San Pablo Villa de Mitla
Encyclopedia
San Pablo de Mitla is a town and municipality
in Mexico
which is most famous for being the site of the Mitla
archeological ruins.
It is part of the Tlacolula District
in the east of the Valles Centrales Region
.
The town is also known for its handcrafted textiles, especially embroidered pieces and mezcal
. The town also contains a museum which was closed without explanation in 1995, since when its entire collection of Zapotec and Mixtec
cultural items has disappeared. The name “San Pablo” is in honor of Saint Paul, and “Mitla” is a hispanization of the Nahuatl
name “Mictlán.” This is the name the Aztec
s gave the old pre-Hispanic city before the Spanish arrived and means “land of the dead.” It is located in the Central Valleys regions of Oaxaca
, 46 km from the city of Oaxaca
, in the District of Tlacolula.
There is a small open-air Handcrafts Market just outside the archeological zone. Most of crafts made and sold here are textile
s, including hand-woven and hand-embroidered traditional clothing, hammock
s, sarapes, rugs, handbags, tablecloths and other items. Necklaces and bracelets are braided from fibers and decorated with beads, seeds, small stones and/or ceramic figures. Many of the designs found on the textiles here come from pre-Hispanic codices and based on Zapotec mythological figures, but more moderns images such as those from modern Mexican painters can be found as well.
The town has two churches, one dedicated to Saint John the Apostle
and the other dedicated to Saint Paul
. When the Spanish arrived in the 1520s, nothing rivaled pre-Hispanic Mitla as a religious center in the Oaxaca Valley. In 1544, the church of San Pablo was established on part of the ruins of the old Zapotec religious complex. The church sits on a pre-Hispanic platform which now functions as the atrium
. Access to the church is through a portal decorated with pyramid-shaped crests and a niche. The church is 39 meters long and twelve wide, with three naves enclosed by lanterned octagonal domes. The vaults were constructed later, perhaps in the 19th century. The squared apse is closed with a circular dome and cupola is not as high as the nave and is likely from the 16th century. Behind it is a larger octagonal dome that encloses the sanctuary, with one other dome enclosing the choir. The wall of the south atrium was originally part of a pre-Hispanic structure and still contains the mosaic fretwork
which defines the Zapotec site.
The patron saint of the town, Saint Paul, is celebrated in January with a procession that begins at the Church of San Pablo in the archeological site, passes through the town cemetery and ends at the town center. Drinks of mezcal
are offered free to attendees. Most of the population participates in the procession as well as musical groups, and fantasy figures such as giant monkeys are made for the occasion.
On Benito Juarez Street in very near the Plaza Central is the Frissell Museum building. It was an inn named La Sorpresa, that operated mostly in the latter 19th century and early 20th by the Quero family. In the 1950s, the building was sold to American Edwin Robert Frissell. Frissell collected a large number of archeological pieces with which the museum was founded. The museum’s collection was enhanced with donations by Howard Leigh, who collected Zapotec art, and moved his collection here from the city of Oaxaca. The museum was inaugurated in 1950 and was sponsored by a civil association called the Junta Cultural Zapoteca de Mitla.
The museum had various rooms in which the pieces were displayed to show the evolution of Zapotec and Mixtec art. Pieces included ceramics such as urns, jars, braziers and mortars, those made of jade
and obsidian
, a large number of idols
, axes and other pieces. The museum's collection is estimated at between 40,000 and 80,000 pieces, and it was known as having the largest collection of Zapotec cultural items.
The museum was closed without explanation in 1995 and from then until 2001, no one had any idea what was happening. From 2001 Rufino Aguilar Quero and attorneys investigated, and found contracts that specified the conditions of the donations of the pieces by Frissell to UDLA. Frissell stipulated that upon his death, the Mexico City College
(today UDLA) would have control of the collection and could not cede it to another institution. Another stipulation was that none of the pieces could be separated from the collection.
A local newspaper reported that the museum building had been sold to José Murat Casab
for 1.5 million pesos, against Frissell’s stipulation that the pieces and the building remain together.
Sometime between 1995 and 2007, the museum's entire collection disappeared, along with paintings by León Zurita, the visitor log and a stamp collection. In early 2007, Samuel Quero Martínez, Rufino Aguilar Quero and Robert Luís Arreola, residents of Mitla, denounced the sacking of the museum and sale of its pieces, with the government of Oaxaca being suspected of having a role in the affair. Formal charges were filed in 2008.
