I knew what he meant although Oaxacan gay culture looks very different from that of the United States or Canada.  From casual cruising spots like the zocalo where gay men blend in with locals, foreign tourists and strolling mariachi bands to hot discos where the crowds don’t show up until midnight and then dance until dawn, Oaxaca spans the same spectrum as its northern and European neighbors.  But it falls together differently, filtered through Mexican society with its strong family values and the passions and vagaries of Latin culture.

Most gay and lesbian visitors to Hotel Azucenas come to explore the same Oaxaca markets, handicrafts, ruins and restaurants as any other visitor.  No one has asked us about the gay and lesbian places so, as a teaser, we’re going to highlight a few of the watering holes that aren’t far from the hotel.

But at any time of year you might find something like the LGBT Pride March  (only in its 4th year in Oaxaca) or a two-day vela in which men cross dress in traditional istmeno (the isthmus area in the south of the state of Oaxaca) embroidered dresses and dance all night to ranchero bands while their straight cousins and families watch (or join in).

A federal judge recently threw out a discriminatory ruling against two Oaxacan men applying for a wedding license in a judicial act that may eventually have legal influence in all of Latin America – an act worthy of several parades and public parties in always-ready Oaxaca.

My friend making his observation about the relative gayness of Oaxaca doesn’t drink and has been just to the front room of one gay bar for about 15 minutes but his observation was based on what he saw: a gay sensibility and sociability evident in the daily life of this city. The Oaxacan gay life is right there in front of you and generously open to anyone who wants to join in.

We’ll be reviewing some of Oaxaca’s gay bars over the next few months.

Photos thanks to el universal.com; text thanks to GM, a great friend of Hotel Azucenas and 5 year resident of Oaxaca.

If you thought Monte Alban was incredible…wait til you see Atzompa…

Fabulous views of Oaxaca city and the central valleys and mountains surrounding…current excavations (‘tho you can’t get too close)…a 1,200 year-old unopened tomb…

A 20 minute drive to the town of Atzompa – in your own car, a cab or a colectivo – then a short trip up the mountainside and you arrive at a gate.  The guard tells you to park over to the side and that you can walk on up the dirt road towards the archaeological site.  (They do let cars with older or handicapped folks drive further up.) The views are fabulous, the road dusty and the sun BLAZING.

On my last trip up, most of the site was open for walking around: there were many more “explanatory plaques” (so you’ll know what you’re looking at); you could watch small current excavations and see into a reconstructed 1,300 year old horno (a kiln for firing pottery – in a pit in the ground)…  AMAZINGLY, the same type that is being used in the village today.  Present day Atzompa makes most of Oaxaca’s green-glazed pottery…in daily use in most kitchens.

INAH archaeologists (Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) recently released information about an exceptional effigy vessel (a ceramic urn made in the form of, a person, animal or god), found a few months ago in a mortuary temple at the Atzompa Archaeological Zone in Oaxaca.

The ancient city of Atzompa, was one of the centers of the ancient metropolis of Monte Alban (Oaxaca’s most famous

archeological site – a 20 minute bus ride from the city). The ceramic piece with human characteristics is approximately 1,200 year-old, and has been recovered nearly intact with its red, brown and grayish green coloring present.  The find is exceptional in that the elaborate costume of the character is represented in detail, consisting of a layer of feathers, tassels, necklace, and earrings. He was probably known as Tremor ‘8 ‘ (from fear?? or earthquake?).

They also found another smaller red vessel with the representation of a goddess, and the skeletal remains of two individuals. Another highlight of the effigy vessel is his 34 cm high headdress, which is represented as a reptile with feathers and surrounded by open jaws. (photo & this text thanks to: http://tlatollotl.tumblr.com/#me)

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As of April 2013 the site is still not completed, but is open to visitors (who will need to walk a little more than usual to an archaeological site).

