Chloe and other friends have just returned from Oaxaca and say that the city is peaceful, there are many tourists, and restaurants are hopping ! I'm anxious to go back and see friends and their arts and crafts!

Travel With the Experts! Join Chloe Sayer, specialist in Mexican culture and textiles, and Cynthia LeCount Samaké, expert in world textiles, on this discovery tour to the beautiful and tranquil state of Oaxaca, Mexico.Arrive on August 6, fly home on August 19. 

Note: Cynthia's article on the Embroidered Blouses [huipiles] of the Isthmus was published in Piecework magazine, the March-April issue, 2011. 

People in the Isthmus part of Oaxaca State are famous for their flamboyant festivals! Other people in the villages surrounding the ancient city of Oaxaca are known for their creativity, and for their production of fine textiles, distinctive ceramics, and colourfully painted wooden carvings. Furthermore Southern Mexico, and Oaxaca especially, are wonderfully relaxing and peaceful, with welcoming people--our friends that will soon become your friends!

As an introduction to Oaxaca's cultural traditions, the group will travel to Zapotec-speaking villages in the central valleys of Oaxaca to visit the workshops of weavers, embroiderers, pot-makers, and carvers. The cultivation of cochineal (an insect that provides a rich crimson dye) will be demonstrated on a cochineal farm.

Local culinary traditions include the preparation of chocolate, and the making of a wide range of corn dishes and rich mole sauces. We will have a special morning cooking lesson with accomplished cooks, then will eat our feast for lunch! A comfortable hotel in Oaxaca City will be the base for day-trips to artists’ villages, local crafts markets, magnificent colonial churches, and the fascinating archaeological sites of Mitla and Monte Albán.

Highlights of the itinerary are meeting the many craftspeople in their studios, and the mid-August Assumption festivals, called velas, in the towns of Juchitán and Tehuantepec. So we will travel south to the Isthmus region of Oaxaca State to attend the lively Festival of the Assumption. The Zapotec women of the Isthmus are world-famous for their beauty and spirit, and for the splendour of their gala attire: their velvet skirts trimmed with lace, and their huipiles (traditional blouses) boldy embroidered with colorful flowers—all worn with a profusion of gold jewelry.

Women wear their glorious outfits to celebratory events such as parades, parties and dances, complete with typical music and foods. Anyone who wants to purchase (or rent) a traditional outfit and join the dancing will be welcomed by the local people who have become friends of the trip leaders. We will also visit the workshops of the skilled embroiderers who create festival clothing. In this area, we will also visit Huave weavers on the coast to watch their spinning and weaving techniques. These talented people do beautiful supplementary weft designs, often with natural brown cotton.

After our trip to the Isthmus, we return to Oaxaca City for free time to enjoy the charms of the shady plazas, the superb restaurants and the fascinating markets and shops. During the whole trip, Chloe and Cynthia will do their utmost to make sure you have a wonderful time. They will show you the Oaxaca they love, introduce you to local embroiderers and other artisans, help you bargain for huipiles or baskets, order your new favorite foods, or dye some yarn bright red with cochineal bugs!

Trip Leaders:

Chloë Sayer, specialist in Mexican art and culture,has traveled extensively in Mexico. An internationally-renowned expert on Mexican textiles, art and culture, she has made ethnographic collections for the British Museum, and has worked on television films for the BBC. Her many books include The Arts and Crafts of Mexico (Thames & Hudson, 1990), Mask Arts of Mexico (Thames & Hudson, 1994) Textiles from Mexico (British Museum Press, 2002), and Fiesta: Days of the Dead and other Mexican Festivals (British Museum Press, 2009).

Cynthia LeCount Samaké specializes in indigenous costume and has taught World Textiles in the Department of Environmental Design at University of California, Davis. She has studied ethnic dress and traditional textiles in many parts of the world, including Mexico, Thailand, Laos, Mali, Ghana, and Turkey. She is the author of Andean Folk Knitting: Traditions and Techniques from Peru and Bolivia, and the “Bolivia” chapter of Carnival! (University of Washington Press, 2004). Cynthia started Behind the Scenes Adventures in 1992; she has led textile and festival tours to many parts of the world.

Tour Price: $3595 

Includes 13 nights accommodation in charming boutique or heritage hotels (double rooms), all meals except one dinner and one lunch on free day, transportation by private van and first-class bus, all entrances to archeological sites and museums, Chloe and Cynthia's expertise and explanations, a morning cooking class [optional] and lunch that we prepare; visits to many renowned craftspeople, such as potters, embroiderers, woodcaarvers, etc.   Single Supplement: $450

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