The drive and some highlights …
Oaxaca, into the Mixe district of the Sierra Norte region
Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B.
Ecotourism as we know it in the Ixtlán district of the Sierra Norte, may never reach the Mixe because of its distance from the city of Oaxaca amongst other factors. However the Mixe still has many of the trappings which attract travelers who want to get away from urban life and see different and more natural sights. In terms of material culture, the district may in fact be superior. Certainly the drive, best handled as a two-day excursion, has much to offer beginning just as you start your ascent out of Oaxaca’s central valleys.
What’s in store should you venture off with your own or a rental vehicle for this 280 kilometer trek (round trip), are cave paintings; cascading springs; meals so fresh that the roadside eateries have no need for refrigeration; markets; by-products of the agave plant such pulque and mezcal; pottery in a style and color not often encountered in the state capital; and on a daily basis women wearing unique, regional dress.
The drive itself, without stops or side trips, takes upwards of 3 hours, beginning in Oaxaca and ending at the recommended final destination of Santa María Tlahuitoltepec. But it’s the journey which holds much of the allure.
Driving from Oaxaca to San Lorenzo Albarradas, situated on the cusp of the Mixe, takes about an hour, and is accessible by continuing along Highway 190 beyond Mitla. The first sight of interest is Xaagá, a small village whose main industry is loom-made cotton scarves, shawls and rebosos, as well as shirts and blouses, all wholesaled to middlemen or to merchants with stalls in Mitla, Tlacolula, el Tule or Oaxaca. Xaagá is also known for its 3,000 – 10,000 year old cave paintings. For between 50 and 100 pesos you can hire a local to guide you right up to them. The last several yards of the excursion are a difficult climb, so wear hiking boots or running shoes. Even if you don’t do the final leg, the drawings will be quite close to you and easy to photograph. You can continue up the dirt road from Xaagá to the bubbling springs and “waterfalls” of mineral deposits at Hierve el Agua. Great for swimming, in one of two poolings reaching just over 6’. Unless you start out quite early, it’s recommended that you stop at only one of these two sights, perhaps saving the other for the drive back, depending on time available. If it’s Hierve el Agua, it’s best to take the alternate route by returning to Highway 190, especially during rainy season, and in light of the ongoing dispute (an inconvenience only) between two villages each claiming the right to exact an entrance fee from tourists.
Back on Highway 190, after about 10 minutes you’ll pass San José del Paso on the left, another marginal community whose residents eke out a modest existence producing cotton textiles. A few minutes later you’ll encounter two quaint mezcal “factories,” directly across the highway from one another, much more rustic and traditional than the larger more commercial facilities catering to tourists, which one encounters en route to Mitla. On balance, one of the two small facilities will be in full production, with the ability to witness a couple of the steps in the process, be they the agave baking in an in-ground oven, a mule crushing the cooked by-product, fermentation in pine vats, or the firewood-fueled still with the purest of mezcal dripping into a plastic or copper recipient.
If you miss the process, about 10 minutes further along the highway, just before the San Lorenzo Albarradas cut-off, on the left you’ll come across another fábrica de mezcal, this one with a combined restaurant entitled Comedor El Tigre. No electricity and no refrigeration. Not needed. A very friendly family owns the place. Don’t expect a menu, but rather the mother or her daughter-in-law rhyming off what’s available for breakfast or lunch: memelitas, quesadillas, huevos al comal, huevos con chorizo, chorizo asado, tasajo, cecina, or a daily stew. All safe. Served with beans, and of course salsa made fresh before your eyes and served in its molcajete. Perhaps best of all is being able to pick up a tortilla straight from the comal over open flame.
About a kilometer up the road you´ll find a sign directing you to the right to Hierve el Agua (by the alternate route). The last 15 minutes of travel to Hierve el Agua is on dirt road, but a new paved road is being cut through the mountain range.
Until this point in time in the trip the vegetation, since the approach to Mitla, has been mixed scrub, cactus, and some crops under cultivation, with agave predominating.
Back on the main highway, the next hour is spent gradually climbing to Ayutla, the first town of any significance in the Mixe. Vegetation quickly changes from agave to pine and other conifers, and building construction from brick to wood. Large bags of pine charcoal for sale pepper the roadsides. On the approach to Ayutla, on your left you’ll discover the first of two or three pottery outlets. Stop by, make some purchases, or simply keep a mental note of prices since you’ll stop by another further along and can always return to this one on the return trip.
You’ll also begin to see trout farms, with large man-made tanks fed with a continuous flow of fresh water from the springs higher up. These aren’t for fishing, but rather for buying fresh fish to take home, or eat in an adjoining restaurant. On this trip we spent the night at Hotel Restaurante “Tek,” located on the left, just beyond Restaurante el Epazote. “Tek” served the best trout my wife has ever eaten, baked in a large aromatic leaf and sealed with foil, with a stuffing of melted quesillo, tomato, chile and other spices, and topped with chipotle mayonnaise. The hotel, purportedly the best the town has to offer, was basic to the extreme, with shared bath. Take your own sheets and pillow cases. For 200 pesos a night for a couple, though, it was hard to complain. Dinner for two with a couple of shots of mezcal, a beer and bottled water came in at 126 pesos.
On this particular Saturday, there were bare-back horse races on the outskirts of town, in a valley flecked with pools of fresh water suitable for family swimming. Our hotel hosts were kind enough to take us to the races. Unfortunately, the main sight in town, the cascading springs which are apparently in quite a picturesque setting, were inaccessible as a result of a dispute over water rights between this population and that of the village up the road, Tamazulapan del Espíritu Santo. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Tamazulapan is about a 15 minute drive from Ayutla. On the approach to the village, on the left you’ll see another terra cotta pottery outlet. The owner and her children are very congenial, and in fact offered to take us to a nearby village where the pottery is formed and fired. She also escorted us to the marketplace, showed us around, and asked that we make sure to not miss the pulque festival scheduled for later that Sunday.
Here you’re finally in the heart of Mixe country and will see women dressed in typical garb consisting of a dark reboso over the head, white blouse in one of a variety of styles and embroidered with tell-tale stitching, and either a long dark or white with embroidery skirt with palm leaf wrap-around belt over which a red, colorfully embroidered second belt of cotton is tied.
Until recently there was no market day in Tamazulapan, the townspeople attending Ayutla for its Sunday market. But now, as a result of the dispute, Tamazulapan has its own Sunday market. While traditional blouses can be purchased in the village at a reasonable price if bought from the women’s cooperative, there’s a better selection up the road in Santa María Tlahuitoltepec.
Tlahuitoltepec is about a 35 – 40 minute drive from Tamazulapan, the last 15 or so minutes on a dirt road, winding and dipping into the valley. Its market day is Saturday. The native clothing referenced above is manufactured at ranches fairly close to town. If interested in seeing the production process, ask a resident and you’ll be pointed in the right direction. Here, as in the other market towns, you’ll encounter a fermented sugar cane drink and fresh pulque. Curiously, mezcal is not made nearby, at least not that we could ascertain, yet pulque which comes from a different variety of agave, the pulquero, is a common beverage sold along the street and in marketplaces. The reason is likely that the pulquero tolerates a colder climate than the espadín variety of agave from which most mezcal is produced.
In any of the foregoing three towns and villages you can hike in the countryside, meet the local residents, and be warmly welcomed. They’re not as accustomed to encountering foreigners as are those of the other districts of the Sierra Norte, and many struggle with Spanish. You’ll find that the further you venture into the Mixe, the more soft-spoken the people become, strikingly more so than those encountered in the central valleys of Oaxaca.
The order of sights outlined above is simply a function of starting in Oaxaca and arbitrarily listing stops in the order that each village or town is initially encountered. By all means design your own itinerary, consider market days, when you want to stop at which restaurant and for bedding down, and most importantly based upon your particular interests, be they for craft purchases, hiking, or simply meeting and perhaps photographing the local folk. Without a doubt we’ll be back in the Mixe, stopping in different locales, wandering off the highway to the tiniest of hamlets, and assuredly reaching deeper into the district, ultimately arriving at Santiago Zacatepec.
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, tours couples and families to the villages, and is a special consultant to documentary film production companies.
4/04/2008
Cocina con Nora: Cooking lessons with Nora Valencia in Oaxaca, Mexico
Cocina con Nora …
Cooking lessons with Nora Valencia, in Oaxaca, Mexico
Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B.
If you absorb only a minute fraction of what Nora’s grandmother taught her about Oaxacan cookery over the course of about four decades, you’ll leave with not only a fount of knowledge about ingredients and techniques, but also a profound understanding of the history and geographical variation of all that’s Oaxacan cuisine today … and of course completely satiated by the end of your gourmet meal.
Oaxacan Nora Valencia enraptures her students with informative stories and humorous anecdotes peppered throughout her class about her abuelita’s insights into food preparation and ingredient combinations. But she also confesses, while walking from the market, that hers was a long journey in arriving at a “classroom” environment upwards of ten years ago: “What my grandmother and mother taught me wasn’t nearly enough. My coming of age as an instructor required a lot of research and travel, in the nature of sociological and anthropological investigation, some chemistry and physics, and even botany. And I always tried to get my hands on as many old books as possible about Latin American foodstuffs, and wherever possible concerning Mexican and Oaxacan plants and herbs and pre-Hispanic recipes. There’s one book in particular I still need, called ‘Conquista y Comida’ … maybe you’ll come across it at a local book fare and let me know.”
