During your program, you will be attending various cultural activities that will enhance your understanding of the Oaxacan culture, as well as getting unforgettable experiences. Also, these activities will allow you to discover and explore the unique traditions that our state offers.
Black Mud Classes
Barro negro is a style of pottery native to Oaxaca that uses black clay to make vases, animal figures, and other types of decorative pottery. The clay material is extracted from a place in the town of San Bartolo Coyotepec, and the black color is obtained from a technique of cooking the clay underground at high temperatures. Oaxaca is now one of the few Mexican states that makes black clay, which is characterized by the continuance of its ancestral crafts.
Handcrafts Classes (Palm/Textil)
Oaxaca is well known for the variety and beauty of its cultural artisan crafts of pottery, woodcarving, weaving, rugs, palm textile and more. Oaxaca’s diversity is well exhibited by its popular art that is practiced here by skilled Oaxacan artisans and artists. The palm is a natural fiber that is commonly used by Oaxacan artisans to make practical crafts such as hats, bed mats, and bags. Oaxacan artisans are dedicated to develop and sell their crafts as a form of art as well as their main source of income.
Woodcarving Classes
Alebrijes are Oaxacan crafts made through woodcarving, and they are an ancestral tradition of the Zapotec people. The wood with which they make the Alebrijes is called copal and is obtained from the field. Alebrijes are magnificent, colorfully painted woodcarvings that are created entirely by hand and consist of beautiful sculptures and creatures that have features from different animals such as dragon bodies, bat wings, wolf teeth and dog eyes.
Dance Classes
Dance classes in Oaxaca are one of the most common activities in the daily life of the Oaxacan people, both young and old. In Oaxaca, there are many different types of cultural and modern dances that the students will be able to practice such as: bachata, salsa, cumbia and folklore. It does not matter if you are an absolute beginner or an advanced dancer, our dance classes will be suited for all levels of experience to make it fun for everybody to learn about the dances of Oaxaca.
Traditional Cooking Classes
Oaxaca is one of Mexico’s major gastro-historical centers whose gastronomy is well known internationally. Oaxaca’s unique gastronomy includes a variety of food preparations such as; tlayudas, traditional sauce called “mole” (with seven varieties), tamales, chile peppers, empanadas, corn tortillas made by hand, quesadillas, chapulines (grasshoppers) and beans. It is through the food that you can enjoy the ancestral flavor of this state and know its culture.
Mototaxi Rides
Mototaxis are small three-wheeled vehicles that are used as taxis in small villages and pueblos and are not allowed to enter the city limits. They are able to easily maneuver on small dirt and cobblestone streets that normal taxis would not be able to drive on. Mototaxis come in all different colors, and the drivers like to decorate their mototaxis with stickers and other personalized decorations.
Oaxaca Traditional Chocolate Factory
This factory makes traditional Oaxacan chocolate that is sold internationally. In this factory, the traditional chocolate making process is preserved with artisanal machines. The chocolate is made completely from scratch, beginning with the crushing of cacao beans, and ending with the final chocolate product to be cooled in molds and wrapped by hand to sell.
