looked geared towards giving tours. We were given an explanation of the different types of Maguey plants, then shown where the “pineapples” and put on the fire and shown where the remains are then made into a pulp using the old-fashioned technique using a horse. We were also given strips of the cooked Maguey to try, it tasted just like smoky agave syrup. After an explanation of the distilling process we were finally taken to the tasting station.

We were given 7 or 8 different Mezcals, a plate of grasshoppers and a dish of fresh oranges and sal de gusano (salt with ground up worms in it), along with an explanation of the type of Maguey used and how long the process had taken etc. After we had picked our favourites, and purchased a few bottles we decided to call it a day and head back to the city.

If you have a day in Oaxaca and want to do some exploring on your own, rather than a tour, this is a great option. If you don’t have a full day, I’d still suggest trying to get out to a Mezcal factory to learn about the fascinating process behind this delicious drink.