The lesson day begins at 9:30, with students meeting and chatting briefly with one another and Nora, in a relaxed informal setting at her B & B, La Casa de Mis Recuerdos. At about 10, taxis arrive to take all to Mercado de La Merced, one of, if not the most popular of the daily markets in downtown Oaxaca … for Oaxacans. About an hour is spent in the market, walking from stall to stall, where you learn, variously, about indigenous origins and history, and current uses, of dried and fresh chiles, nuts, tomatoes, cheeses, breads, an abundance of herbs, and much more. You come away with an appreciation of how Oaxacan cuisine has arrived in the 21st century, as a result of a melding of the use of pre-Hispanic produce and meats, with imports first brought over from Spain during the conquest period.
Nora imparts an understanding of the difference between produce found in the permanent market stalls (most often purchased by the vendors from growers or wholesalers with large operations), and that sold by mainly women sitting on the ground who have grown the fruits, vegetables and herbs in their own towns and villages: “We now use the term organic, for what we have traditionally referred to as criollo, which is what these ladies sell. But some of the large stalls also have criollo produce, so watch for it.”
Nora reveals both here and several times later on in the kitchen setting, what ingredients, more easily accessed back home, can be substituted for what she buys in the market such as local varieties of green and red tomatoes, specific herbs, chiles, and even masa: “If you can only buy packaged Maseca brand corn flour in Oregon, and you’re making tamales, then add a bit of cornmeal to give it the proper texture. Feel the difference between the two types of masa we find here in the market, one for tortillas and the other for tamales. And you may already know, we use a lot a hoja santa in our recipes, and it’s only available in some states, such as Florida, so if you can’t find it, try using … .”
Rather than purchase everything at this market visit, Nora has already purchased most the day before, and what she does buy during this brief tour she leaves at each stall and picks up when we’re ready to depart. “Now I’m going back to some of the puestos to pick up what we bought, so let’s meet out front in 10 – 15 minutes. Meanwhile you can go and buy some of those rarer dried chiles to take home, that spicy paste that I told you I like to keep in my purse when visiting the U.S., and maybe even some gusano worms that we’ll be using to make a salsa later on. You can buy a string of 100 and wear it as a necklace for customs.” Nora passes on invaluable advice about which ingredients you should be able to take over the border, and what freezes well (i.e. quesillo and chapulines --- Oaxacan string cheese and grasshoppers).
We walk to her nearby home on a quaint cobblestone road, where the balance of the class will unfold. We’ll spend the rest of the morning and afternoon in her traditional, painted-tile (talavera) kitchen with center island, and her dining and sitting rooms opening onto a courtyard lushly landscaped with trees, vines and flowering shrubs. A feeling of comfort envelopes, like you’re at home, because in a sense you are, made to feel as welcomed as possible. With only one assistant, Minerva, I marvel at the intense work that has gone into the pre-preparation of some dishes, and more importantly how Nora must be “on” 100% of the time, and attentive to each of the ten apprentices, ranging in age from early twenties to late sixties, for upwards of six hours.
It’s effectively all Nora, teaching, directing, reassuring, reminding, and correcting. With mainly novices in this class this day, making dessert tamales, one of the two most complex recipes of the day, isn’t as easy as simply mixing up some dough with pineapple chunks and wrapping it in corn husk. Three mixtures are prepared, placed into the husks, and then folded in a most gingerly fashion: “Sorry, but this will have to be another patchwork, so we’ll combine two into one, or better yet, how about just using an extra husk to hold it all together.” There’s the masa mixture, the coconut / milk concoction, pineapple / sugar / cinnamon fusion, plus raisins to boot. “Now see that I’m not spilling out the water from boiling the pineapple, because I can use it another time instead of just water, to make a fresh fruit juice (agua fresca). It’s already sweet and flavorful.”
Where a component has been prepared prior to our arrival, Nora instructs how it’s been made, such as with the chicken and beef stocks. When there are optional ingredients, Nora not only tells us what we can substitute based on personal preferences, but also explains regional variations. And while we’re preparing mole amarillo, she educates a propos the fallacy of there being seven moles: “Some think of siete moles because we at times refer to seven regions in the state. But if you stop and consider, in Puerto Escondido for example, where shrimp are often used to create stock and as the protein in amarillo, shouldn’t we consider this mole a class or variety onto itself?”
As we’re preparing our mole amarillo, we’re tasting as the flavor subtly changes, adding hoja santa, the spice mixture, the masa which, it’s explained, absorbs and reduces some of the heat. A fiery salsa is almost magically converted into a complex mole, a creation one is hard-pressed to encounter when commercially prepared. “How spicy does everyone like to eat? You know I don’t promise anything because peppers are like lottery tickets: you never know. I used to say to my grandmother, let me measure, but she would say no, use your eyes, your nose, and your mouth to measure.” Nora continues that the same ingredient is often different in intensity, flavor, and how it absorbs, as for example with chicken … it’s not always the same.
While she emphasizes historical and regional contextualization in the use of ingredients, and the resultant variation in recipes, Nora also ensures that technique is appropriately stressed in class. She draws participants into hands-on learning, encouraging each to contribute to the creation of every plate.
Printed recipe sheets are distributed, but not until the meal has been served. Nora opines that it’s better for students to first watch, listen, participate, and ask questions, rather than read and make notes. As the meal concludes, she then reviews the recipes and fields questions regarding any doubts.
By about 2 p.m. we’re ready to sample some mezcal, and then sit down and indulge in our creations:
1) An appetizer of fresh squash blossoms stuffed with a mixture of requesón cheese,
ham, onion and nuts;
2) Consumé of hoja santa, with squash blossom, quesillo, garlic, etc.;
3) Rice á la mint;
4) Mole amarillo with chicken and steamed vegetables;
5) A garnish of sliced onion in a lime juice vinaigrette;
6) Salsa of green tomato with gusanos de maguey;
7) Fresh fruit juice of orange, lime and cucumber;
8) Dessert tamales with pineapple, coconut and raisin.
Even Nora’s grandmother would be hard-pressed to produce such a diverse, delectable and complete comida.
Cocina con Nora is located at Aldama 205, Barrio de Jalatlaco, in downtown Oaxaca. Maximum class size is 10. You can register for Nora’s classes by calling (951) 515-5645 or e-mailing her at: misrecue@hotmail.com.
(Website: http://www.almademitierra.net )
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the craft villages, towns on their market days, ruins, and other sights in and around the central valleys of the state capital. He is also special Oaxaca consultant to documentary film companies.
Cooking lessons with Nora Valencia, in Oaxaca, Mexico
Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B.
If you absorb only a minute fraction of what Nora’s grandmother taught her about Oaxacan cookery over the course of about four decades, you’ll leave with not only a fount of knowledge about ingredients and techniques, but also a profound understanding of the history and geographical variation of all that’s Oaxacan cuisine today … and of course completely satiated by the end of your gourmet meal.
Oaxacan Nora Valencia enraptures her students with informative stories and humorous anecdotes peppered throughout her class about her abuelita’s insights into food preparation and ingredient combinations. But she also confesses, while walking from the market, that hers was a long journey in arriving at a “classroom” environment upwards of ten years ago: “What my grandmother and mother taught me wasn’t nearly enough. My coming of age as an instructor required a lot of research and travel, in the nature of sociological and anthropological investigation, some chemistry and physics, and even botany. And I always tried to get my hands on as many old books as possible about Latin American foodstuffs, and wherever possible concerning Mexican and Oaxacan plants and herbs and pre-Hispanic recipes. There’s one book in particular I still need, called ‘Conquista y Comida’ … maybe you’ll come across it at a local book fare and let me know.”
The lesson day begins at 9:30, with students meeting and chatting briefly with one another and Nora, in a relaxed informal setting at her B & B, La Casa de Mis Recuerdos. At about 10, taxis arrive to take all to Mercado de La Merced, one of, if not the most popular of the daily markets in downtown Oaxaca … for Oaxacans. About an hour is spent in the market, walking from stall to stall, where you learn, variously, about indigenous origins and history, and current uses, of dried and fresh chiles, nuts, tomatoes, cheeses, breads, an abundance of herbs, and much more. You come away with an appreciation of how Oaxacan cuisine has arrived in the 21st century, as a result of a melding of the use of pre-Hispanic produce and meats, with imports first brought over from Spain during the conquest period.
Nora imparts an understanding of the difference between produce found in the permanent market stalls (most often purchased by the vendors from growers or wholesalers with large operations), and that sold by mainly women sitting on the ground who have grown the fruits, vegetables and herbs in their own towns and villages: “We now use the term organic, for what we have traditionally referred to as criollo, which is what these ladies sell. But some of the large stalls also have criollo produce, so watch for it.”
Nora reveals both here and several times later on in the kitchen setting, what ingredients, more easily accessed back home, can be substituted for what she buys in the market such as local varieties of green and red tomatoes, specific herbs, chiles, and even masa: “If you can only buy packaged Maseca brand corn flour in Oregon, and you’re making tamales, then add a bit of cornmeal to give it the proper texture. Feel the difference between the two types of masa we find here in the market, one for tortillas and the other for tamales. And you may already know, we use a lot a hoja santa in our recipes, and it’s only available in some states, such as Florida, so if you can’t find it, try using … .”
Rather than purchase everything at this market visit, Nora has already purchased most the day before, and what she does buy during this brief tour she leaves at each stall and picks up when we’re ready to depart. “Now I’m going back to some of the puestos to pick up what we bought, so let’s meet out front in 10 – 15 minutes. Meanwhile you can go and buy some of those rarer dried chiles to take home, that spicy paste that I told you I like to keep in my purse when visiting the U.S., and maybe even some gusano worms that we’ll be using to make a salsa later on. You can buy a string of 100 and wear it as a necklace for customs.” Nora passes on invaluable advice about which ingredients you should be able to take over the border, and what freezes well (i.e. quesillo and chapulines --- Oaxacan string cheese and grasshoppers).
