EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Traditional Chocolate Making
Oaxaca is known for its chocolate and amazing foods + drinks created using cacao. Cacao, which is not the same as cocoa, is what chocolate is made of. It is a rich, intense, and beautiful seed that is widely used not only in food, but also in rituals and cremonies in Mexico.
In the middle of Oaxaca City, hidden in an alley, there is a small school led by X, dedicated to teach others the magic + beauty of cacao + traditional chocolate making. We will spend a few hours learning about cacao, toasting our beans, peeling + manually grinding them to make our own drinking cacao. If you are not in love with this beautiful seed yet, you probably will be after this fun day.
Wild Clay Pottery Making
We will visit Macrina in San Marcos Tlapazola, a town that is known for its beautiful red clay pottery. She leads a “colaborativa” (cooperative) with 15 other women, including her sisters, sisters in law and cousins. They have all dedicated their life to this beautiful craft they learned from their ancestors. They call themselves “Mujeres de Barro Rojo” - and their work is so beautiful it has been recognized by the MOMA in New York City.
They will us to the mountain to harvest our clay, and then come back to their workshop / home for a demonstration + practical class. Macrina will show us how she works with the tools she learned to use from her mother + father, and then will guide us into making our own piece. We will end with a simple + delicious meal of quesadillas, veggie soup + guacamole, followed by visiting their magical little shop.
p.s. be prepared to come back with pottery in your carry on ;)
Food has been an integral part of Mexican culture and spirituality since the time of the Mayan civilization. It is believed that after creating the Universe, the Gods created man from corn. Corn is an integral part of Mexican culture, spirituality and cuisine - and there is rarely a meal where there are no tortillas on the table.
We will meet Vicky at the largest market in Oaxaca city, where we will buy our ingredients, and then head to her house, about 40 minutes away from the city. In her traditional “Cocina de Humo” we will nixtamalize our corn, make tortillas, a traditional beverage + corn dessert, followed by a delicious lunch: chicken with mole + quesadillas.
Tortilla Making
Fabric Plant Dyeing
Discover (or go deeper) the incredible world of natural dyeing. Using local plants and bugs (yes, bugs), we will spend 2 days with Elsa (a total of 10 hours) learning how to dye wool in 18 different colors! The first day, we will go to her studio in Oaxaca City. The second day, we will visit their workshop in Teotitlan del Valle, a town known for its beautiful wool rugs (naturally dyed, of course). If you love color, you will LOVE this. It is so much fun.
p.s. if you love rugs, be prepared to come back home with one. or two ;)
