The indigenous people of this region in Oaxaca, the Zapotecos, traditionally have a strong bond with their natural environment. The “lord of the mountains”, a Zapotec deity known as Guzio, is said to live within the Sierra Norte, and to take care of the mountain people. Creating this ecotourism venture, thereby reducing the impacts of other forest dependent industries, is one way that the Zapotec people can take care of their
environment.
In the 1990’s, while visiting Oaxaca we decided to go for a day trip hiking and hired a guide up into the Sierra Norte. The village we rode to appeared to be the highest; it may have been San Antonio Cuajimolyas. At the time, the town representative mentioned an ecotourism project was just in the beginning stages providing protection and preservation for the nature system in a sustainable way. The Zapoteco people of the Sierra Norte live from their forests and mineral resources.
After returning years later to Oaxaca, it was great to see their project and dream had turned into a very successful excellent ecotourism program. The Zapotec terrain offers unique natural beauty and the local communities share a common cultural legacy of care and respect for their surroundings. Hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking tours in this beautiful region are between 1 and 5 days, leaving from Oaxaca City. We chose Expediciones Sierra Norte Oaxaca an ecotourism program connected to the seven villages for our hiking excursion. It is a very well run organization communicating daily to the villages in the ecoturism office. The villages themselves are mostly simple but picturesque places, and have unique relics of local history or culture to show off. The hikes are grade level one, two, and three mostly through rocky trails,
In the 1990’s, while visiting Oaxaca we decided to go for a day trip hiking and hired a guide up into the Sierra Norte. The village we rode to appeared to be the highest; it may have been San Antonio Cuajimolyas. At the time, the town representative mentioned an ecotourism project was just in the beginning stages providing protection and preservation for the nature system in a sustainable way. The Zapoteco people of the Sierra Norte live from their forests and mineral resources.After returning years later to Oaxaca, it was great to see their project and dream had turned into a very successful excellent ecotourism program. The Zapotec terrain offers unique natural beauty and the local communities share a common cultural legacy of care and respect for their surroundings. Hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking tours in this beautiful region are between 1 and 5 days, leaving from Oaxaca City. We chose Expediciones Sierra Norte Oaxaca an ecotourism program connected to the seven villages for our hiking excursion. It is a very well run organization communicating daily to the villages in the ecoturism office. The villages themselves are mostly simple but picturesque places, and have unique relics of local history or culture to show off. The hikes are grade level one, two, and three mostly through rocky trails,
some being the old camino real roads and back dirt roads.
In the villages there is a strong sense of community, and in each town we visited, it was evident how residents had come together to advance the project. In Cuajimoloyas, my guide explained he was not paid for his work ( as all the guides), but that it was his community service for the town -something required of all the men. He said he would work for a year and then go back to raising corn and beans, another resident would take his place.
The Pueblo Mancomunados (Commonwealth of Villages) are eight remote Zapotec villages in the thickly forested highlands north of the Valle de Tlacolula in Oaxaca. For centuries in a unique form of cooperation, the villages have pooled the natural resources of their 290-sq-km-territory, which include extensive pine and oak forests.
The cabanas: Each of the towns has different lodging -- on arriving in each place, a local guide will show you where they are -- but in general, visitors choose between staying in a room with several bunk beds in the tourist lodge (aprox. $12 per person) or renting a private cabin that sleeps up to four people ($36 for the cabin). Rates are identical throughout the region. Both the private cabins and the lodges have bathrooms with hot water. We spent our nights in local community hostels as an alternative to camping in the forest.
Each town has one or two simple restaurants, either a storefront establishment or a resident's kitchen. On arrival, guides will let you know what your options are. Most meals, costing up tot $4 per person, consist of local staples, such as quesadillas; tortillas with beans, cheese and avocado; chicken, beef, or trout. A lot depends on how large the town. Restaurants sell cold soda and beer ($1). Each town also have a simple local store where you can buy bottled water, sodas, beer, and snacks.
In the villages there is a strong sense of community, and in each town we visited, it was evident how residents had come together to advance the project. In Cuajimoloyas, my guide explained he was not paid for his work ( as all the guides), but that it was his community service for the town -something required of all the men. He said he would work for a year and then go back to raising corn and beans, another resident would take his place.
The Pueblo Mancomunados (Commonwealth of Villages) are eight remote Zapotec villages in the thickly forested highlands north of the Valle de Tlacolula in Oaxaca. For centuries in a unique form of cooperation, the villages have pooled the natural resources of their 290-sq-km-territory, which include extensive pine and oak forests.
The cabanas: Each of the towns has different lodging -- on arriving in each place, a local guide will show you where they are -- but in general, visitors choose between staying in a room with several bunk beds in the tourist lodge (aprox. $12 per person) or renting a private cabin that sleeps up to four people ($36 for the cabin). Rates are identical throughout the region. Both the private cabins and the lodges have bathrooms with hot water. We spent our nights in local community hostels as an alternative to camping in the forest.
Each town has one or two simple restaurants, either a storefront establishment or a resident's kitchen. On arrival, guides will let you know what your options are. Most meals, costing up tot $4 per person, consist of local staples, such as quesadillas; tortillas with beans, cheese and avocado; chicken, beef, or trout. A lot depends on how large the town. Restaurants sell cold soda and beer ($1). Each town also have a simple local store where you can buy bottled water, sodas, beer, and snacks.