We walk to her nearby home on a quaint cobblestone road, where the balance of the class will unfold. We’ll spend the rest of the morning and afternoon in her traditional, painted-tile (talavera) kitchen with center island, and her dining and sitting rooms opening onto a courtyard lushly landscaped with trees, vines and flowering shrubs. A feeling of comfort envelopes, like you’re at home, because in a sense you are, made to feel as welcomed as possible. With only one assistant, Minerva, I marvel at the intense work that has gone into the pre-preparation of some dishes, and more importantly how Nora must be “on” 100% of the time, and attentive to each of the ten apprentices, ranging in age from early twenties to late sixties, for upwards of six hours.
It’s effectively all Nora, teaching, directing, reassuring, reminding, and correcting. With mainly novices in this class this day, making dessert tamales, one of the two most complex recipes of the day, isn’t as easy as simply mixing up some dough with pineapple chunks and wrapping it in corn husk. Three mixtures are prepared, placed into the husks, and then folded in a most gingerly fashion: “Sorry, but this will have to be another patchwork, so we’ll combine two into one, or better yet, how about just using an extra husk to hold it all together.” There’s the masa mixture, the coconut / milk concoction, pineapple / sugar / cinnamon fusion, plus raisins to boot. “Now see that I’m not spilling out the water from boiling the pineapple, because I can use it another time instead of just water, to make a fresh fruit juice (agua fresca). It’s already sweet and flavorful.”
Where a component has been prepared prior to our arrival, Nora instructs how it’s been made, such as with the chicken and beef stocks. When there are optional ingredients, Nora not only tells us what we can substitute based on personal preferences, but also explains regional variations. And while we’re preparing mole amarillo, she educates a propos the fallacy of there being seven moles: “Some think of siete moles because we at times refer to seven regions in the state. But if you stop and consider, in Puerto Escondido for example, where shrimp are often used to create stock and as the protein in amarillo, shouldn’t we consider this mole a class or variety onto itself?”
As we’re preparing our mole amarillo, we’re tasting as the flavor subtly changes, adding hoja santa, the spice mixture, the masa which, it’s explained, absorbs and reduces some of the heat. A fiery salsa is almost magically converted into a complex mole, a creation one is hard-pressed to encounter when commercially prepared. “How spicy does everyone like to eat? You know I don’t promise anything because peppers are like lottery tickets: you never know. I used to say to my grandmother, let me measure, but she would say no, use your eyes, your nose, and your mouth to measure.” Nora continues that the same ingredient is often different in intensity, flavor, and how it absorbs, as for example with chicken … it’s not always the same.
While she emphasizes historical and regional contextualization in the use of ingredients, and the resultant variation in recipes, Nora also ensures that technique is appropriately stressed in class. She draws participants into hands-on learning, encouraging each to contribute to the creation of every plate.
Printed recipe sheets are distributed, but not until the meal has been served. Nora opines that it’s better for students to first watch, listen, participate, and ask questions, rather than read and make notes. As the meal concludes, she then reviews the recipes and fields questions regarding any doubts.
By about 2 p.m. we’re ready to sample some mezcal, and then sit down and indulge in our creations:
1) An appetizer of fresh squash blossoms stuffed with a mixture of requesón cheese,
ham, onion and nuts;
2) Consumé of hoja santa, with squash blossom, quesillo, garlic, etc.;
3) Rice á la mint;
4) Mole amarillo with chicken and steamed vegetables;
5) A garnish of sliced onion in a lime juice vinaigrette;
6) Salsa of green tomato with gusanos de maguey;
7) Fresh fruit juice of orange, lime and cucumber;
8) Dessert tamales with pineapple, coconut and raisin.
Even Nora’s grandmother would be hard-pressed to produce such a diverse, delectable and complete comida.
Cocina con Nora is located at Aldama 205, Barrio de Jalatlaco, in downtown Oaxaca. Maximum class size is 10. You can register for Nora’s classes by calling (951) 515-5645 or e-mailing her at: misrecue@hotmail.com.
(Website: http://www.almademitierra.net )
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the craft villages, towns on their market days, ruins, and other sights in and around the central valleys of the state capital. He is also special Oaxaca consultant to documentary film companies.
3/18/2008
Medical and Dental Treatment and Coverage in Oaxaca, Mexico
Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B.
When I first gave up the practice of law in Toronto in favor of early retirement in Oaxaca, I assumed that the years I would add to my life by leading a much more stress-free existence in Mexico, would be lost by the inferior health care system to which I would be exposed, subjected and restricted. This, then, is my assessment of the extent to which my presuppositions have been accurate, together with information and advice for both vacationers to and would-be ex-patriot residents of Oaxaca.
Aside from the small, private hospitals, often referred to as clínicas, there are four publicly funded and insurance - based hospitals in the city, as well as a hospital just outside of the city offering specialized treatment for a number of serious ailments. There is the Red Cross facility available to all, often used for emergency treatment only. The civic hospital provides free services or treatment at a modest cost based on a sliding scale respecting means. ISSSTE is a federally funded facility restricted to government employees who are members of a union. Finally, there is IMSS, a federal insurance program available to ex-pat residents and Mexican citizens alike, with an extensive network of clinic doctors and a large hospital. It’s funding is provided in large part by business owners. Aside from these hospitals, there are several, small, easily accessed clinics scattered throughout suburban and rural neighborhoods.
For the vacationer, and the ex-pat with a VISA permitting residency in the country, the most common means by which to obtain emergency treatment is through Red Cross, IMSS (which accepts patients without coverage on a pay-per-service basis) or a private hospital. However, the last of these three is the only one in which you can be reasonably reassured of being attended in a timely fashion by extremely competent and efficient personnel.
WHAT TO DO AS A VACATIONER
If you do not have out-of-country healthcare coverage, by all means go out and buy it before leaving for your trip. However, it’s advisable to first inquire of your credit card company, to ascertain if in fact you already have at least some coverage simply by virtue of, for example, having a gold or platinum card. You can then make a more informed decision concerned whether or not to purchase coverage, and if so at what level. On the other hand, a broken leg, gastrointestinal problem or other non-life threatening ailment can be attended by a private doctor or clinic without breaking the bank. Of course for an outlay of more than $100, it’s nice to be reimbursed.
If you intend to make a claim to your private carrier, credit card company or government funded health care plan, ensure that you not only keep all receipts, but request a written diagnosis and treatment plan, and that the prescriptions you are given indicate for what purpose each medicine is being prescribed (i.e. antibiotic, analgesic, etc.). Many doctors provide all required information simply as a matter of course. Accepted practice, at least except for when narcotic medications are being prescribed, is for the pharmacy to return prescription forms to you. Often medical plans require translations of each document that is presented to them as a prerequisite for processing and reimbursement. When in doubt, submit all documentation with your claim, making sure to determine if originals are required, and keep copies. Frequently, as is the case with Ontario, it’s a two step process. Treatment receipts and diagnosis is submitted to the provincial plan. Once you’re notified of the portion not covered, prescription receipts together with a request for reimbursement for the amount not covered by the province, is submitted to one’s private plan. In theory, between the two plans, 100% reimbursement is achieved.
You can ask the manager of your hotel or bed and breakfast to do you a favor by translating each of your supporting documents, to save you the trouble upon your return home. Make a note of the then prevailing rate of exchange, and submit a calculation to your plan with your documentation, to more easily facilitate payment. When a member of a clerical staff is processing your claim, he’ll be less inclined to put yours aside for another day or week if it already contains all the necessary and relevant data, organized in a readable format.
Concerning where to go in the event of illness or emergency, your accommodations host should be able to make recommendations for English speaking physicians with private practices, and for private clinics. Regarding competency of the former, while there is a medical school in Oaxaca, many doctors travel out-of-state for their post-graduate training such as to universities in Mexico City or the US, and regularly attend conferences and upgrading courses. Some travel abroad within the context of their specialization training. Indeed the Oaxacan populace appears to take notice of and prefer those physicians who are able to display foreign diplomas.
Our personal experience with emergency treatment over the past 10 years has been nothing but positive for ourselves, our family and our guests, at hospitals Carmen and Molina, both downtown … in terms of competence, speed with which one is attended, and the presence of English speaking ER doctors. On the other hand, we cannot recommend the emergency departments at the civic hospital or IMSS because of delays in receiving treatment, and at minimum in the case of IMSS unavailability of competent medical personnel 24 hours a day to attend to even a commonplace emergency (i.e. suturing). Having said this, many excellent surgeons with private practices perform surgery at the non-private hospitals where there tends to be the more state-of-the-art and sophisticated equipment.
The normal range in price for a consultation with a family doctor, specialist or dentist, is $20 - $50 (all figures are stated in US dollars and are approximate for 2008 unless stated otherwise).
PURELY ELECTIVE AND COSMETIC PROCEDURES
Over the past several years Oaxaca has become a popular destination for Americans and Canadians seeking both plastic surgery and extensive dental work. Word has spread of the competence and quality of work of both nip-and-tuck and dental surgeons, and of course of their extremely reasonable charges relative to those paid to hometown practitioners. Many foreigners, as well as Mexicans from Mexico City and other regions of the country come to Oaxaca for face lifts, breast reductions and augmentations, liposuction and other appearance enhancing procedures. A friend who attended for plastic surgery in Oaxaca by Dr. Cesár Mayoral a couple of years ago, recently commented that she had read an article in a Canadian magazine indicating the cost for the same procedure which she had performed for $500, was $3500 - $5000 at home. In effect she had a free trip to Oaxaca, and returned home with extra money in her pocket.
Our personal experience with dental treatment has been extremely positive. Cost tends to be about a third to a half of American and Canadian prices, for example for crowns and bridges, implants, root canals, gum and bone work, etc. While the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) has not yet arrived in most Mexican cities, a dentist with a gentle touch can more than make up for that lack of temporary high while in the chair.
