Guelaguetza Parades, July Cultural Festival, Oaxaca

Guelaguetza Parades Oaxaca, Photos

The Guelaguetza parades in Oaxaca City form at the Stone Cross Park.   The park is located between the Alcala and Calle (street) Garcia Vigil, eight blocks north of the Zocalo.  Larger parades that open and close the event will form in Llano Park and march to the Stone Cross Park and then south on the Alcala (pedestrian-only street) 

During the parades, costumed marchers and brass bands parade to the center of the city.  The marchers throw gifts to the crowd in the tradition of Guelaguetza, a word which means offering or gift in the Zapotec language.   In the 2012 event there were a reported 47 indigenous groups participating from throughout the State of Oaxaca.    Parade Video Youtube

• Guelaguetza Parade Dates

The Guelaguetza (schedule) parades of the delegations occurs on the weekend before the Monday Guelaguetza  performance.  The parade of the delegations will also form on the Saturday before the final Guelaguetza performance.  The parades are formed at 7 pm in the Stone Cross Park between Alcala and Garcia Vigil, near the Pochote Garden, although the larger parades might start at llano Park, two blocks east.  The parades go south on the pedestrian only street, Alcala, to the Zocalo.

Parade: Friday July 13 and 14, 7pm

Parade: July 20, 6 pm, Stone Cross to the Cathedral and Zocalo    

Parade: July 27,  6 pm, same staging area and route to the Cathedral and Zocalo  (Check with tourist info as these dates and times could change) 

• Office of Tourism,  City Tourist Office

Office of Tourism, City of Oaxaca, 102 Matamoros.    The office is located between Alcala (Street) and Calle Gracia Vigil, 4 blocks north of the Zocalo.
Also find Info at the State Tourism Office on the west side of Llano Park at the theater. 

• Dates and Tickets  

2013 dates:  Two days of performances; July 22 and July 29, 

Two performances daily, 10 am performance, and 5 pm performance.

Ticket Price:  Section A,  1500 Pesos, Section B,880 Pesos,  Section C and D, free.

• Reach Oaxaca City 

 Auto

 Reach Oaxaca City via high-speed highway from Mexico City.  
Air 
Oaxaca offers direct jet flights from Houston and Mexico City. International connections through Mexico City or Houston.  

Bus

ADO offers first Class service from Mexico City Tapo and Norte Terminal.  First Class ADO Bus service from Puebla and Veracruz

Source of Information

Office of Tourism, City of Oaxaca,

102 Matamoros, Centro   www.oaxaca.travel 

Copper Canyon Villages Continued

• Copper Canyon, Barrancas de Cobre

Copper Canyon at Creel Station

The trains traverse the high plateau on the north side of the Urique Canyon.  Copper Canyon is a huge area comprising 20 canyons that were formed by rivers that drain the Sierra Tarahumara, part of the Sierra Madre Occidental range.  West of Creel, the rivers flow west into the Rio Fuerte, which flows to the Pacific through the town of El Fuerte.  
El Fuerte is a good base for Copper Canyon train trips; kayaking, sightseeing and good hotels are available in this well preserved colonial town.

When is it best to visit Copper Canyon?

Copper Canyon weavers  Tarahumara 
family

Copper Canyon is located about 300 miles north of the Tropic of Cancer in a sub-tropical zone.  Due to differences in elevation, the villages within the canyon area experience huge diversity in climate.  In Winter there could be snowfall in Creel at 7841 feet elevation while in the village of Batopilas, at the bottom of the canyon, there would be tropical humidity with 80 degree temperatures.

• October through March are considered the best times to visit. Christmas and Easter could be crowded as these are National holidays for Mexico. 

Notes:

• Bring cash in small denomination pesos.  Creel has a small bank and ATM.  The small villages will have little cash to make change and may not be able to convert Euros or Dollars.  Creel's bank will convert Dollars and Euros.  
• Bring warm clothing for the higher elevations.  
• Be prepared for the unexpected and the unconventional.  You are not likely to find air conditioning in the villages or other tourist comforts.  
• Huge, remote, rustic, and frontier-like describes the Copper Canyon area.  Batopilas had its first auto road in the 1960s; you could find one ATM in a hundred square miles, Creel.   There is no direct road between Creel and El Fuerte or Los Mochis.  Although the more expensive hotels offer WiFi and satellite TV, the accommodations in some might not be plush, no TV, no wine list, no concierge. 
•  Shop Lodging Chihuahua, Creel, Divisadero

• Flexibility

Have flexibility in your schedule.  (several days flexibility on the backside of your trip)
You will be 200 miles or more from any large city and you will be in remote areas where a single road or rail line serves.
Include flexibility in your travel plans and you will make the most of your Copper Canyon visit.