The dean of UDLA has denied the charges, and denies that the pieces were in the school's responsibility when they were found to be missing, but rather the property of INAH as "property of the nation". The dean claims that the university is not fit to manage such a museum and handed over the management of it to INAH. He also denies selling the building to José Murat Casab, but did make it available to the government of the state of Oaxaca with the possibility of sale.
The museum remains closed, supposedly for remodeling. Discussions about the fate of the museum and its collection resurfaced in June 2009, when a group of Mitla residents petitioned INAH for the return of at least thirty percent of the museum's collection. Meanwhile, the formal investigation is ongoing, as the site is being used as a restaurant and inn.
and Veracruz
. Most foreign visitors are from Europe
. Approximately 500 people a day come to Mitla to visit.
, Villa Díaz Ordaz
, Tlacolula de Matamoros
, San Lorenzo Albarradas
and Santo Domingo Albarradas
.
Most of the territory is made up of rolling hills at the foot of the Sierra del Norte. The most notable elevation is the mountain called Dan Guido or Hill of the Temple. Another elevation is called Dan Belgo or Jar Hill. The only major river to cross here is the Grande River with a number of small streams that feed into it, many of which flow only during the rainy season. The climate is temperate and fairly dry. The rainy season is from June to September and in the winter it freezes regularly. The higher elevations have pine forests, with plants such as mesquite
, maguey and nopal
cactus at the lower, drier areas. The forested areas have small to medium-sized mammals such as wolves, coyotes, deer, wild boar, foxes etc as well as birds and some poisonous snakes.
About twenty percent of the population is dedicated to agriculture, with 80% working at crafts and/or tourism-related activities. Handcrafts, especially embroidered cloths and woven wool items are an important source of income. These include traditional clothing made on hand-operated looms, as well as hammocks, sarapes, rugs, tablecloths and other items. Many of these items are also embroidered. Jewelry made from natural materials is also available. The municipalities has some quarries for pink “cantera” stone used for building.
To the south of the municipal seat is the Hacianda de Xaga, in which is a cross-shaped tomb decorated with fretwork and conserved its original painting. Another tomb was found at a hill called “Guirui” as well as the remains of an pre-Hispanic fortification. At a nearby hill called “La Forteleza” anthropologists have found 21 skeletons of men, women and children that date back to 500 C.E. Jars, pottery pieces and a jaguar carved in stone have been found as well as corncobs. Excavation of the site was done by Gary Feinman and Linda Nocholas of the Field Museum of Chicago, who consider it one of the most important recent finds of this area.
There is primitive camping available at a small lake located behind a hill that is behind the archeological site; however, a local guide and good camping gear is strongly recommended.
Traditional music here is played by bands of wind instruments and marimbas. The chirimía
, a reed instrument of Hispanic origin, can also be heard. The region’s cuisine is based on moles
such as negro, verde, amarillo and colorado. Another popular dish is liver with eggs. Local drinks include hot chocolate made with water instead of milk, corn atole
, atole with panela cheese or chocolate, “tejate”, pozole (a fermented corn/cacao drink), a drink made from a fruit called cilacayota and tepache
. Mezcal is an important distilled drink here bottled both straight and flavored with additives. The flavored mescals are called “cremas” (crèmes) and come in flavors such as orange, coconut, coffee, lime and others. In Mitla and the surrounding towns are "palenques", small producers of mezcal
where they produce the drink by hand from the heart of the agave plant. 5 km from Mitla is a small village called Matatlán, which, due to the number of palenques, is called the "mezcal capital of the world".
Day of the Dead
is an important celebration here as the area has a history of being a place related to rest and the underworld. Ofrendas, or altars, are set up in homes for deceased loved ones. Celebrations begin at midday on 31 October with church bells ringing to receive first the visiting deceased children. On 1 November, families visit graves to clean, decorate and place offerings on family tombs. Fireworks are set off to help the deceased find their way to their former homes. From midday 1 November to midday 2 November, it is believed that the dead are among the living enjoying the food and drinks left on the ofrendas or altars. This activity is known here as “togolear” from the Zapotec word “togool” which means “dead.” On 3 November, a costume party is held in the central park of Mitla. Costumed attendees compete for cash prizes in categories such as originality. On the night of the 3rd, “krewes,” like those that put on events for Carnival
, recreate traditional activities, such as weddings, while costumed as skeletons. On 4 November, paintings that have been on display since the 30th of October and judged and awarded prizes.
Municipalities of Mexico
Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
which is most famous for being the site of the Mitla
Mitla
Mitla is the second most important archeological site in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, and the most important of the Zapotec culture. The site is located 44 km from the city of Oaxaca. in the upper end of the Tlacolula Valley, one of the three that form the Central Valleys Region of the...
archeological ruins.