RESOLVING THE EX-PAT CONUNDRUM
Get whatever coverage is made available to you both in your homeland and in Mexico, subject of course to affordability.
To my thinking, with IMSS coverage costing under $400 annually for a couple, why not go for it regardless of what other coverage you already have. Then supplement IMSS with international coverage for catastrophic injuries unless you have other similar insurance from another source. Our Oaxacan friends tend to disagree, but theirs is a different mindset where insurance in general has historically not been stressed or valued, be it home, car or health.
Some American acquaintances swear by IMSS since it provides regular care including preventive procedures, all dispensed by government employed physicians including specialists, together with lab tests, medication and hospitalization. There are restrictions the first year of enrolment, and there are caveats. The level of cleanliness in the clinic environment tends to be below the standard to which most of us have become accustomed growing up in the US and Canada. Many physicians have not received the quality of medical education of their private counterparts. The medications provided through the clinic pharmacy are often not the best available in the marketplace for treatment of a particular ailment, because of cost. Often the wait to see your designated doctor or for your lab tests can be long, requiring a half day commitment for each step in the process: visiting a general physician, going for one set of tests, then for another, and finally seeing a specialist.
So why bother with IMSS at all, with all these downsides? It’s a failsafe, another form of assurance that you’ll be cared for in the event of a lengthy and serious illness. As suggested earlier, often it’s the largest hospitals such as IMSS which have the best equipment, and surgeons with private practices who perform some of the surgeries. And there is no additional cost for hospitalization once you have full IMSS coverage. While attending a private clinic is more akin to your experiences before moving to Mexico, if you must remain in hospital for a lengthy period of time, the cost of doing so in a clinic could be prohibitive…just like back home.
Visiting private physicians, and even biting the bullet and getting your tests done at privately owned laboratories, reasonably assures you of a familiar quality of care. Coupled with IMSS coverage, you can now be confident that you’re covered in almost all respects. In the event of a protracted hospital stay you can afford to be there for as long as necessary. The best locally available equipment will be used in your diagnosis and treatment, and you have a reasonable likelihood that attending surgeons are those who split their time between private practice and clinic work, and performing procedures in one or more large hospitals.
We maintain IMSS coverage, but rarely use it, preferring to tap our Oaxacan social networks for referrals to specialists to the extent they are required. And in any event, after having been resident in Oaxaca for a few years, those of us who are in our fifties or older have already been introduced to a broad range of specialists. As strange as it still is to be a Canadian and subscribe to the pay-as-you-play philosophy of medical care, it serves our purposes, with the IMSS safety net just in case.
Under certain circumstances you may not want to rely on even the best Oaxaca has to offer. Indeed the stream of Oaxacans traveling to Mexico City flows briskly and wide. The middle and upper classes with contacts in the nation’s capital, there quickly seek out the best in terms of physicians and state-of-the-art equipment, for diagnosis and for treatment of life-threatening diseases.
Even doctors working in Oaxaca at the IMSS and ISSSTE hospitals can make arrangements for patients to receive treatment not available here, to be attended in Mexico City or other larger centers. However, the process can be slow. We know of one case, that of a two-month-old baby with heart problems, who was finally sent to Puebla for surgery at ISSSTE, only to die before the procedure could be performed.
The solution, unless you have quality foreign coverage perhaps as part of your retirement pension plan, is to buy insurance which will pay for treatment in Mexico City, or better yet throughout the world as long as you can make your way to one of the participating top-of-the-line hospitals. In my case, I have a low annual premium, with high deductible which is waived in the event of accident. Again, it’s a failsafe mechanism in the event of, for example, a serious car accident, or cancer, stroke, heart attack, or other catastrophic ailment which would otherwise not be affordable. Oaxaca has less than the best of diagnostic equipment and treatment facilities. My plan provides for a $10,000 deductible, $2,000 annual premium, with member private hospitals in Oaxaca, Mexico City and elsewhere in the republic, and of course abroad including the US, with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester being a participant.
In summary, my medical coverage and plan for treatment is the following. We have our regular family physician, who, along with our Oaxacan friends, refers us to specialists in which we have the utmost confidence, and to whom we pay per visit. The same holds true for dental treatment. We have IMSS coverage which we reluctantly (because we don’t use it) renew on an annual basis, but believe it’s worth the price in the event we need extended hospitalization, or to have surgical procedures performed not available in private clinics. And I have my catastrophic coverage which hopefully I’ll never need to access.
Medical care and coverage can be inexpensive, and just as easily it can be costly. It’s a matter of the individual or family having a philosophy, or set of priorities, before electing to move to Oaxaca. You have to determine how you want to lead your life in terms of balancing having less disposable income as a result of medical and insurance costs, with having greater peace of mind in knowing that whatever is thrown your way will be looked after as best possible given your new life in a foreign land. If you cannot achieve a level of comfort in the resolution of these issues and decisions, then perhaps the move is not for you.
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the villages.
When I first gave up the practice of law in Toronto in favor of early retirement in Oaxaca, I assumed that the years I would add to my life by leading a much more stress-free existence in Mexico, would be lost by the inferior health care system to which I would be exposed, subjected and restricted. This, then, is my assessment of the extent to which my presuppositions have been accurate, together with information and advice for both vacationers to and would-be ex-patriot residents of Oaxaca.
Aside from the small, private hospitals, often referred to as clínicas, there are four publicly funded and insurance - based hospitals in the city, as well as a hospital just outside of the city offering specialized treatment for a number of serious ailments. There is the Red Cross facility available to all, often used for emergency treatment only. The civic hospital provides free services or treatment at a modest cost based on a sliding scale respecting means. ISSSTE is a federally funded facility restricted to government employees who are members of a union. Finally, there is IMSS, a federal insurance program available to ex-pat residents and Mexican citizens alike, with an extensive network of clinic doctors and a large hospital. It’s funding is provided in large part by business owners. Aside from these hospitals, there are several, small, easily accessed clinics scattered throughout suburban and rural neighborhoods.
For the vacationer, and the ex-pat with a VISA permitting residency in the country, the most common means by which to obtain emergency treatment is through Red Cross, IMSS (which accepts patients without coverage on a pay-per-service basis) or a private hospital. However, the last of these three is the only one in which you can be reasonably reassured of being attended in a timely fashion by extremely competent and efficient personnel.
WHAT TO DO AS A VACATIONER
If you do not have out-of-country healthcare coverage, by all means go out and buy it before leaving for your trip. However, it’s advisable to first inquire of your credit card company, to ascertain if in fact you already have at least some coverage simply by virtue of, for example, having a gold or platinum card. You can then make a more informed decision concerned whether or not to purchase coverage, and if so at what level. On the other hand, a broken leg, gastrointestinal problem or other non-life threatening ailment can be attended by a private doctor or clinic without breaking the bank. Of course for an outlay of more than $100, it’s nice to be reimbursed.
If you intend to make a claim to your private carrier, credit card company or government funded health care plan, ensure that you not only keep all receipts, but request a written diagnosis and treatment plan, and that the prescriptions you are given indicate for what purpose each medicine is being prescribed (i.e. antibiotic, analgesic, etc.). Many doctors provide all required information simply as a matter of course. Accepted practice, at least except for when narcotic medications are being prescribed, is for the pharmacy to return prescription forms to you. Often medical plans require translations of each document that is presented to them as a prerequisite for processing and reimbursement. When in doubt, submit all documentation with your claim, making sure to determine if originals are required, and keep copies. Frequently, as is the case with Ontario, it’s a two step process. Treatment receipts and diagnosis is submitted to the provincial plan. Once you’re notified of the portion not covered, prescription receipts together with a request for reimbursement for the amount not covered by the province, is submitted to one’s private plan. In theory, between the two plans, 100% reimbursement is achieved.
You can ask the manager of your hotel or bed and breakfast to do you a favor by translating each of your supporting documents, to save you the trouble upon your return home. Make a note of the then prevailing rate of exchange, and submit a calculation to your plan with your documentation, to more easily facilitate payment. When a member of a clerical staff is processing your claim, he’ll be less inclined to put yours aside for another day or week if it already contains all the necessary and relevant data, organized in a readable format.
Concerning where to go in the event of illness or emergency, your accommodations host should be able to make recommendations for English speaking physicians with private practices, and for private clinics. Regarding competency of the former, while there is a medical school in Oaxaca, many doctors travel out-of-state for their post-graduate training such as to universities in Mexico City or the US, and regularly attend conferences and upgrading courses. Some travel abroad within the context of their specialization training. Indeed the Oaxacan populace appears to take notice of and prefer those physicians who are able to display foreign diplomas.
Our personal experience with emergency treatment over the past 10 years has been nothing but positive for ourselves, our family and our guests, at hospitals Carmen and Molina, both downtown … in terms of competence, speed with which one is attended, and the presence of English speaking ER doctors. On the other hand, we cannot recommend the emergency departments at the civic hospital or IMSS because of delays in receiving treatment, and at minimum in the case of IMSS unavailability of competent medical personnel 24 hours a day to attend to even a commonplace emergency (i.e. suturing). Having said this, many excellent surgeons with private practices perform surgery at the non-private hospitals where there tends to be the more state-of-the-art and sophisticated equipment.
The normal range in price for a consultation with a family doctor, specialist or dentist, is $20 - $50 (all figures are stated in US dollars and are approximate for 2008 unless stated otherwise).