The tours are designed to match your interests; offering a selection of routes from easy for families to large expeditions for the more demanding hikers and cyclists. Wherever you decide to adventure to, you will discover the beauty of a rare natural environment located in the middle of our modern world.
Sierra Norte has an altitude between 2000 and 3100 meters (6,560 and 10,170 feet) above the dry and hot central valleys, a range of unique and diverse ecosystems: seven of the nine types of vegetation existing in Mexico are here.
The villages we hiked were - day one 15.7 kms to Latuvi, day two 10.9 kms to La Nevera, day three 8.2 kms to Benito Juarez, day four 6.6 kms to Cuajimoloyas.
Expediciones Sierra Norte provided trained local guides for each day of our excursion, it was an extra cost but well worth it. Our hike began in Cuajimoloyas around 10am ending in Latuvi, hiking 15.7 kms or 9.8 miles. We rested only on one occasion for 20-minutes at Mirador Xi-Nudaa a lookout point situated at 3,100 meters above sea level considered sacred according to Zapotec legend. It rained on and off that day and by the time we arrived in Latuvi we were tired, our clothes damp, and it had turned colder. It was wonderful to see the cabanas very well kept. As soon as we purchased some firewood and after our guide got it going, we started feeling warm in our cozy cabana. At this time of year, the Sierra Norte can be become chilly. However, since a storm had hit the coastline rain came to this area and unfortunately, for us, it drizzled on the four days we hike.
The guide mentioned the best time of the year to visit the Sierra Norte is in March, April, and May. Even so, hiking through peaceful the pine Forest Mountains and grassy meadows dotted with giant, prehistoric-looking cacti, alongside knowledgeable local guides who know all about the plants, wildlife, and ecology of the sierras was an awesome experience. 
Cuajimoloyas holds a
mushroom festival around July or August at the beginning of the rainy season. After seeing all the varieties of mushroom along the hike I can understand why. Here a few that I found to be interesting.
Temazcal The last evening in our Mancomunados journey ended with a “Temazcal” in the village of Cuajimoloyas to relieve our aching and tired bodies.
Here is brief rundown on the Temazcal. Temazcal is an Aztec name for the actual hut that is used. The word temazcal comes from Nahuatl (nah-wah-tl: The Aztec language) words temaz, to bathe, and calli, house. Stone or adobe is the preferred materials of which to build the Temazcal. The door is quite small and low for the obvious reason of loss of heat as well as for the more symbolic role that it plays --re-entry into the womb.
The Temazcal is an ancient ritual steam bath. Many Mesoamerican cultures such as the Aztecs, and the Maya, would have steam baths to seek vision, blessings, purification, or to enter a trance state to commune with the gods and their ancestors. In ancient Mesoamerica, it was used as part of a curative ceremony thought to purify the body after exertion such as after a battle or a
ceremonial ball game.
Once the fire has been burning long enough, water is put on the hot stones (sometimes with herbs) to create steam. The Temazcal is normally constructed from volcanic rock and cement. To produce the heat, volcanic stones are heated (volcanic stones are safe because they do not explode from the temperature) it is then placed in a pit in the Temazcal, located in the center or near a wall. The Temazcalera does the 'leafing', where the bather is gently beaten with herbal branches as she continues to throw hot water onto the hot rocks to create a blast of steam. After resting and sweating for sometime, I received the most relaxing and much needed deep tissue massage.
Here is brief rundown on the Temazcal. Temazcal is an Aztec name for the actual hut that is used. The word temazcal comes from Nahuatl (nah-wah-tl: The Aztec language) words temaz, to bathe, and calli, house. Stone or adobe is the preferred materials of which to build the Temazcal. The door is quite small and low for the obvious reason of loss of heat as well as for the more symbolic role that it plays --re-entry into the womb.
The Temazcal is an ancient ritual steam bath. Many Mesoamerican cultures such as the Aztecs, and the Maya, would have steam baths to seek vision, blessings, purification, or to enter a trance state to commune with the gods and their ancestors. In ancient Mesoamerica, it was used as part of a curative ceremony thought to purify the body after exertion such as after a battle or a
ceremonial ball game.Once the fire has been burning long enough, water is put on the hot stones (sometimes with herbs) to create steam. The Temazcal is normally constructed from volcanic rock and cement. To produce the heat, volcanic stones are heated (volcanic stones are safe because they do not explode from the temperature) it is then placed in a pit in the Temazcal, located in the center or near a wall. The Temazcalera does the 'leafing', where the bather is gently beaten with herbal branches as she continues to throw hot water onto the hot rocks to create a blast of steam. After resting and sweating for sometime, I received the most relaxing and much needed deep tissue massage.
After our Temazcal we were off to eat freshly caught trout ordered by our first guide, Vidal. It was deliciously cooked to perfection and a great way to end this portion of our journey. I am so very thankful for my physical strength to have been able to hike through the Mancomunados and meet the very kind and hospitable Zapotecos “The Cloud People giving thanks to our five guides Vidal, Manuel, Salvador, Salomon, and Faustino. Another dream comes true. Explore - Dream - Discover Back in Oaxaca for one night. Night life around the Zocalo.
The journey continues - next top Puerto Escondido on the Pacific Coast in Southern Oaxaca.