It is part of the Tlacolula District
Tlacolula District, Oaxaca
Tlacolula District is located in the east of the Valles Centrales Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.-Municipalities:The district includes the following municipalities:*Magdalena Teitipac*Rojas de Cuauhtémoc*San Bartolomé Quialana...
in the east of the Valles Centrales Region
Valles Centrales de Oaxaca
The Valles Centrales is a region in the heart of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.It includes the districts of Etla, Centro, Zaachila, Zimatlán, Ocotlán, Tlacolula and Ejutla...
.
The town is also known for its handcrafted textiles, especially embroidered pieces and mezcal
Mezcal
Mezcal, or mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant native to Mexico. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl metl and ixcalli which mean 'oven cooked agave.'...
. The town also contains a museum which was closed without explanation in 1995, since when its entire collection of Zapotec and Mixtec
Mixtec
The Mixtec are indigenous Mesoamerican peoples inhabiting the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla in a region known as La Mixteca. The Mixtecan languages form an important branch of the Otomanguean language family....
cultural items has disappeared. The name “San Pablo” is in honor of Saint Paul, and “Mitla” is a hispanization of the Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
name “Mictlán.” This is the name the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
s gave the old pre-Hispanic city before the Spanish arrived and means “land of the dead.” It is located in the Central Valleys regions of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, 46 km from the city of Oaxaca
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
The city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
, in the District of Tlacolula.
Town
The town and municipal seat of Mitla is the commercial and tourism center for the area. Many of the houses in the modern town of Mitla are about 200 years old, in a rustic colonial style. In many of these houses are weaving and embroidery workshops which sell to the public. The town has a cultural center or “Casa de Cultura,” which offers classes such as those in traditional dance.There is a small open-air Handcrafts Market just outside the archeological zone. Most of crafts made and sold here are textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s, including hand-woven and hand-embroidered traditional clothing, hammock
Hammock
A hammock is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a woven network of twine or thin rope stretched with ropes between two firm anchor points such as trees or posts....
s, sarapes, rugs, handbags, tablecloths and other items. Necklaces and bracelets are braided from fibers and decorated with beads, seeds, small stones and/or ceramic figures. Many of the designs found on the textiles here come from pre-Hispanic codices and based on Zapotec mythological figures, but more moderns images such as those from modern Mexican painters can be found as well.
The town has two churches, one dedicated to Saint John the Apostle
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
and the other dedicated to Saint Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
. When the Spanish arrived in the 1520s, nothing rivaled pre-Hispanic Mitla as a religious center in the Oaxaca Valley. In 1544, the church of San Pablo was established on part of the ruins of the old Zapotec religious complex. The church sits on a pre-Hispanic platform which now functions as the atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
. Access to the church is through a portal decorated with pyramid-shaped crests and a niche. The church is 39 meters long and twelve wide, with three naves enclosed by lanterned octagonal domes. The vaults were constructed later, perhaps in the 19th century. The squared apse is closed with a circular dome and cupola is not as high as the nave and is likely from the 16th century. Behind it is a larger octagonal dome that encloses the sanctuary, with one other dome enclosing the choir. The wall of the south atrium was originally part of a pre-Hispanic structure and still contains the mosaic fretwork
Fretwork
Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly used are wood and metal. Fretwork is used to adorn...
which defines the Zapotec site.
The patron saint of the town, Saint Paul, is celebrated in January with a procession that begins at the Church of San Pablo in the archeological site, passes through the town cemetery and ends at the town center. Drinks of mezcal
Mezcal
Mezcal, or mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant native to Mexico. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl metl and ixcalli which mean 'oven cooked agave.'...
are offered free to attendees. Most of the population participates in the procession as well as musical groups, and fantasy figures such as giant monkeys are made for the occasion.
On Benito Juarez Street in very near the Plaza Central is the Frissell Museum building. It was an inn named La Sorpresa, that operated mostly in the latter 19th century and early 20th by the Quero family. In the 1950s, the building was sold to American Edwin Robert Frissell. Frissell collected a large number of archeological pieces with which the museum was founded. The museum’s collection was enhanced with donations by Howard Leigh, who collected Zapotec art, and moved his collection here from the city of Oaxaca. The museum was inaugurated in 1950 and was sponsored by a civil association called the Junta Cultural Zapoteca de Mitla.
