Mexico Field Trip

Day 8 – February 21^st, 2005

 

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After a somewhat noisy night in our hotel in Oaxaca, we made a slower start to the say than usual, with breakfast at 7:30 and then a stroll up to the Cathedral, Zocala and main Post Office. By 8:30 we were ready to set of, and our first stop was to be Monte Alban. The site was well managed, and the buildings absolutely amazing, dating from between 300 and 800 AD. It was a bit cooler today as well, with some breeze and clouds.

 

Our next stop was on the road to Mitla, at El Tule, to see the famous 2000 yr old tree. It was very much “on the tourist route”, but interesting all the same. Then on to Yagul, where we parked and had lunch before setting off on the hike up to the hill in front of the parking area. A lot of different plants, but the prize here was Mammillaria karwinskiana, which grew in various forms.

 

PICT1413         -           Yagul – the hill seen from the parking area

PICT1415-18    -           Mammillaria karwinskiana – various plants

PICT1420         -           Rock face with Agaves and Mammillarias

PICT1421         -           Myrtillocactus

PICT1422         -           view over the Yagul ruins

PICT1423         -           Myrtillocactus in flower

PICT1424-5      -           Mammillaria karwinskiana in a group and in the shade.

PICT1426         -           Cereus growing in the rocks

 

As we regained the main road and just on the outskirts of Mitla, after a failed sortie at the junction of newly built roads and a Pemex station, Laurent thought he saw something, and we stopped by a restaurant. There was nothing immediately there, but we wandered behind the restaurant onto some flat scrubland, and there also we found Mammillaria karwinskiana in many shapes and sizes, Coryphantha greenwoodii, and a form of Ferocactus recurvus which was very flattened rather than being cylindrical as we had seen before. It was a good place apart from the many spiny bushes, and small chollas which meant kneeling to take close-up photos was hazardous to say the least.

 

PICT1427-30    -           Mammillaria karwinskiana forms, showing dichotomous division clearly.

PICT1431-7      -           Coryphantha greenwoodii and general views of the scrubland

PICT1438         -           Ferocactus recurvus forma in situ.

PICT1439-40    -           Mammillaria karwinskiana – multiheaded plant and close-up of flowers.

 

Then onwards into Mitla itself to look at the Mixtec ruins, which were very geometrically decorated. We would have just had time for a last expedition to look for plants, but Michele had left his camera at Mitla and so we returned where he thankfully managed to retrieve it safely.

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