Hola ustedes. Right now I am at a trendy interent cafe called Cuilles eating breakfast. Stuff is amazingly cheap here. I am eating a breakfast with eggs, sausage, bread, beans, cheese tomatoes, fruit and coffee for less than 4 dollars.

 Since my last blog entry my group has taken some field trips to some of the interesting places surrounding Oaxaca. On thursday we visited the ancient Zapotec city of Monte Alban. The city consisted of many mountain top pyramids, temples, stadiums and other structures with views of the many surrounding valleys. We learned about Zapotec daily life including some of the gruesome sacrificial rituals they practiced. The Zapotecs played a ball game kind of like soccer and the best player would have his heart cut out and offered to the gods. 

The next day we visited some of the surrounding towns around Oaxaca. We were exposed to some of the local industries such as pottery, weaving and wood sculpting. We visited this family that had been making a special type of black pottery for centuries. The pottery is spun with simple tools that do not require electricity. We also visited this wood sculptor who is world renown for making these wood sculptures of animals and other figures. The were articles from many American newspaper and magazines about him posted on the walls of his shop. The animals were very beautiful but extremely pricey so I did not buy any. 

We also visited a giant outdoor market in one the Oaxacan suburbs. The market sold food, clothes, electronics and all sorts of things. It was similar to a flea market. I bought a sombrero for 1.5 dollars after bartering with the guy. Bartering is common in Mexico and is fun to do. We are often able to lower the price of goods significantly. 

Some other news is that I joined a local gym here to try to stay in shape. It is a pretty nice gym by Mexican standards.

Ok well I am going to start studying now since we start classes on Monday but I will have another entry soon.

Adios