More Ruins and Some Beautiful Scenery

It has been a busy week, capped off with a busy Saturday! I took a whole-day tour of some more areas outside of the city. The tour was completely in Spanish, but I was excited that I still understood most of what was being said. There were several stops along the way.

Warning: this is a really long post! I hope you enjoy it, anyway!

First stop was the Árbol de Tule (Tree of Tule). This tree has the second-stoutest trunk in the world! Here is a picture of me in front of the tree, just to give you an idea of how big it is.

Yes, that is just one tree! It is not only really big, but also really old, estimated at being at least 1,200 years old! If this tree could talk, it sure would have some interesting stories to tell!

The next stop was Teotitlán Valley, known for its wool rugs. We visited a place to learn how people make rugs using natural fibers and dyes. I found it interesting to learn how the dyes are made. Each dye is made by grinding plants or a certain type of insect to a very fine powder, and then lime juice is added. The acidity in the lime juice can slightly alter the color of the dye, depending on how much is used. It’s all very scientific!

Next, we stopped by a mezcal factory. In case you did not know, mezcal is a liquor made from agave. So, tequila is a type of mezcal, but it must be made with blue agave.

The process for making mezcal involves harvesting the piña from the agave, cooking it in a big pit, and then crushing it to extract the mezcal. Then it is aged from 1 month to four years. The longer it is aged, the smoother the taste.

After tasting some mezcal, we headed to Mitla. This became the Zapotec capital after Monte Albán. I have to admit, I personally prefer Monte Albán. The location is more peaceful, plus I just felt like there were people everywhere at Mitla, making it difficult to enjoy it. However, it was still interesting, and a plus this time was I was with a guide who was able to explain some of the elements of the ruins. It is impressive how much of the ruins are original. I was even able to go into one of the tombs, although it was a bit claustrophobic.

After a somewhat over-hyped buffet lunch, we headed to our last stop, Hierve el Agua. This is quite a drive, with some parts so bumpy, it reminded me of my ride out into the Mongolian countryside nearly two years ago. But it was well worth the trip!
Hierve el Agua consists of natural pools and a petrified waterfall. You can actually swim in the pools if you wish. The views are absolutely breath-taking! It is best to let the pictures do the talking here, although I doubt even they will do this site justice!

With that, we drove for around an hour back to the city, and here concludes my busy day! Tomorrow will be my last full day in Mexico before I head back home.