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DIRECTIONS TO THE ATZOMPA ARCHEOLOCICAL SITE: by car (we’ll also be glad to tell you how to get there WITHOUT a car)

• From the Hotel Azucenas, go down Calle M. Aranda/Union to the t-junction at Morelos
• Go R…this street will change names to Division Oriente, go about 20 blocks (10 minutes) until a major intersection (2 story Chedrahui supermarket on the Left
• Go Left and follow large green signs to Monte Alban…you’ll go over a bridge and continue straight until a large green sign for Atzompa pointing to the Righ
•  This road will lead right into the center of the town of Atzompa
• Just past the Mercado de Artesanias) on the Right (the cooperative that sells about 50 local potters’ wares – well worth going to
• Take the next Right and follow about 10 minutes…this road leads directly to the site entrance.

Vehicles must be parked at the entrance.  There is no entrance fee yet, but there are bathrooms available!  It’s quite a hike up to the site…about 25 minutes if you hike straight up to the highest point.  No shade!  Take hats, sunblock, good walking shoes.

The artist is a young man, benuz sanez (losdelaefe.blogspot.mx), who lives next door.  There is also a lithography shop in the building now.

Oaxaca – a center for contemporary arts as well as traditional crafts – is home to many street artists.

And, of course there is that most traditional of Oaxacan wall art, still visible at the Mitla archeological site.

What makes Mitla unique among Mesoamerican sites is the elaborate and intricate mosaic fretwork and geometric designs that cover tombs, panels, friezes and even entire walls. These mosaics are made with small, finely cut and polished stone pieces which have been fitted together without the use of mortar. No other site in Mexico has this.  The ancient city of Mitla reached its height and largest size between 750 and 1521. (Thanks to Wikipedia)

Photos thanks to: muralimomorte.blogspot.com; wanderlustandlipstick.com; wikipedia.com

1 1/2 blocks east of the Zocalo.

501-8803   OPEN: 7 days a week, 10 am – 8 pm

You’re walking along a typical street in the Centro Historico of the city of Oaxaca – charming facades, tacky store fronts, …and then you catch a glimpse of the 1500′s.  Archaeology can be at its most exciting in the middle of a city you thought you knew.  In this case it’s the reclamation of the building that was the first Catholic monastery in Oaxaca…but which had devolved into a hotel, a warehouse for construction materials and a parking lot.

The original construction started in the 1530′s, but over the years the building has suffered.  Earthquakes; the sale of parts of its land in the 17th Century; the nationalization of the church lands in 1862; division into two parts to extend the street that is now Manuel Fernandez Fiallo and the subdivision of the rest into private lots all left their marks on it.

In late 2011 the Ex-Convento San Pablo re-opened as the San Pablo Academic and Cultural Centre – a spectacular blend of restored 16^th century building and contemporary space or building where the original building could not be rescued.

The building houses conference and exhibition spaces, a chapel a café and a contemporary (and reasonably priced) restaurant on 2 levels, over-looking the central courtyard.

Photos thanks to: http://www.obrasweb.mx;    http://farm9.staticflickr.com      http://casitacolibri.files.wordpress.com

Tuesdays, 12 noon – 3 pm, by arrangement

2 – 4 students

Learn to make Chicken & Mole Negro Tamales in  Banana Leaf and Black Bean & Hoja Santa in Corn Husk with Salsa of Chile Costeño

$400.00 pesos (about $30.00 US) includes the lesson, all the tamales you can eat, a complementary beer or mescal and a lot of laughs. In the first two classes we made about 20 tamales each – enough so you REALLY know how to do it – and can duplicate them at home.  The ingredients are now available in most cities in North America. Our Rooftop Open Kitchen has a panoramic view of the city and the surrounding mountains.  The extra-small class size lets you cook “hands on”, and get to know your classmates. Sra. Clara is a fabulous cook who sells her homemade mole negro in markets in Etla and Oaxaca. WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN TO MAKE??