Touring Oaxaca with Arnoldo
Take a look at the map (first picture)
Beneva Mezcal distillery between Ygul and Mitla
The process of distilling mezcal is very interesting. Just like tequilla it comes from the agave (maguey) cactus plant. It takes approximately nine years for the cactus to mature. The cactus is cut or torn from the ground and only the pineapple is used (think artichoke heart). It gets burned basically and then ran through a masher (donkey does the work in many places still). The mash then sits for many days to ferment and then the distilling process begins. Mezcal comes in basically three varieties: blanco (young), repasado con gasano de maguey and anejo (aged). All are pretty tasty I liked the anejo the best.
Teotitlan de valle - tradition rug weavers
This stop was fabulous. Jesus guided us through the rug making process from start to finish. It went something like this:
First they buy the wool. Then then scrub the wool with a natural cactus fiber by the river. The wool must dry and then they must spin it into yarn (notice my arm in the picture - my bracelet is made from a strand of wool that I spun). The next step is color: super interesting because they still used ALL natural product for dyes. All of the colors you see on my hand started from one insect, the cochineal, that grows on cactus. Once dried the bug is ground into a fine powder and used for a beautiful red. From that bug, Jesus showed how by mixing lime juice, nut shells, baking soda the colors change. He then took us through the process of weaving. There were five looms set up in their working area. The finished work is amazing and time consuming.
Our last stop was el Tulle, supposedly the largest tree in the world (according to Arnoldo).
We finished off an enjoyable tour with a game of Kuuduk and a cold beer.
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