For the past couple of weeks, we have been working within our separate tracks. The Spanish track stayed in the city and continued to take classes at the University of Benito Juarez, and we, the Geology and Music track, went to Capulalpam, a small village nestled high in Oaxaca's Sierra Norte Mountain Range. In Capulalpam, we set out to analyze the effects of the gold mine in the neighboring village of La Natividad on the local water supply. We arrived in Capulalpam in the middle of the day on Wednesday, after a winding two-hour bus ride through the mountains. Upon arrival, we met with Francisco, a town official, who gave us an overview of the towns usos y costumbres governing system as well as a history of the town's struggle with mining companies. After the meeting, we went to our homestays to meet our new temporary families. The girls, Tessa, Erin, Anna, and Mary Lucia, went to a house up the hill from the village centers and the guys, Isaac, Max, Barry, and Antonio, our translator for the trip, went to a house downhill from the village center. At our houses, we ate comida and took siestas. At five o'clock, we regrouped in the town square and got a ride in a Capulalpam police truck down to the village of Natividad, where we planned to take samples on the property of the former gold mine, which has been inactive in recent years due to resistance from Capulalpam. Francisco and another Capulalpam town official led us there to collect samples that Professor Doolan would test for contamination. Francisco, our guide from Capulalpam, talked with a Natividad resident (people from this village are in favor of mining, because they need the jobs) and was told that we were not allowed to go onto the mine's property. We continued on, following our guides lead, hiking down a steep dirt path to the river. At the river, which had a reddish tint, we collected a water sample, and then continued our search for waste deposits. Our guide chose not to backtrack through Natividad so Fransisco took us back on a guided hike through the beautiful mountains of the Sierra Norte. We watched a stunning sunset and then continued on by the light of the moon. When we finally got back to our homestays we were tired and hungry so we settled in for the night.
We spent the next morning hiking up to a dam at the head of the "arroyo Y" to collect water samples at various springs and the dam. As we hiked along Barry occasionally stopped to offer his insight on the local petrology. Lucky for us we had special geological hammers allowing us to get a great look at all the layers of the rocks. We had a picnic by the river before going home to eat comida and rest. That afternoon we analyzed the samples for PH and conductivity in ppm. We compared our notes and presented our findings to the town authorities. They were shocked to hear that there were plans to reopen the mine and grateful to receive the news. We resolved to stay in contact and work together to make sure that their community wont be exploited by the large companies.
We left the next morning after a large breakfast with the town authorities. It was great to get back to the city and reunite with our friends but we miss the fresh mountain air. On Saturday night we all got together for a delicious pasta dinner prepared by Cynthia topped off with a goodbye cake for John, the farming professor, who returned to Vermont on Sunday. Some of us finished our weekend with a trip to opening day of Los Guerreros de Oaxaca baseball club.
An update from the Spanish track! This weekend we went to Yagul, an archeological site, with Maestra Judith Garcia, our Spanish professor at the University of Benito Juarez (UABJO). We discovered the Judith is also an agronomist with a passion for ethnobotany.
Danielle standing at the pinnacle where the winds from the coast collide with the inland winds creating a place of special energy.
Maestra Judith places flower earrings on Rachel's ears - a plant names "aretitos" or little earrings.
The archeological site Yagul. The inner rooms of the palace are part of a labyrinth designed to protect the residents from attack.
Mike bathing in the baño de princesa at the pinnacle of Yagul, providing a 360 view of the Oaxaca valley.
One more week of geology class before moving on to music!
MAX, TESSA and ISAAC
