Caroline and Heather: Atzompa

This past Thursday we had the wonderful task of locating, exploring and learning about the small town of Atzompa. As Jonathan was handing out the sheets of paper, he would write small notes about the place or mention a name that one of the groups should seek out. But when it came to our turn, we were not given a hint but rather a challenge. As we were handed our sheet of paper with our unknown destination, we were told that on the outside of the city there was a new archeological site, and  was supposedly very easy to get to, which was a hypothesis that would be tested later and proved to be false. We left Solexico with just the name of the town and decided that we should accomplish one of the assigned tasks and visit the tourism office to get the maps for the group and also ask for the best way to get to Atzompa. The women in the office told us about a place where the collectivos (collective taxis) gather and that we should be able to find one to Atzompa. After asking every other collectivo driver if they were going to Atzompa. We finally found one that would take us. On the way we explained to the driver that we were students who wanted to talk to the people of the town to learn more about the history, and his response was that we should find the very old man that knows everything. So he dropped us off on the corner of this very small town center and we went in search of the all-knowing man. At first it seemed like there was hope that we might even find him because the people we asked seemed to have a vague idea of what we were talking about but after 20 minutes of miscellaneous wandering we had to come up with another plan. That was when we stumbled upon the Artisanal market that sells the pottery that Atzompa is known for. We explored the market, which had about 12 rows of pottery made by different artisans from Atzompa. Each section was labeled based on the artisan and although most of the artisans made the same types of pottery, their styles varied.

After purchasing some pottery, we spoke to an old woman named Edenina, who told us about herself. She began making pottery when she was 8 after her mother had taught her, and she has since taught her son how to make the pottery as well. She explained that the pottery is the sole method of financial subsistence for the family and for many others in the area. Most people who make pottery have their own kilns in their houses to make pottery with and either sell the pottery out of their own houses, out of larger markets like the one we went to, or sometimes in Oaxaca City.

From there, we made it back to the town center and went to the church to learn more about it. The man who we asked for help asked for credentials to prove that we were students, and luckily I had my UVM ID with me. He held onto it the entire time that we talked and seemed impressed that I was an undergraduate, telling me "good education" in Spanish. He told us about the history of the church, and how it had been adobe-style with a palm roof until the late 1940’s. From 1948-1952, community members rallied together and made a more permanent structure, seen below. Their names are on a plaque within the building as a sign of thanks for their work.

  

We then decided to make the trek uphill to a museum that we were told was only 20 minutes away. It was thankfully 20 minutes, but it was a near vertical incline to get there. When we arrived, we accidentally stumbled upon a funeral that was taking place. We crept around the outside of the building and found another entrance, where we were able to enter. We read about the beginnings of the pottery culture in Atzompa as well as the origins of Atzompa itself. After seeing photos of the archaeological site and reading about it in the museum, we decided that we had to make it there. The man at the museum told us it was only a 20 minute walk, so we set out up the hill. As we walked, we noticed a mountaintop far in the distance. We told ourselves, “No way are we walking up that. It can’t be up there, it must be in one of these valleys somewhere.” An hour later and much to our dismay, we had indeed walked up the entire mountain and made it to the archaeological site. Hot and sweaty but feeling very much accomplished, we walked around the ruins and read the signs that were both in Spanish and in English (bonus!) After taking some great pictures and taking some time to rest, we walked back down the mountain. By this time, we were so glad to find a collectivo in the town center to take us back to Oaxaca City for food and a good night’s sleep! Despite some setbacks and hiccups along the way, we both learned so much about Atzompa and our own capabilities. All in all, it was a great adventure with a great story to share!

Heather and Caroline