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 Editorials | Issues | December 2007 
Oaxaca: All Quiet but It's a Changed City
 Ceci Connolly - Washington Post
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 |  | Yes, it's nice not to be dodging flying rocks. But in its effort to remove the ugly barricades and trash, the government also swept away a bit of Oaxaca's soul. |  | |
Oaxaca, Mexico – The last time I was here, I was frantically trying to improvise a gas mask. The city was a war zone: anti-government protesters packing spray paint, rocks and Molotov cocktails; police in riot gear tossing canisters of black tear gas into the crowd.
My eyes stinging, I raced past the burned-out shell of a bus. Thick smoke filled the air, but there was just enough of a clearing to allow me a glimpse of El Catedral restaurant. It looked so enticing: a serene courtyard, white tablecloths and glass wine goblets with the distinctive Mexican blue rim. But the door was locked. I kept running.
Fast-forward one year and I'm finally inside El Catedral, and in a city that feels much different. Seated under the stars on an ancient stone patio, I savour sautéed mushrooms in garlic wine sauce. The setting is almost exactly as I envisioned it would be: a place of architectural jewels, one-of-a-kind textiles and culinary surprises. Except I am alone. The two-storey bar, all polished wood and chrome, is dark. The dining rooms are empty.
I have returned to find out if, one year after deadly riots crippled the city, it is again an attractive destination for visitors seeking language schools, colonial history, craft markets and art galleries. Does Oaxaca still belong on Mexico's A-list? It didn't take long to realize that the answer is more complicated than I'd thought. Oaxaca is no longer the filthy, smouldering wreck of 2006. Nor, however, is it the bustling cultural centre of years past. It appears safe and clean. But there are unresolved political tensions.
Harry Smith, a Bostonian living in Oaxaca with his wife and three daughters, is keenly aware of the economic and political injustices in the city. But he also wants visitors to appreciate its warmth and beauty.
"I would advise people to come, as long as they come with their eyes open," he says. "But this is not Disneyland."
As in most of Oaxaca, things at El Catedral, are "mas o menos," explains my waiter, Alberto. The phrase means "more or less." But Alberto's diplomatic shorthand, which I will hear often during a three-day visit, hints at the conflicted, contradictory state of an emotionally scarred city.
For adventurous travellers, "mas o menos" can also translate to opportunity. The decline in foreign visitors – from 264,000 in 2005 to 190,000 this year through October – means there are bargains to be had and no hordes to fight. Smith, for instance, negotiated half-price rates at the nearby beaches of Puerto Escondido.
As I finish an affordable glass of Spanish tempranillo, two groups arrive at El Catedral, adding a bit of life to the courtyard.
"It's certainly not like it was three years ago," says Virginia O'Brien, a San Diegan who has returned to the city every year since her first Spanish language class in 1984. "This place would be packed; we'd be lucky to get a table."
"People are taking their kids back to school; they're walking in the Zocalo (town square) again," says her dining companion, Javier Garcia Vigil, who is the director of the Symphony of Oaxaca.
O'Brien remains bullish on Oaxaca. But she is sad: "It hasn't staged a real comeback yet."
Oaxaca – it's the name of both the capital city and the state – is an hour's flight south of Mexico City. The city (population before the riots: 258,000) was laid out by Spaniards in the mid-1500s, and its streets are lined by mossy relics of that era. The surrounding region boasts phenomenal ruins, such as the sprawling hilltop Zapotec village of Monte Alban.
Protest is as much a part of Oaxaca's tradition as its black clay pottery and handwoven tapestries. So when the city's teachers announced their perennial strike in May 2006, it barely caused a stir. But unlike in previous years, the dispute escalated into a broader conflict over social justice.
Anti-government demonstrators stormed local radio stations and occupied Oaxaca's famed Zocalo. The city once known for picturesque cathedrals, graceful laurel trees and colourful marketplaces was coated in graffiti and strewn with the charred remains of vehicles.
Before order was restored in December, the riots claimed the lives of at least nine people.
Today, mariachi music fills the Zocalo and fresh whitewash covers the walls. But marches in opposition to state Gov. Ulises Ruiz – who sent riot police to battle demonstrators – occur often, and residents say the underlying economic and political tensions remain.
Officially, Oaxaca is back to normal. And as if to prove it, the government has taken a more active role in some of the city's most beloved festivals, which once had been ad-hoc community affairs.
But a more nuanced truth comes out when you share a coffee or a shot of mezcal with Oaxacans or with those, like John Rexer, who have adopted the city.
"It feels antiseptic," he remarks as we walk through the Zocalo. "It feels as though it's been prettied up and staged for the tourists."
Yes, it's nice not to be dodging flying rocks, he acknowledges. But in its effort to remove the ugly barricades and trash, the government also swept away a bit of Oaxaca's soul.
JUST THE FACTS
GETTING AROUND: A rental car is not necessary in the walkable city of Oaxaca. A taxi from the airport to the town centre costs about $14 (buy a voucher at the booth in the airport); a shuttle bus into town averages $3.
To explore the surrounding villages and ruins such as Monte Alban, hire a car and driver; negotiate for a price around $15 an hour.
WHAT TO DO: Oaxaca is a trove of architectural wonders, museums, galleries and shopping spots. Some of the highlights include the Church of Santo Domingo at Alcala and Gurrion, with an adjacent museum that charges less than $4 admission; the Basilica of the Virgin of Solitude at Independencia plaza; and the Rufino Tamayo Museum (503 Morelos), admission $3.
Oaxaca's several markets offer a range of products, including fresh produce, local cheese, hand-woven tapestries and ornate hand-painted carved animals.
PARADES AND FESTIVALS: Posadas (neighborhood processions) are held in the evenings, Dec. 16-24; the Virgin of Solitude festival is Dec. 18; and the Night of the Radishes on Dec. 23 features an astonishing display of carved figures.
INFORMATION: For more, see www.visitmexico.com |
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