I feel a need to get out of the details for a while. So let’s look at these buildings in context–and in the city, that context is the street.
Come take a walk with us…
And finally, a street in the local neighborhood of our hotel, the excellent Louren Hotel, not in the tourist area but in District 3, a neighborhood just a couple of metro stops away from the city center.
Oaxaca City, named a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its abundance of notable (and beautiful) Spanish colonial buildings, is remarkable for the fabric of the streetscape of its ordinary buildings as well. Located high on a plateau in the mountains (at about 5,000 feet), the city has a mild climate year round. We’ve been experiencing dry, sunny weather with days warm enough for shorts and sandals and evenings cool enough for a light fleece. The city is immaculately clean.
The people are friendly. Many have beautiful smiles. Most don’t speak any English.
Have I said that the streets are beautiful? Here are some typical views.
The next several pictures show the wonderful colors and inviting doorways of the ordinary buildings that comprise the fabric of this great city.
In the next few posts I’ll show some of the more significant buildings and plazas, a few charming details, and some interior courtyard views.