Pilgrimage in Oaxaca 2008

We meet in the capital of Oaxaca state, Oaxaca city, commonly known as just Oaxaca. At about 1500m elevation, It'ss fairly cool and dry. The center is colonial with straight narrow cobbled streets, stone buidlings and many pedestrial walkways. This is the perfect place to sample some of Oaxaca's famous culinary delights, including several varieties of mole, hot chocolate (did you know that chocolate originated in Mexico?), quesillo (Oaxacan stringy cheese, much like good mozzarella), tlayudas, chapulines (grasshoppers!) and much, much more. There are many interesting markets, pleasant shaded plazas, restaurants and cafes, museums, galleries and churches. The nearby Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban are a must. Besides the archeological wonders, they offer a stupendous view of the surrounding countryside and mountains.

This is the pilgrimage route for many people. This time of year is the build-up to the main day for the Virgin of Juquila, December 9th. We will very likely come across many pilgrims walking and cycling towards the town of Juquila just like us. We will be transferred by car or van to Zimatlan, have breakfast, and then get on our bikes and ride! The day starts out quite flat, the flat becomes rolling and the rolling becomes mountainous. We go over our first mountain pass before dropping down to Sola de Vega.

We're just starting off, so we'll keep the distances in the mountains short. Today is our first challenging pass as we climb up from about 1400m to 2200m. The view opens up to a wonderous collage of mountains and valleys and we start on a beautiful 34km descent down to 900m elevation and the cute little town of San pedro Juchatengo.

Well, in the mountains, what goes down, must come up again... We climb our way out of this warm valley back up into the pine clad mountains to about 1800m. The sideroad to Juquila rolls along before dropping at an impossible grade. Santa Catarina Juquila is know all over Mexico as one of the many famous pilgrimage sites. People come to Juquila from far away, and once you're here you'll realize what a feat that really is. They come with prayers and a promise that they will keep coming every year for a certain number of years. In exchange the virgin of Juquila is to grant them a miracle; perhaps their sick relative will get well again. In the church there are no pews because some of the pilgrims will get down on hands and knees to crawl the remaining distance into the church and up to the tiny statue of the Virgin.

We finally make it to the ocean and are welcomed by Puerto Escondido after a long hard day of cycling. This small sea-side resort offers miles and miles of great beaches, body surfing and of course boogie-boarding and proper surfing if you're up for it. The nightlife is exciting yet intimate mixing an international surfer and backpacker croud with Mexican tourists.

Take a well deserved rest in this small sea-side resort offers miles and miles of great beaches, body surfing and of course boogie-boarding and proper surfing if you're up for it. The nightlife is exciting yet intimate mixing an international surfer and backpacker croud with Mexican tourists.

Today we meander up along the coast with the occasional view of the ocean, then veer inland a little behind a massive series of lagoons. Finally we make a decisive turn inland over gently rolling land and a final challenging climb delivers us to Santiago Jamiltepec.

We head more towards the mountains today, but the real climbing doesn't start again yet. We'll still be in the foothills with gentle climbs meandering around and between hills.

Cacahuatepec is in the foot-hills but still has more of a coastal than mountain town feel.

Further inland we go. Putla while still not too high at 810m is definately in the mountains now and at the base of our biggest climb, coming tomorrow. If we arrive in Putla early enough you will also have a chance to take in the great market here.

We have a 50km climb from 810m up to 2500m, the highest point on this tour. This is a big one and it delivers us into indigenous Triqui country. After the big climb we still have a series of shorter climbs and descents that eventually deliver us down to Tlaxiaco at 2050m.

After yesterday's climb, we'll need a good rest! Tlaxiaco is a beautiful little colonial town known as little Paris. Around the 1850's Europeans would frequently travel through and to Tlaxiaco, a theater was erected in French architectural style, the town's wealthy began to dress in French fashions and pretty soon the town became known as little Paris. Little remains of this trend now, but the name has stuck.

Today will take us through some rolling countryside reminiscent of Castille in Spain, then up into bigger climbs and down to Yanhuitlan. In Yanhuitlan is the largest Dominican church in all of Mexico. It was started in 1548 during a time of terrible disease. Between the years 1520 and 1620, the population of this area of the Mixcteca Alta dropped from 350,000 to 35,00. Now the church stands as an almost abandoned monument to the labour of many of those people. Years of neglect have caused severe damage and errosion and today they are trying to slowly preserve and rebuild.

We end this tour with a kick. There's nothing easy about today's ride, while we will end up at lower elevation than where we started, there is still plenty of climbing in between. The main big climb takes us up to a high ridge, and ancient trading route. The road meanders for almost 50km along this ridge, rising and dropping but always coming back to ride the top of the ridge. There are spectacular views of the mountains and valleys on boths sides. Finally we are treated to a 20km long descent and the final section, now in the central valleys of Oaxaca is much flatter.

The capital of Oaxaca state, Oaxaca city, is commonly known as just Oaxaca. At about 1500m elevation, It's fairly cool and dry. The center is colonial with straight narrow cobbled streets, stone buidlings and many pedestrial walkways. This is the perfect place to sample some of Oaxaca's famous culinary delights, including several varieties of mole, hot chocolate (did you know that chocolate originated in Mexico?), quesillo (Oaxacan stringy cheese, much like good mozzarella), tlayudas, chapulines (grasshoppers!) and much, much more. There are many interesting markets, pleasant shaded plazas, restaurants and cafes, museums, galleries and churches. The nearby Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban are a must. Besides the archeological wonders, they offer a stupendous view of the surrounding countryside and mountains.