PURELY ELECTIVE AND COSMETIC PROCEDURES
Over the past several years Oaxaca has become a popular destination for Americans and Canadians seeking both plastic surgery and extensive dental work. Word has spread of the competence and quality of work of both nip-and-tuck and dental surgeons, and of course of their extremely reasonable charges relative to those paid to hometown practitioners. Many foreigners, as well as Mexicans from Mexico City and other regions of the country come to Oaxaca for face lifts, breast reductions and augmentations, liposuction and other appearance enhancing procedures. A friend who attended for plastic surgery in Oaxaca by Dr. Cesár Mayoral a couple of years ago, recently commented that she had read an article in a Canadian magazine indicating the cost for the same procedure which she had performed for $500, was $3500 - $5000 at home. In effect she had a free trip to Oaxaca, and returned home with extra money in her pocket.
Our personal experience with dental treatment has been extremely positive. Cost tends to be about a third to a half of American and Canadian prices, for example for crowns and bridges, implants, root canals, gum and bone work, etc. While the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) has not yet arrived in most Mexican cities, a dentist with a gentle touch can more than make up for that lack of temporary high while in the chair.
RESOLVING THE EX-PAT CONUNDRUM
Get whatever coverage is made available to you both in your homeland and in Mexico, subject of course to affordability.
To my thinking, with IMSS coverage costing under $400 annually for a couple, why not go for it regardless of what other coverage you already have. Then supplement IMSS with international coverage for catastrophic injuries unless you have other similar insurance from another source. Our Oaxacan friends tend to disagree, but theirs is a different mindset where insurance in general has historically not been stressed or valued, be it home, car or health.
Some American acquaintances swear by IMSS since it provides regular care including preventive procedures, all dispensed by government employed physicians including specialists, together with lab tests, medication and hospitalization. There are restrictions the first year of enrolment, and there are caveats. The level of cleanliness in the clinic environment tends to be below the standard to which most of us have become accustomed growing up in the US and Canada. Many physicians have not received the quality of medical education of their private counterparts. The medications provided through the clinic pharmacy are often not the best available in the marketplace for treatment of a particular ailment, because of cost. Often the wait to see your designated doctor or for your lab tests can be long, requiring a half day commitment for each step in the process: visiting a general physician, going for one set of tests, then for another, and finally seeing a specialist.
So why bother with IMSS at all, with all these downsides? It’s a failsafe, another form of assurance that you’ll be cared for in the event of a lengthy and serious illness. As suggested earlier, often it’s the largest hospitals such as IMSS which have the best equipment, and surgeons with private practices who perform some of the surgeries. And there is no additional cost for hospitalization once you have full IMSS coverage. While attending a private clinic is more akin to your experiences before moving to Mexico, if you must remain in hospital for a lengthy period of time, the cost of doing so in a clinic could be prohibitive…just like back home.
Visiting private physicians, and even biting the bullet and getting your tests done at privately owned laboratories, reasonably assures you of a familiar quality of care. Coupled with IMSS coverage, you can now be confident that you’re covered in almost all respects. In the event of a protracted hospital stay you can afford to be there for as long as necessary. The best locally available equipment will be used in your diagnosis and treatment, and you have a reasonable likelihood that attending surgeons are those who split their time between private practice and clinic work, and performing procedures in one or more large hospitals.
We maintain IMSS coverage, but rarely use it, preferring to tap our Oaxacan social networks for referrals to specialists to the extent they are required. And in any event, after having been resident in Oaxaca for a few years, those of us who are in our fifties or older have already been introduced to a broad range of specialists. As strange as it still is to be a Canadian and subscribe to the pay-as-you-play philosophy of medical care, it serves our purposes, with the IMSS safety net just in case.
Under certain circumstances you may not want to rely on even the best Oaxaca has to offer. Indeed the stream of Oaxacans traveling to Mexico City flows briskly and wide. The middle and upper classes with contacts in the nation’s capital, there quickly seek out the best in terms of physicians and state-of-the-art equipment, for diagnosis and for treatment of life-threatening diseases.
Even doctors working in Oaxaca at the IMSS and ISSSTE hospitals can make arrangements for patients to receive treatment not available here, to be attended in Mexico City or other larger centers. However, the process can be slow. We know of one case, that of a two-month-old baby with heart problems, who was finally sent to Puebla for surgery at ISSSTE, only to die before the procedure could be performed.
The solution, unless you have quality foreign coverage perhaps as part of your retirement pension plan, is to buy insurance which will pay for treatment in Mexico City, or better yet throughout the world as long as you can make your way to one of the participating top-of-the-line hospitals. In my case, I have a low annual premium, with high deductible which is waived in the event of accident. Again, it’s a failsafe mechanism in the event of, for example, a serious car accident, or cancer, stroke, heart attack, or other catastrophic ailment which would otherwise not be affordable. Oaxaca has less than the best of diagnostic equipment and treatment facilities. My plan provides for a $10,000 deductible, $2,000 annual premium, with member private hospitals in Oaxaca, Mexico City and elsewhere in the republic, and of course abroad including the US, with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester being a participant.
In summary, my medical coverage and plan for treatment is the following. We have our regular family physician, who, along with our Oaxacan friends, refers us to specialists in which we have the utmost confidence, and to whom we pay per visit. The same holds true for dental treatment. We have IMSS coverage which we reluctantly (because we don’t use it) renew on an annual basis, but believe it’s worth the price in the event we need extended hospitalization, or to have surgical procedures performed not available in private clinics. And I have my catastrophic coverage which hopefully I’ll never need to access.
Medical care and coverage can be inexpensive, and just as easily it can be costly. It’s a matter of the individual or family having a philosophy, or set of priorities, before electing to move to Oaxaca. You have to determine how you want to lead your life in terms of balancing having less disposable income as a result of medical and insurance costs, with having greater peace of mind in knowing that whatever is thrown your way will be looked after as best possible given your new life in a foreign land. If you cannot achieve a level of comfort in the resolution of these issues and decisions, then perhaps the move is not for you.
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the villages.
1/28/2008
Travelers' checks, ATM machines or cash: Oaxaca, Money and Exchange
Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B.
You don’t need to take travelers’ checks, ATM’s are common, safe and reliable, and while pesos and American cash rule, a VISA card will get you through your trip to Oaxaca. But there innumerable other tidbits of advice to heed before heading out the door to the airport, questions you’ll have after landing, and issues around money which will arise in the course of your vacation.
Getting ready for the trip
ATMs
There are several ATM machines in the downtown core alongside almost every bank and even inside the odd pharmacy. Similarly in the suburbs you’ll find no shortage of machines in banks and pharmacies, as well as freestanding kiosks, and even inside large department and grocery stores.
It’s best to go into your bank before your trip to confirm your weekly limit, maximum number of weekly withdrawals and amount you can withdraw per day, and to have it noted on your file that you will be using your card in southern Mexico. Increase your maximums if possible. While it is rare for a machine to “eat” one’s card, just as it happens infrequently in your hometown it can happen here, and could take up to 2 or 3 days for you to get your card back. Accordingly, to be on the safe side take an extra card with you or make sure your partner has his card. If you have both an ATM and credit card from which you can access your account, use the ATM card so that in the unlikely event of a problem, you’ll still have plastic for withdrawals and making purchases.
CREDIT CARDS
Most establishments in the city accept credit cards, VISA being the most widely welcomed. Once again, as part of your pre-trip planning contact your credit card companies and inquire and advise regarding the following:
1) make sure it is noted that you will be making purchases out of the country;
2) check your single purchase dollar limit and increase it if possible, perhaps for only the period of time you will be on vacation;
3) ask how exchange rates will be calculated and if there is a surcharge, so you can make a more informed decision as to whether it’s more advantageous to use that credit card and increase the balance in your points program, or cash;
4) if you intend to rent a car in Oaxaca, ask if your gold or platinum card will cover the rental car’s theft, damage, liability, and so on, and confirm the answer by reading the cardholder agreement’s terms, conditions and restrictions, all with a view to avoiding having to pay for such “extra” charges when you pick up your vehicle.
Remember that not all merchants, especially in the towns and villages where you’ll be buying handicrafts, accept credit cards, and often those who do so will charge a premium of up to 6% to cover their commission costs. Using a credit card may reduce your bargaining power significantly. Of course when dining at a small eatery or making purchases on the street, you’ll only be able to use American cash or pesos, and if you use American cash you won’t likely get as good an exchange rate as you would through a conventional exchange house (casa de cambio) or bank.
AMERICAN, CANADIAN OR OTHER CASH
In Oaxaca, if you’re paying with foreign currency, make it US dollars. However, Canadians, for example, should not feel the need to go out and buy yankee greenbacks. Years ago things were different, and it was difficult if not impossible to change our Canadian dollars into foreign currency while out of the country. We felt that the American dollar ruled the world. Today, here in Mexico pesos are just fine, and more importantly most of the casas de cambio offer competitive rates for Canadian dollars and other major currencies. There’s no need, and it’s not economically prudent, to pay to have Canadian changed into American, and then upon arriving in Oaxaca again pay to exchange into a third currency. It’s true enough that while there are places which exchange only US dollars, within about 3 blocks of the downtown central square (the zócalo) at least four casas de cambio can be found which exchange major foreign currencies. One word to the wise: do not bring foreign bills which have any rips, writing on them, or with ink or other stains. The rule of thumb at a casa de cambio is to reject all damaged or defaced foreign bills.
TRAVELERS’ CHECKS
A more seasoned readership will recall always using travelers’ checks. But that was before the age of ATMs, paypal and the realization that not everyone in a strange land is out to rob tourists. And besides, each of us had his trusty money belt. Many still “don’t leave home without it,” but often find making such transactions a bit cumbersome. There may be (but generally is not) a nominal premium charged for exchange, it takes time to get out that passport and have the data recorded on each check, and if you’re careful as you should be, the advisability of carrying them is reduced. Institutions will accept travelers’ checks, but often have to pay a commission for having them deposited into their Mexican peso accounts. They will generally be accepted at major retail outlets, hotels and B & Bs and in the craft villages at larger workshops, but there may be a small cost involved. Having stated this, often the retailer will be prepared to absorb any fees. Many Oaxacans in the tourism industry will simply hang onto travelers’ checks and then deposit them into US dollar accounts they have in The States.
