Yesterday we visited the extraordinary site at Monte Alban, a place shimmering with power. From there we drove to Teolitlan Del Valle to meet Oscar Perez and his family. Oscar greeted us in Zapotec with a little glass of mezcal. I was in heaven as he showed us the process of his work with wool, from fleeces, which he carded and spun into yarn, then immersed in dyes made with rock lichens, calendula, cochineal–he had cactus paddles with the parasitic bugs on them and he crushed a bug in my palm to release its brilliant red, a colour that can be changed by the addition of lemon, soda; on my palm, a Zapotec tattoo–, indigo leaves, pomegranates, pecan shells. Oh the colours! In a courtyard, the dye vats.
How could we ever choose one of the beautiful carpets woven on one of the 3 looms in his studio? But we did, compromising (because of course I wanted blue while John loved the colourful ones). Peter took this photo of us with our carpet and its maker.
It was warm and all the way to Hierve el Agua I was thinking about a swim. It’s a place with waterfalls petrified in space over time, with mineral pools on the edge of a cliff overlooking the most breathtaking valley.
After a long swim, we walked back to Carlos, who’d made our day possible, and returned to Oaxaca as the sky darkened and lights of distant villages glittered.
PS–Peter took this photograph as we were driving away from Hierve el Agua.
...Theresa Kishkan 
As you say – oh the colours! What a beautiful carpet. My suitcase is too small!
Mine is too small too. But I’ll worry about that next week!