The museum had various rooms in which the pieces were displayed to show the evolution of Zapotec and Mixtec art. Pieces included ceramics such as urns, jars, braziers and mortars, those made of jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
and obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth...
, a large number of idols
Cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...
, axes and other pieces. The museum's collection is estimated at between 40,000 and 80,000 pieces, and it was known as having the largest collection of Zapotec cultural items.
The museum was closed without explanation in 1995 and from then until 2001, no one had any idea what was happening. From 2001 Rufino Aguilar Quero and attorneys investigated, and found contracts that specified the conditions of the donations of the pieces by Frissell to UDLA. Frissell stipulated that upon his death, the Mexico City College
Mexico City College
Mexico City College was founded in 1940, as an English speaking junior college in Mexico City, Mexico.In 1946 the college switched to a 4 year Bachelor of Arts degree-awarding institution, then changed its name to University of the Americas in 1963 and in 1968 to Universidad de las Americas,...
(today UDLA) would have control of the collection and could not cede it to another institution. Another stipulation was that none of the pieces could be separated from the collection.
A local newspaper reported that the museum building had been sold to José Murat Casab
José Murat Casab
José Murat Casab is a Mexican politician and a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. He was Governor of Oaxaca and is a Diputado Federal Electo by the Alliance for Mexico of Institutional Revolutionary Party-Ecologist Green Party of Mexico. He is of Iraqi descent.Murat was a...
for 1.5 million pesos, against Frissell’s stipulation that the pieces and the building remain together.
Sometime between 1995 and 2007, the museum's entire collection disappeared, along with paintings by León Zurita, the visitor log and a stamp collection. In early 2007, Samuel Quero Martínez, Rufino Aguilar Quero and Robert Luís Arreola, residents of Mitla, denounced the sacking of the museum and sale of its pieces, with the government of Oaxaca being suspected of having a role in the affair. Formal charges were filed in 2008.
The dean of UDLA has denied the charges, and denies that the pieces were in the school's responsibility when they were found to be missing, but rather the property of INAH as "property of the nation". The dean claims that the university is not fit to manage such a museum and handed over the management of it to INAH. He also denies selling the building to José Murat Casab, but did make it available to the government of the state of Oaxaca with the possibility of sale.
The museum remains closed, supposedly for remodeling. Discussions about the fate of the museum and its collection resurfaced in June 2009, when a group of Mitla residents petitioned INAH for the return of at least thirty percent of the museum's collection. Meanwhile, the formal investigation is ongoing, as the site is being used as a restaurant and inn.
Mitla archeological site
The main attraction is the ruins of the pre-Hispanic city of Mitla, which is best known for its buildings decorated with mosaics of small flat stones that fit together to create designs, especially fretwork. The Mitla is the second most visited archeological zone in the state of Oaxaca. Most of the town's economy is based on tourism to the site, being filled with restaurants, small hotels and shops selling handcrafts and mezcal. However, many residents here feel that the area is not promoted sufficiently by the government. Government sources say that the number of visitors coming to the site is increasing. Most visitors are Mexican nationals who come during the weekends from the neighboring states of PueblaPuebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
and Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. Most foreign visitors are from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Approximately 500 people a day come to Mitla to visit.
Municipality
As municipal seat, the town of San Pablo Villa de Mitla has governing jurisdiction over the communities of San José del Paso, San Miguel Albarradas, Unión Zapata (Loma Larga), Xaagá, Santa María Albarradas, Don Pedrillo, El Tequio and El Rosario, which cover a territory of 82.93km2. The total population of the municipality as of 2005 is 11,219 people, of which 7,829 or about 70% live in the town proper. 3,655 or about a third of the population speaks an indigenous language. The municipality borders the municipalities of Santo Domingo AlbarradasSanto Domingo Albarradas
Santo Domingo Albarradas is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
, Villa Díaz Ordaz
Villa Díaz Ordaz
Villa Díaz Ordaz is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of ....
, Tlacolula de Matamoros
Tlacolula de Matamoros
Tlacolula de Matamoros is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, about 30 km from the center of the city of Oaxaca on Federal Highway 190, which leads east to Mitla and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec ....
, San Lorenzo Albarradas
San Lorenzo Albarradas
San Lorenzo Albarradas is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 61.24 km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
and Santo Domingo Albarradas
Santo Domingo Albarradas
Santo Domingo Albarradas is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of km².It is part of the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region....
.