PAYPAL
Paypal has revolutionized small scale, international, commodity and services purchase and sale transactions. The commission rate is modest, it’s an extremely safe and secure means by which to buy and sell, and it has its own safeguards to protect both sides of a transaction from the unscrupulous and the naïve. You may have used paypal to make your deposit on reserving your accommodations, for a cooking school class or in arranging an ecotourism trek. You can likely pay the balance owing once you’re in Oaxaca, the same way, as long as you don’t mind the modest charges involved. The main additional advantage to paypal is that money exchanges hands instantly. And even in the craft villages there are proprietors who either accept paypal or have a colleague, relative or friend ready to assist in facilitating transactions for the purchase and sale of rugs, alebrijes, etc. (especially when a custom order is placed). Paypal is simply one additional payment method which has come of age in Oaxaca.
You’re now in Mexico
The rate for changing US or Canadian dollars into pesos tends to be better for consumers at the airport in Mexico City than in Oaxaca, so do not hesitate to get started exchanging while awaiting your connecting flight to Oaxaca. In fact, the airport rates, at least in the past for changing Canadian dollars to pesos, have been better than when buying much larger quantities of pesos through one of the well-known US or Canadian money exchange companies! The ground floor casas de cambio tend to offer more competitive rates than those on the upper level, but do your checking to ensure you are getting the best tipo de cambio.
Once in Oaxaca, remember that often the difference in exchange rates may be .03 of a peso, so consider the amount you want to exchange, and figure out if it’s really worth your time to spend a half hour to save $1.50. Think about how often you give a couple of pesos to someone on the street or to a cabbie when you get confused, or that extra dollar you throw away for a fancy coffee.
When planning to take a day trip to the villages in which you might be considering purchasing cotton textiles, painted clay figures, or other Oaxacan crafts, think about stocking up on cash the evening before touring. Otherwise, you may be in the awkward position of wanting to make a purchase and not relishing or being able to use a credit card, and asking your tour guide or another couple along with you to loan you cash until you get back to the hotel. It’s uncomfortable for all involved. Avoid the problem altogether and get your cash the day before. There are in fact ATMs in towns such as Etla, Tlacolula, Ocotlán and even el Tule, but do you really want to spend any time during your day searching for a machine, when you could be seeing the sights?
Remember you’re withdrawing pesos, so when you start punching in figures at the ATM, don’t stop at 500 … it’s not dollars. Add another zero and then confirm the amount.
If you’ll be staying in any of the northern suburbs such as San Felipe, Reforma, Loma Linda, Volcanes or Guadelupe Victoria, driving south towards the touring highways and downtown you’ll likely pass at least three ATM machines. Downtown they are all over, along with the banks and casas de cambio. The latter are located within a couple of minute walk from the zócalo, on Independencia, Hidalgo, Garcia Vigil and Valdivieso. The banks, with competitive rates as well, are also located within a couple of blocks of the square.
If using travelers’ checks, always have some with you. After all, the reason you’re using them is the protection they afford. Then you can take advantage of the odd aberration in exchange rate you may encounter, which may be gone tomorrow. Similarly take some cash with you wherever you go, for the same reason or for unexpected purchases.
TAKE REASONABLE CARE
Loss and theft generally occur when you’re not careful, and in circumstances where crowd density is high, such as lining up at Guelaguetza time, Saturday at the abastos market, Noche de Rábanos and Christmas eve in the zócalo, and in the course of parades and processions. Although it’s not hard to identify tourists, still, don’t flash large bills or wads, and keep large expensive cameras in a nylon shopping bag or in a purse in front of you. A thief is more likely to be attracted to a purse slung over your shoulder or a backpack trailing your spine, than to closed or zipped bags in front of you and cradled with one arm.
Oaxaca is no different than other popular tourist destinations with respect to safety and security for the traveler. Common sense and vigilance ensure an uneventful vacation in terms of avoiding problems regarding money and belongings. Due diligence in terms of a bit of reading before your trip will never hurt, and while here simply remember that you are in a foreign land and that you do in fact stick out like a sore thumb. On the other hand, in the unlikely event that you encounter any difficulties of any kind, you’ll find that even complete strangers are more than willing to assist you in overcoming adversity, ranging from figuring out how to assist in facilitating a purchase or accessing money, to giving a wide variety of advice concerning other problems you might encounter as well as local mores and accepted custom.
NOTE: The foregoing is not intended to be nor should it be relied on by the reader as constituting legal, accounting, financial or commodity or service transaction advice, and is intended only as a lay opinion based solely upon the personal experiences of a Canadian who has been involved in small-scale monetary transactions in Oaxaca since 1991.
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the villages.
You don’t need to take travelers’ checks, ATM’s are common, safe and reliable, and while pesos and American cash rule, a VISA card will get you through your trip to Oaxaca. But there innumerable other tidbits of advice to heed before heading out the door to the airport, questions you’ll have after landing, and issues around money which will arise in the course of your vacation.
Getting ready for the trip
ATMs
There are several ATM machines in the downtown core alongside almost every bank and even inside the odd pharmacy. Similarly in the suburbs you’ll find no shortage of machines in banks and pharmacies, as well as freestanding kiosks, and even inside large department and grocery stores.
It’s best to go into your bank before your trip to confirm your weekly limit, maximum number of weekly withdrawals and amount you can withdraw per day, and to have it noted on your file that you will be using your card in southern Mexico. Increase your maximums if possible. While it is rare for a machine to “eat” one’s card, just as it happens infrequently in your hometown it can happen here, and could take up to 2 or 3 days for you to get your card back. Accordingly, to be on the safe side take an extra card with you or make sure your partner has his card. If you have both an ATM and credit card from which you can access your account, use the ATM card so that in the unlikely event of a problem, you’ll still have plastic for withdrawals and making purchases.
CREDIT CARDS
Most establishments in the city accept credit cards, VISA being the most widely welcomed. Once again, as part of your pre-trip planning contact your credit card companies and inquire and advise regarding the following:
1) make sure it is noted that you will be making purchases out of the country;
2) check your single purchase dollar limit and increase it if possible, perhaps for only the period of time you will be on vacation;
3) ask how exchange rates will be calculated and if there is a surcharge, so you can make a more informed decision as to whether it’s more advantageous to use that credit card and increase the balance in your points program, or cash;
4) if you intend to rent a car in Oaxaca, ask if your gold or platinum card will cover the rental car’s theft, damage, liability, and so on, and confirm the answer by reading the cardholder agreement’s terms, conditions and restrictions, all with a view to avoiding having to pay for such “extra” charges when you pick up your vehicle.
Remember that not all merchants, especially in the towns and villages where you’ll be buying handicrafts, accept credit cards, and often those who do so will charge a premium of up to 6% to cover their commission costs. Using a credit card may reduce your bargaining power significantly. Of course when dining at a small eatery or making purchases on the street, you’ll only be able to use American cash or pesos, and if you use American cash you won’t likely get as good an exchange rate as you would through a conventional exchange house (casa de cambio) or bank.
AMERICAN, CANADIAN OR OTHER CASH
In Oaxaca, if you’re paying with foreign currency, make it US dollars. However, Canadians, for example, should not feel the need to go out and buy yankee greenbacks. Years ago things were different, and it was difficult if not impossible to change our Canadian dollars into foreign currency while out of the country. We felt that the American dollar ruled the world. Today, here in Mexico pesos are just fine, and more importantly most of the casas de cambio offer competitive rates for Canadian dollars and other major currencies. There’s no need, and it’s not economically prudent, to pay to have Canadian changed into American, and then upon arriving in Oaxaca again pay to exchange into a third currency. It’s true enough that while there are places which exchange only US dollars, within about 3 blocks of the downtown central square (the zócalo) at least four casas de cambio can be found which exchange major foreign currencies. One word to the wise: do not bring foreign bills which have any rips, writing on them, or with ink or other stains. The rule of thumb at a casa de cambio is to reject all damaged or defaced foreign bills.
TRAVELERS’ CHECKS
A more seasoned readership will recall always using travelers’ checks. But that was before the age of ATMs, paypal and the realization that not everyone in a strange land is out to rob tourists. And besides, each of us had his trusty money belt. Many still “don’t leave home without it,” but often find making such transactions a bit cumbersome. There may be (but generally is not) a nominal premium charged for exchange, it takes time to get out that passport and have the data recorded on each check, and if you’re careful as you should be, the advisability of carrying them is reduced. Institutions will accept travelers’ checks, but often have to pay a commission for having them deposited into their Mexican peso accounts. They will generally be accepted at major retail outlets, hotels and B & Bs and in the craft villages at larger workshops, but there may be a small cost involved. Having stated this, often the retailer will be prepared to absorb any fees. Many Oaxacans in the tourism industry will simply hang onto travelers’ checks and then deposit them into US dollar accounts they have in The States.
PAYPAL
Paypal has revolutionized small scale, international, commodity and services purchase and sale transactions. The commission rate is modest, it’s an extremely safe and secure means by which to buy and sell, and it has its own safeguards to protect both sides of a transaction from the unscrupulous and the naïve. You may have used paypal to make your deposit on reserving your accommodations, for a cooking school class or in arranging an ecotourism trek. You can likely pay the balance owing once you’re in Oaxaca, the same way, as long as you don’t mind the modest charges involved. The main additional advantage to paypal is that money exchanges hands instantly. And even in the craft villages there are proprietors who either accept paypal or have a colleague, relative or friend ready to assist in facilitating transactions for the purchase and sale of rugs, alebrijes, etc. (especially when a custom order is placed). Paypal is simply one additional payment method which has come of age in Oaxaca.
