Day 18: San Dionisio Ocotepec Visit
Hello everyone! It is hard to believe that our time in Oaxaca is almost over. I woke up thinking about all that has happened since my last blog entry on May 23rd, when we first met the community members. Since then we have built two solar dryers together, explored Suchil and met other community members, had A LOT of delicious food, and made some amazing new friends! Now with only a couple of days left together, we are heading to Sarahi’s hometown San Dionisio Ocotepec to meet her family and learn about their shoe making cooperative and chocolate making. San Dionisio is a little over an hour southeast of Oaxaca City and is a beautiful drive through the mountains. I will definitely miss being surrounded by mountains when I leave!
We arrived around 9:30 and made our first stop at Margarita’s house, Sarahi’s aunt, for breakfast. Breakfast was a delicious meal of hot chocolate, empanadas, eggs wrapped in herba santa (a yummy green that has a very unique flavor), and salsa. We filled our bellies as Richard talked to us about San Dionisio. We learned that it is a Zapotec pueblo and the only one that has its own water filtration system in the area. Richard also talked about the changes the town has seen with tourism starting to make its way towards this region. Oaxaca is known for its mezcal production (a distilled alcohol made from the agave plant) and has seen many mezcal producers open distilleries in the area. We saw rows and rows of the agave along the drive to San Dionisio and this influx of mezcal production brings along its pros and cons to a pueblo that is not accustomed to tourism. Yet, the small town is adapting to the changes and we learn that the majority of the population still speaks Zapotec. We finished our breakfast under the overcast sky and get ready to make our way to Sarahi’s parents' house.
Walking along the streets in San Dionisio from one home to the other, I took in the fresh air and noticed how it had a different feel than Suchil or Teotitlan or Oaxaca City. It has been really neat to spend a little time in each of these places and pick up on the atmosphere or “vibe” that each place has. You can notice a difference in the air, the smells, the sounds, and the views. I have really enjoyed this aspect of our trip.
Next, we arrive at the home of Sarahi’s parents. Here we are going to learn about the shoe making cooperative they started. Her family is currently in the process of completing a larger working space that they can move into that will accommodate the growth they have experienced in production. Today we are visiting the original and smaller work space they currently operate in. They make various styles of shoes, with the all leather sandals know as “huaraches” being the first. They later added on the cloth sandals (the ones we got to take part in making), as well as sneaker styles. The brand name of the shoes is Ndavaa, which is Zapotec for “my sandal”. Sarahi’s mom, Clara, gave us the tour and went through the steps it takes to make these beautiful shoes. We really enjoyed learning about how they are made and were surrounded by beautiful and bright fabrics. Afterwards, we got to take a stab a making our very own sandals! It was a lot of fun hammering down the soles and picking out the fabrics we wanted. The guys were a little less interested in picking out fabrics, but Antonio joined in to make a pair for his girlfriend and Kevin picked out some for his little sister and himself. After completing the sandals and getting the seal of approval on our work from Clara, we had the opportunity to meet Claudio, Sarahi’s cousin, who is heading up the family mezcal operation. He talked to us about the artisanal process they use to make the mezcal and how the small-scale operation has evolved. We then said our goodbyes and headed back for lunch and a chocolate tasting at Margarita’s house.
Lunch was amazing! We had a delicious traditional mole and corn soup, grilled nopal (cactus), salsas, beans, and prickly pear horchata. The meat-eaters of the team had meat options, but as the only vegetarian in the group I have found it no trouble at all to eat just as much food as them, haha! Afterwards, Margarita shared with us her process of making chocolate and the ones she made for us the day before. We had a little taste test of the different varieties and then she demonstrated how she hand crushes all the beans. She even made us a little cacao, ginger, vanilla tea to take home with us. We learned that she gets the cacao beans and coffee (she roasts and grinds her own) from a small nearby community. She then makes her chocolates, coffee, bean soup mix, and tortillas to sell at local markets. A few of members gave a shot a crushing the cacao beans, but quickly learned this is a skill one must develop over time and with a lot of practice and arm strength! It was time to head out, but I tell you we left with full bellies, lots of chocolate, and a feeling of being part of the family.
Our day in San Dionisio Ocotepec was very special and filled with learning about a creative, welcoming, and hardworking family. We were welcomed into their homes and I will never forget my experience in this beautiful community. As our time in Oaxaca comes to an end, we have one more day of site seeing and exploring Oaxaca City left! I hope you have enjoyed following us along during our time here and thank you all for supporting us in so many ways.
Saludos!
Daniella