Most of the territory is made up of rolling hills at the foot of the Sierra del Norte. The most notable elevation is the mountain called Dan Guido or Hill of the Temple. Another elevation is called Dan Belgo or Jar Hill. The only major river to cross here is the Grande River with a number of small streams that feed into it, many of which flow only during the rainy season. The climate is temperate and fairly dry. The rainy season is from June to September and in the winter it freezes regularly. The higher elevations have pine forests, with plants such as mesquite
Mesquite
Mesquite is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico through the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Deserts, and up into the Southwestern United States as far north as southern Kansas, west to the Colorado Desert in California,and east to the eastern fifth of Texas, where...
, maguey and nopal
Nopal
Nopales are a vegetable made from the young cladode segments of prickly pear, carefully peeled to remove the spines. These fleshy pads are flat and about hand-sized. They can be purple or green...
cactus at the lower, drier areas. The forested areas have small to medium-sized mammals such as wolves, coyotes, deer, wild boar, foxes etc as well as birds and some poisonous snakes.
About twenty percent of the population is dedicated to agriculture, with 80% working at crafts and/or tourism-related activities. Handcrafts, especially embroidered cloths and woven wool items are an important source of income. These include traditional clothing made on hand-operated looms, as well as hammocks, sarapes, rugs, tablecloths and other items. Many of these items are also embroidered. Jewelry made from natural materials is also available. The municipalities has some quarries for pink “cantera” stone used for building.
To the south of the municipal seat is the Hacianda de Xaga, in which is a cross-shaped tomb decorated with fretwork and conserved its original painting. Another tomb was found at a hill called “Guirui” as well as the remains of an pre-Hispanic fortification. At a nearby hill called “La Forteleza” anthropologists have found 21 skeletons of men, women and children that date back to 500 C.E. Jars, pottery pieces and a jaguar carved in stone have been found as well as corncobs. Excavation of the site was done by Gary Feinman and Linda Nocholas of the Field Museum of Chicago, who consider it one of the most important recent finds of this area.
There is primitive camping available at a small lake located behind a hill that is behind the archeological site; however, a local guide and good camping gear is strongly recommended.
Traditional music here is played by bands of wind instruments and marimbas. The chirimía
Chirimia
Chirimía is a Spanish term for a type of oboe, and in English is used to refer to various primitive oboes found in Latin America, based on instruments introduced during Spanish colonization.-Distribution:...
, a reed instrument of Hispanic origin, can also be heard. The region’s cuisine is based on moles
Mole (sauce)
Mole is the generic name for a number of sauces used in Mexican cuisine, as well as for dishes based on these sauces...
such as negro, verde, amarillo and colorado. Another popular dish is liver with eggs. Local drinks include hot chocolate made with water instead of milk, corn atole
Atole
Atole is a traditional masa-based Mexican and Central American hot drink. Chocolate atole is known as champurrado or atole...
, atole with panela cheese or chocolate, “tejate”, pozole (a fermented corn/cacao drink), a drink made from a fruit called cilacayota and tepache
Tepache
The tepache is a drink made out of the flesh and rind of the pineapple, sweetened with brown sugar and cinnamon and sometimes beer. Tepache does not have a high quantity of alcohol, since it is left to ferment for only about three days. The alcohol comes mostly from the addition of a small amount...
. Mezcal is an important distilled drink here bottled both straight and flavored with additives. The flavored mescals are called “cremas” (crèmes) and come in flavors such as orange, coconut, coffee, lime and others. In Mitla and the surrounding towns are "palenques", small producers of mezcal
Mezcal
Mezcal, or mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant native to Mexico. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl metl and ixcalli which mean 'oven cooked agave.'...
where they produce the drink by hand from the heart of the agave plant. 5 km from Mitla is a small village called Matatlán, which, due to the number of palenques, is called the "mezcal capital of the world".
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality...
is an important celebration here as the area has a history of being a place related to rest and the underworld. Ofrendas, or altars, are set up in homes for deceased loved ones. Celebrations begin at midday on 31 October with church bells ringing to receive first the visiting deceased children. On 1 November, families visit graves to clean, decorate and place offerings on family tombs. Fireworks are set off to help the deceased find their way to their former homes. From midday 1 November to midday 2 November, it is believed that the dead are among the living enjoying the food and drinks left on the ofrendas or altars. This activity is known here as “togolear” from the Zapotec word “togool” which means “dead.” On 3 November, a costume party is held in the central park of Mitla. Costumed attendees compete for cash prizes in categories such as originality. On the night of the 3rd, “krewes,” like those that put on events for Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
, recreate traditional activities, such as weddings, while costumed as skeletons. On 4 November, paintings that have been on display since the 30th of October and judged and awarded prizes.