 
Copper Canyon Villages, Page One                                                                                                           

Bus from Mexico City to Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Chichen Itza's El Castillo is the subject of interest during the Spring and Fall
 Equinox when a shadow in the shape of a serpent appears on the side
of the northeast facing stairway in late afternoon.

First class bus service reaches Chichen Itza ruin site from much of Mexico and the Mexican border and the USA.

• Bus From Mexico City

Chichen Itza is reached by bus from Mexico City through Veracruz or through Oaxaca to Merida.  From Merida, buses reach Cancun, the City of Valladolid  and the ruin site of Chichen Itza.
ADO first class buses provide service to all of Southern Mexico and serve Merida, Valladolid, and Cancun from Mexico City, Oaxaca City, VeraCruz, Villahermosa, and Campeche.

Chichen Itza's Nunnery area, Puuc style buildings similar to those at Uxmal.

• Good, High-Speed Roads 

Modern highways reach Merida from Mexico City and continue on to Chichen Itza from Merida or from Cancun

Buses from ADO first class terminal and from the second class bus station pull into the Chichen Itza entrance parking lot where a short walk takes you to the Chichen Itza ruin entrance.

• Bus from Mexico City 

Direct buses leave for Merida in the Yucatan from Tapo Terminal in Mexico City via ADO, GL Trip duration is 19 hours, the bus fare, 1486 Pesos. Buses leave 11:00 AM.

Chichen Itza shows Toltec influence in later building stages of 

the tenth century

• Veracruz

The City of Jalapa, Veracruz, the City of Heroica Veracruz, (Veracruz, the port city), and the city of Coatzacoalcos will provide terminals and bus ticket sales for onward buses to the Yucatan in case you do not opt for the direct run.
Villahermosa is another bus hub city on the way to Campeche and Merida.

• Merida

Merida is a popular base for ruins trips to Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and other Mayan sites because of its hotels, museums, bus stations, night life, and international airport.  Merida Transportation

Chichen Itza ballcourt is the largest in Mesoamerica.

• Oaxaca City

Oaxaca City can provide through bus service to Merida and Chichen Itza through Villahermosa or through San Cristobal de las Casas and Palenque.

Mayan culture practiced the techniques common in
 Mesoamerica of deforming the skulls of infants  

• Bus Merida to Chichen Itza, First Class From Merida

Merida is  served by  ADO first class buses.  The ADO bus on the bus route to Chichen Itza, a distance of 75 miles, stops first at the town of Piste, a short distance from Chichen Itza.  In Piste there is lodging and camping.  The bus then continues to the Chichen Itza entrance.
ADO Buses make three trips Daily from Merida, 6:30 AM, 9:15 AM, 12:40 PM. as of Jan, 2012.

Chichen Itza shows Toltec influence in later building stages of 

the tenth century, including El Castillo which was built over earlier temples.

• Bus Fare

The fare for the first class ticket from Merida to Chichen Itza is 114 Pesos.  The  ADO first Class Terminal in Merida is four blocks south and four blocks west of the Zocalo,  Parque Francisco Canto.

• Return Bus Tickets

Bus tickets for the return can be purchased in the gift shop area of Chichen Itza.

• Bus to Chichen Itza, Second Class

From Merida, reach Chichen Itza by second class bus from the second class bus station in Merida, just one block east of the first class station.

Merida offers fine old hotels in colonial-era buildings.

• Second Class Bus Fares

The second class bus fare is 45 Pesos.

Buses also reach Chichen Itza from Cancun and from Valladolid.  Collectiv taxis reach from Piste and valladolid.

Chichén Itzá was visited in 1843 by John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood.  The site became part of their book “Incidents of Travel in Yucatan.  The ruin site is now one of the modern wonders of the world and a site of much interest because of the December 2012 end of the Mayan calendar cycle.

Chichen Itza's Temple of the Warriors is a Toltec style building
similar to the temple of the Warriors in the Toltec city of Tula

During January and February, I traveled from Oaxaca City to Chichen Itza through San Cristobal de las Casas to Palenque and then to Merida through Villahermosa and Campeche.  The prices and schedules listed are up to date as of January 2012.