Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca

entrance to houses through/under aqueducts

 Yesterday, I was so sleepy writing the blog that my brain overlooked a couple of themes I had wanted to explore regarding the 4th of July.  One, perhaps too preachy for this medium, considered the Fourth as time to reflect on how our freedoms in El Norte are so dependent on the meagerly rewarded (at best) labors of migrants from Mexico and Central America.  The other, so optimistic it could be sung to the tune of Kumbaya, witnesses the contributions both cultural and natural of this Oaxaca land that it makes me very proud to be a North American or inhabitant of the New World. I know it is a stretch, but growing up revering the European contributions however wonderful or awful glazes over the richness of this land before conquest and now.

OK so our two hour guided tour (in English, led by an excellent ex-pat) informed us in great detail how some of the plants, often endemic to Oaxaca, have made huge impacts on the world.  Before I get into all of that, a quick mention of yet another mercardo explored on our way to the gardens.  This one is only on Fridays and Saturdays in the plaza of a church and offers organic produce and goods.  It was worth the trip to see it because it is so much different than the others.  It's tiny and not crowded.  There were live musicians strumming guitars near a row of tables lined up under trees where people ate memelas and tlayudas.  We only had time for a muffin and tejate on our way to our 11:00 tour.

The Enthnobotanical Gardens were only finished and open to the public in 1999.  Before that the approximate 6 acres of land had been the construction zone/work area for the Dominican Friary from 1570's until the 1860's.  We saw the vast ovens that the Dominicans used to cook their lime and cooling baths used in the production of slaked lime for cement production. In the 1860's, the Mexican government expelled the Dominicans claiming their property for state usage. In this case, they used it for the Mexican calvary.  The government finally left the property in 1993.  After which, an artist, Francisco Toledo, convinced interested parties in dedicating this land to the native and endemic plants of Oaxaca wanting to celebrate the richness in their botanical diversity.

We saw so many beautiful plants and I don't want to bore you, but I'll mention three that were instrumental in the history of Oaxaca/Mexico.   We saw the Teosinte grass that produces small seed pods each having a single row of seeds.  Around 7,000 BC people in Oaxaca, it is believed, began paying attention to this plant.  It isn't certain why.  By 4,000 BC there is clear evidence of a plant with a proto-cob that is an obvious predecessor to corn.  Today there are well over a dozen varieties of corn grown here.  It's the only major grain that does not re-seed.  It doesn't reproduce by itself.

Another nutritious plant whose production and consumption has recovered since the conquest wiped it out is Amaranth.  Amaranth is worldwide, but I have to mention it because it is so high in all those important vitamins, fiber, protein, etc.  We ate some on our hike the other day in the form of a kind of chocolate flavored crispy treat and a toasted "chip-like" savory snack.  Both were amazing, and I hope we can find some in the states when we get back.

The last plant we learned about is the Nopal cactus.  This is a segmented cactus meaning you pluck off a portion and stick it in the dirt, and you have a new plant.  Young nopal segments can be diced and cooked in your eggs, added to salads, and other yummy dishes, but the most important contribution of this cactus is its tiny parasitic friend, the cochineal bug which latches on to its host sucking out its juice.  The insect then creates an acid which overtakes its whole body.  That acid is used in making a red dye which was proven to the best natural dye in form and function in all of the world.  The Spaniards got their hands on this little critter and soon took control of its production, export, and profits.  The latter most made the colonial city of Oaxaca very rich allowing elaborate churches to be built, colonial mansions, etc.  In other words as our guide said, if it wasn't for the little bug we wouldn't be visiting here at all.

gate to garden area

no mortar, so hole was drilled, and spike nailed town--How Tedious! 

water feature 

this plant is related to the poinsettia 

Cactus Tree

Amate tree, or Oleander, which bark paper was made from

Cycad (230 million years old) cycads only in Mexico, Australia, and South Africa

Frangipani blossom (Flor De Mayo),  A NEW WORLD TREE,  now it is all over Hawaii and South East Asia etc. this is what you make leis out of, and it is from Mexico!!! 

The Nopal, undomesticated variety