You’re now in Mexico
The rate for changing US or Canadian dollars into pesos tends to be better for consumers at the airport in Mexico City than in Oaxaca, so do not hesitate to get started exchanging while awaiting your connecting flight to Oaxaca. In fact, the airport rates, at least in the past for changing Canadian dollars to pesos, have been better than when buying much larger quantities of pesos through one of the well-known US or Canadian money exchange companies! The ground floor casas de cambio tend to offer more competitive rates than those on the upper level, but do your checking to ensure you are getting the best tipo de cambio.
Once in Oaxaca, remember that often the difference in exchange rates may be .03 of a peso, so consider the amount you want to exchange, and figure out if it’s really worth your time to spend a half hour to save $1.50. Think about how often you give a couple of pesos to someone on the street or to a cabbie when you get confused, or that extra dollar you throw away for a fancy coffee.
When planning to take a day trip to the villages in which you might be considering purchasing cotton textiles, painted clay figures, or other Oaxacan crafts, think about stocking up on cash the evening before touring. Otherwise, you may be in the awkward position of wanting to make a purchase and not relishing or being able to use a credit card, and asking your tour guide or another couple along with you to loan you cash until you get back to the hotel. It’s uncomfortable for all involved. Avoid the problem altogether and get your cash the day before. There are in fact ATMs in towns such as Etla, Tlacolula, Ocotlán and even el Tule, but do you really want to spend any time during your day searching for a machine, when you could be seeing the sights?
Remember you’re withdrawing pesos, so when you start punching in figures at the ATM, don’t stop at 500 … it’s not dollars. Add another zero and then confirm the amount.
If you’ll be staying in any of the northern suburbs such as San Felipe, Reforma, Loma Linda, Volcanes or Guadelupe Victoria, driving south towards the touring highways and downtown you’ll likely pass at least three ATM machines. Downtown they are all over, along with the banks and casas de cambio. The latter are located within a couple of minute walk from the zócalo, on Independencia, Hidalgo, Garcia Vigil and Valdivieso. The banks, with competitive rates as well, are also located within a couple of blocks of the square.
If using travelers’ checks, always have some with you. After all, the reason you’re using them is the protection they afford. Then you can take advantage of the odd aberration in exchange rate you may encounter, which may be gone tomorrow. Similarly take some cash with you wherever you go, for the same reason or for unexpected purchases.
TAKE REASONABLE CARE
Loss and theft generally occur when you’re not careful, and in circumstances where crowd density is high, such as lining up at Guelaguetza time, Saturday at the abastos market, Noche de Rábanos and Christmas eve in the zócalo, and in the course of parades and processions. Although it’s not hard to identify tourists, still, don’t flash large bills or wads, and keep large expensive cameras in a nylon shopping bag or in a purse in front of you. A thief is more likely to be attracted to a purse slung over your shoulder or a backpack trailing your spine, than to closed or zipped bags in front of you and cradled with one arm.
Oaxaca is no different than other popular tourist destinations with respect to safety and security for the traveler. Common sense and vigilance ensure an uneventful vacation in terms of avoiding problems regarding money and belongings. Due diligence in terms of a bit of reading before your trip will never hurt, and while here simply remember that you are in a foreign land and that you do in fact stick out like a sore thumb. On the other hand, in the unlikely event that you encounter any difficulties of any kind, you’ll find that even complete strangers are more than willing to assist you in overcoming adversity, ranging from figuring out how to assist in facilitating a purchase or accessing money, to giving a wide variety of advice concerning other problems you might encounter as well as local mores and accepted custom.
NOTE: The foregoing is not intended to be nor should it be relied on by the reader as constituting legal, accounting, financial or commodity or service transaction advice, and is intended only as a lay opinion based solely upon the personal experiences of a Canadian who has been involved in small-scale monetary transactions in Oaxaca since 1991.
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the villages.
1/24/2008
Mole y Tlayudas Nuevos Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial
OAXACA.- La cocina oaxaqueña fue elevada al rango de Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial
del Estado por el Congreso local. Los chapulines, quesillo, mezcal, tlayudas,
totopos, moles, entre otros guisados, fueron declarados riquezas del estado.
"La Sexagésima Legislatura exhorta al Gobernador del Estado, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, a
efecto de que las Secretarías de Turismo y Cultura, realicen actividades tendientes
a la identificación, preservación, protección, promoción, valorización, enseñanza y
revitalización de la Cocina Oaxaqueña", se lee en el decreto aprobado por los
diputados oaxaqueños.
Claudia Silva Fernández, Presidenta de la Comisión de Turismo, reconoció que
actualmente otros estado se han robado la autoría de productos simbólicos como el
quesillo y el mezcal.
Indicó que con este decreto, la cocina oaxaqueña y sus variantes deben ser
protegidas legalmente.
Ahora resulta que los productores de quesillo están en Puebla, como está la
globalización, aparecen otros estados como creadores de nuestros productos, y con
esto, vigilamos que esta situación no nos pegue, expresó.
Reforma publicó el pasado 13 de enero que el mercado del queso Oaxaca lo dominan,
incluso en la entidad, productores de Puebla, Veracruz y Chiapas, y que empresarios
chinos han intentado comprar a productores del municipio de Reyes Etla, considerado
cuna del quesillo, la receta del lácteo.
El decreto que protege a la comida oaxaqueña está fundamentado en la promulgación de
la Convención para la Salvaguardia del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial de la
Organización de las Naciones Unidas, adoptado en París, Francia, en el año 2003.
De acuerdo con la diputada priista, la declaración obliga a la administración de
Ulises Ruiz a realizar promoción de la gastronomía de manera especial o de integrar
esta característica en la publicidad que se hace de la entidad en el extranjero y el
País.
Silva denunció que la cocina no ha recibido la importancia que tiene y por ende, no
ha sido promocionada.
En 2005, la gastronomía oaxaqueña fracasó en su intento de que la UNESCO la nombrara
Patrimonio Cultural de la Humanidad.
La diputada priista consideró que en Oaxaca la cocina es un arte. "Las comidas
oaxaqueñas constituyen un complejo entramado de prácticas y conocimientos, valores y
creencias, técnicas y representaciones sobre qué, cuándo, cómo, con quién y por qué
se come lo que se come".
Reconoció que la gastronomía oaxaqueña es el segundo atractivo turístico de la
entidad, después de los monumentos históricos, sitios coloniales y recursos
naturales.
Fuente: http://noticias-oax.com.mx/articulos.php?id_sec=15&id_art=59518&id_ejemplar=1670
del Estado por el Congreso local. Los chapulines, quesillo, mezcal, tlayudas,
totopos, moles, entre otros guisados, fueron declarados riquezas del estado.
"La Sexagésima Legislatura exhorta al Gobernador del Estado, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, a
efecto de que las Secretarías de Turismo y Cultura, realicen actividades tendientes
a la identificación, preservación, protección, promoción, valorización, enseñanza y
revitalización de la Cocina Oaxaqueña", se lee en el decreto aprobado por los
diputados oaxaqueños.
Claudia Silva Fernández, Presidenta de la Comisión de Turismo, reconoció que
actualmente otros estado se han robado la autoría de productos simbólicos como el
quesillo y el mezcal.
Indicó que con este decreto, la cocina oaxaqueña y sus variantes deben ser
protegidas legalmente.
Ahora resulta que los productores de quesillo están en Puebla, como está la
globalización, aparecen otros estados como creadores de nuestros productos, y con
esto, vigilamos que esta situación no nos pegue, expresó.
Reforma publicó el pasado 13 de enero que el mercado del queso Oaxaca lo dominan,
incluso en la entidad, productores de Puebla, Veracruz y Chiapas, y que empresarios
chinos han intentado comprar a productores del municipio de Reyes Etla, considerado
cuna del quesillo, la receta del lácteo.
El decreto que protege a la comida oaxaqueña está fundamentado en la promulgación de
la Convención para la Salvaguardia del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial de la
Organización de las Naciones Unidas, adoptado en París, Francia, en el año 2003.
De acuerdo con la diputada priista, la declaración obliga a la administración de
Ulises Ruiz a realizar promoción de la gastronomía de manera especial o de integrar
esta característica en la publicidad que se hace de la entidad en el extranjero y el
País.
Silva denunció que la cocina no ha recibido la importancia que tiene y por ende, no
ha sido promocionada.
En 2005, la gastronomía oaxaqueña fracasó en su intento de que la UNESCO la nombrara
Patrimonio Cultural de la Humanidad.
La diputada priista consideró que en Oaxaca la cocina es un arte. "Las comidas
oaxaqueñas constituyen un complejo entramado de prácticas y conocimientos, valores y
creencias, técnicas y representaciones sobre qué, cuándo, cómo, con quién y por qué
se come lo que se come".
Reconoció que la gastronomía oaxaqueña es el segundo atractivo turístico de la
entidad, después de los monumentos históricos, sitios coloniales y recursos
naturales.
Fuente: http://noticias-oax.com.mx/articulos.php?id_sec=15&id_art=59518&id_ejemplar=1670
1/04/2008
Affordable Oaxaca as a locale for any grand fiesta
If you’re getting married, turning 50, or planning that anniversary bash...
Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B.
They say that Mexicans really know how to party. Here in Oaxaca we do it in spades, because it’s part of a longstanding cultural tradition. Also because it’s affordable, certainly relative to what it would cost in the US or Canada. What you would love to do at home but can’t because it would cost $50,000, or more, you can do here in Oaxaca for $10,000, or less, with a large glossy photo album of memories to boot.
