Indigo with Achemx

We left for our adventure. A three-hour drive takes us to Santiago Niltepec, where we are greeted by a local friend. We eat at his house, and in the afternoon, we will learn about the incredible natural extraction process of indigo, from the plant called jiquilite to the petrified indigo, ready for dyeing. Each one will dye their garment, designed by the 100% Mexican brand Ache, which they will be able to keep as a souvenir of this magnificent and unique experimental trip.

Textile and tipxpëtëjk

San Juan Guichicovi awaits us, an Ayuuk (Mixe) town located in the Lower Mixe region and surrounded by humid forests. On foot, we will explore the streets, the square, and the market. We admire the colonial architecture of the XXVI century and visit the Dominican temple of San Juan Bautista.

We will visit a workshop where they make traditional mixed entanglements and huipiles on a waist loom. We will also meet a local company of women who are inspired by the color and joy of their culture to make huipiles with a chain on a pedal machine. Thanks to the success of the project, being an artisan in Guichicovi represents autonomy, economic security, and a legacy for future generations.

We will end the visit with a sample of music by Mixe revelers, better known as the tipxpëtëjk, who play string instruments.

Washing of the ornaments

We will attend a beautiful celebration and tradition in a Zapotec town: La Lavada, and the ironing of Ornaments of the Virgen de la Soledad. It is a religious festival of more than 156 years where the faith, unity, brotherhood, and joy of its inhabitants are strengthened.

In the morning, we will walk together with the locals towards the river, where the clothes of the Virgin are washed for later be ironed in the atrium of the town church. Then we return to the hotel to rest. In the afternoon, we return to the festivities.

Market, Mixes, and Flowers

We will continue delving into Isthmian culture with a visit to the Juchitán market, a microcosm of colors, smells, and flavors, a delight for your senses. At noon we will be invited to eat at the home of a Muxe who will share with us the importance of the third gender in Zapotec society and culture.

In the afternoon, we will visit a ceramic workshop. We will learn about the different types of household items to prepare Istmeños food.

We will spend the night in the pleasant city of Tehuantepec.

Dead Sea and Waist Loom

We will spend today in a remote community with Ikoots (huave) that live between the living sea and the dead sea. In the morning, we will take a boat tour through landscapes of water and desert.

We delight ourselves with fresh fish, and in the afternoon, we will visit a cooperative of artisan weavers using backstrap looms and textiles dyed with natural dyes. With them, we will learn that for the native peoples, a traditional textile (huipil) is a garment that is part of the cultural heritage of a people, their identity, and symbolizes their history.

Chips, Textile, and Dunes

Early in the morning, we will board a unique public transport (mototaxis) to go to San Blas Atempa, where Lisette will receive us at her house for breakfast. Her mother is a tortilla maker, and she will teach us how to make the delicious tortilla chips typical of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

In motorcycle taxis, we will continue the trip, passing through exotic landscapes of palm trees to reach the town of Santa Rosa de Lima, where we will visit a house of traditional textile embroidery artisans and we will learn the value of craftwork.

In the afternoon, we will eat fresh fish on a deserted beach near some huge sand dunes.

We will spend the night on the coast of Oaxaca.

Mangroves and Sunsets

In the morning, we will take a boat ride through a lagoon. We enter a red mangrove reserve where numerous species inhabit, the most visual and spectacular being the crocodiles.

Rest and Enjoy

We already deserve a day of rest after everything we have done and to prepare ourselves for what follows: the Istmeñas Festivals.

Archeology on the route

In the morning, we will visit an archaeological site that controlled coastal navigation and had commercial contact with the Mayan peoples of the southeast, with the Zoques of what is now Chiapas, and with groups from central Mexico, particularly with the Teotihuacanos, in addition to having been a contemporary settlement of Monte Alban.

In the afternoon, we return to the heart of the Isthmus.

Railways and Gastronomy

In the morning, we go to the city of Matías Romero Oaxaca, located in a mountainous area where the north and south winds blow almost constantly. This city has a great history because the axis of the National Transpeninsular Railway was located there, which crossed the isthmus to unite the two oceans. We visit the old train station and some houses from the golden age. We will have the opportunity to talk with the inhabitants of the houses.

At noon we will learn to prepare Istmeña snacks. In the afternoon, we will attend the calendas, a fundamental part of the festivities of the Isthmus that renews and strengthens family, community, and personal ties.

The big day has arrived! We will participate in the joyful and colorful Istmeñas Festivals. In the morning, our hostesses will dress the traveling women with the Lavish Regional Costume of the Tehuanas. For the Istmeñas, it is a whole ritual and a unique coexistence experience for us. Traveling men can witness the complex transformations or go swimming in a river since their clothing and grooming takes less time (at least if they want to go Mixe…).