First of all, both you and your partner must be passionate about the city, its people, and its institutions, and willing to experience all that Oaxacan custom has to offer for your next big celebratory rite of passage. Then once you’re convinced that at least some of your closest hometown kin and friends would be interested in making the trek and participating in the festivities, you’re Oaxaca-bound. Even better if you have friends and family scattered throughout the continent and further abroad who would be willing to gather together in Oaxaca, making the celebration a reunion of sorts, á la The Big Chill (albeit different circumstances). A couple of years ago a few celebrants stayed with us, part of a wedding party for a bride and groom in the entertainment industry. Actors, singers, musicians and producers came from all corners of the globe, and shared many magical moments with the couple in a storybook setting just outside of the city.
For our part, over the past ten years, first as frequent visitors to, and now as residents of the city, we’ve thrown three such large fiestas, each in a totally different setting: a downtown banquet hall noted for its revolutionary period décor; a former hacienda with expansive, immaculately groomed grounds and gardens, and; a rural venue in which a rodeo performance (with our daughter a participant) was part of the merriment. Of course there are other more familiar options such as hotel ballrooms, and restaurants serving up the best that this mecca of culinary seduction has to offer.
But it’s the pageantry and the availability of a broad diversity of offerings which make such an event extraordinary … and you can have it all: a colorful folkloric troupe performing a guelaguetza to live music; an eight-piece dance band playing to both modern and traditional tastes, in addition to mariachis, marimbas and Andes-music-style troubadours; table arrangements of the most exotic of tropical flowers; a unique array of adornments for the hall; other regional customs geared to your particular celebration; and the list continues. A well-orchestrated evening (or daytime fiesta stretching well into the night) will include ceremonial song and dance, and episodic events indicative of local mores peppering the affair, so as to maintain both rhythm and ritual for seven to twelve hours.
But not to fret the meal ending without there being further indulging of gastronomic proportion for the duration: the Oaxacan tradition is to not terminate a function without offering a second entirely different meal well after cake and cognac have been consumed, making for a feast of truly bacchanalian proportion.
Meal options range from the high end continental genre, to traditional Oaxacan fare, to the ever-so-customary barbacoa --- goat or sheep with all the trimmings prepared in an in-ground oven, with its own peculiar pomp and ceremony … and everything else in between. Usually tamales, chilaquiles or pozole make up that late-night after dinner pick-me-up, once your dance legs have begun to wane. Not to be overlooked, there is no shortage of readily available quality wines and champagnes, scotches and other hard liquors, apertifs, and of course Mexico’s renowned beer, mezcal and tequila.
And after all is done, you don’t even have to worry about entertaining your guests for the balance of their trip. There are several small tour companies and individual guides in the city, with vans accommodating up to 15 passengers, thereby enabling your vacationers, perhaps in groups based on particular interests, to select from several routes in the central valleys just outside of the city, so they can visit the craft villages, towns on their market days, ruins and other sites. And of course the downtown core with its colonial churches, museums, galleries and shops will hold the attention of every class of tourist for at least three additional days. You can even consider printing up a few downtown walking tours to distribute to each attendee.
With Continental’s attractively priced flight routes expanding, travelers from virtually everywhere in North American are able to reach Oaxaca via Houston and avoid Mexico City as a transfer point. Other airlines have now come to the table with their own discounted fares, the implication being that your guests can now land in Oaxaca for less than it would have cost them seven or eight years ago! Making the trip even more affordable for your relatives and friends, just for the asking most restaurants, hotels, and members of the Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast Association will be more than accommodating in terms of offering courtesy reductions to your group. You’re providing not only a remarkable cultural encounter they would not otherwise experience, but a vacation at an extremely attractive price.
Cuba, Hawaii and Mexico’s Caribbean and Pacific resort towns have become popular destinations for nuptials and other celebrations. Oaxaca will not be outdone by such venues, and in fact offers more. In addition to providing an unmatched richness of past and present cultural traditions contributing to the city’s designation as a UNESCO world heritage site, the State of Oaxaca boasts its own beaches for swimming, lazing and sipping margaritas. The sand, sun and surf worshipers amongst your crowd have the option of extending their trip with a quick jaunt to the coastal resort towns of Huatulco and Puerto Escondido.
Oaxaca’s businesses in the social event planning industry are ready and anxious to accommodate just about every fiesta its visitors might contemplate, with color, flare and imagination unmatched. And with a resident rabbi rumored to be on the horizon, soon we might even be able to accommodate that Bar Mitvah you’re planning.
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the villages. The Starkman’s most recent fiesta was their 25th wedding anniversary party held in December, 2007. They are now contemplating assisting others with event planning.
Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B.
They say that Mexicans really know how to party. Here in Oaxaca we do it in spades, because it’s part of a longstanding cultural tradition. Also because it’s affordable, certainly relative to what it would cost in the US or Canada. What you would love to do at home but can’t because it would cost $50,000, or more, you can do here in Oaxaca for $10,000, or less, with a large glossy photo album of memories to boot.
First of all, both you and your partner must be passionate about the city, its people, and its institutions, and willing to experience all that Oaxacan custom has to offer for your next big celebratory rite of passage. Then once you’re convinced that at least some of your closest hometown kin and friends would be interested in making the trek and participating in the festivities, you’re Oaxaca-bound. Even better if you have friends and family scattered throughout the continent and further abroad who would be willing to gather together in Oaxaca, making the celebration a reunion of sorts, á la The Big Chill (albeit different circumstances). A couple of years ago a few celebrants stayed with us, part of a wedding party for a bride and groom in the entertainment industry. Actors, singers, musicians and producers came from all corners of the globe, and shared many magical moments with the couple in a storybook setting just outside of the city.
For our part, over the past ten years, first as frequent visitors to, and now as residents of the city, we’ve thrown three such large fiestas, each in a totally different setting: a downtown banquet hall noted for its revolutionary period décor; a former hacienda with expansive, immaculately groomed grounds and gardens, and; a rural venue in which a rodeo performance (with our daughter a participant) was part of the merriment. Of course there are other more familiar options such as hotel ballrooms, and restaurants serving up the best that this mecca of culinary seduction has to offer.
But it’s the pageantry and the availability of a broad diversity of offerings which make such an event extraordinary … and you can have it all: a colorful folkloric troupe performing a guelaguetza to live music; an eight-piece dance band playing to both modern and traditional tastes, in addition to mariachis, marimbas and Andes-music-style troubadours; table arrangements of the most exotic of tropical flowers; a unique array of adornments for the hall; other regional customs geared to your particular celebration; and the list continues. A well-orchestrated evening (or daytime fiesta stretching well into the night) will include ceremonial song and dance, and episodic events indicative of local mores peppering the affair, so as to maintain both rhythm and ritual for seven to twelve hours.
But not to fret the meal ending without there being further indulging of gastronomic proportion for the duration: the Oaxacan tradition is to not terminate a function without offering a second entirely different meal well after cake and cognac have been consumed, making for a feast of truly bacchanalian proportion.
Meal options range from the high end continental genre, to traditional Oaxacan fare, to the ever-so-customary barbacoa --- goat or sheep with all the trimmings prepared in an in-ground oven, with its own peculiar pomp and ceremony … and everything else in between. Usually tamales, chilaquiles or pozole make up that late-night after dinner pick-me-up, once your dance legs have begun to wane. Not to be overlooked, there is no shortage of readily available quality wines and champagnes, scotches and other hard liquors, apertifs, and of course Mexico’s renowned beer, mezcal and tequila.
And after all is done, you don’t even have to worry about entertaining your guests for the balance of their trip. There are several small tour companies and individual guides in the city, with vans accommodating up to 15 passengers, thereby enabling your vacationers, perhaps in groups based on particular interests, to select from several routes in the central valleys just outside of the city, so they can visit the craft villages, towns on their market days, ruins and other sites. And of course the downtown core with its colonial churches, museums, galleries and shops will hold the attention of every class of tourist for at least three additional days. You can even consider printing up a few downtown walking tours to distribute to each attendee.
With Continental’s attractively priced flight routes expanding, travelers from virtually everywhere in North American are able to reach Oaxaca via Houston and avoid Mexico City as a transfer point. Other airlines have now come to the table with their own discounted fares, the implication being that your guests can now land in Oaxaca for less than it would have cost them seven or eight years ago! Making the trip even more affordable for your relatives and friends, just for the asking most restaurants, hotels, and members of the Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast Association will be more than accommodating in terms of offering courtesy reductions to your group. You’re providing not only a remarkable cultural encounter they would not otherwise experience, but a vacation at an extremely attractive price.
Cuba, Hawaii and Mexico’s Caribbean and Pacific resort towns have become popular destinations for nuptials and other celebrations. Oaxaca will not be outdone by such venues, and in fact offers more. In addition to providing an unmatched richness of past and present cultural traditions contributing to the city’s designation as a UNESCO world heritage site, the State of Oaxaca boasts its own beaches for swimming, lazing and sipping margaritas. The sand, sun and surf worshipers amongst your crowd have the option of extending their trip with a quick jaunt to the coastal resort towns of Huatulco and Puerto Escondido.
Oaxaca’s businesses in the social event planning industry are ready and anxious to accommodate just about every fiesta its visitors might contemplate, with color, flare and imagination unmatched. And with a resident rabbi rumored to be on the horizon, soon we might even be able to accommodate that Bar Mitvah you’re planning.
Alvin Starkman together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). Alvin received his masters in social anthropology in 1978, and his law degree in 1984. Thereafter he was a litigator in Toronto until taking early retirement. He and his family were frequent visitors to Oaxaca between 1991 and when they became permanent residents in 2004. Alvin reviews restaurants, writes about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, and tours couples and families to the villages. The Starkman’s most recent fiesta was their 25th wedding anniversary party held in December, 2007. They are now contemplating assisting others with event planning.
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