RCG WOMEN’S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
TO OAXACA, MEXICO

Sat., April 24-Sat., May 1, 2004

$1175 (early registration discount)

Archaeological Sites • Social Issues • Indigenous Religions • Local Crafts
Magnificent Plumage • Superb Food • the Company of Women

THE ANCIENT MOTHERS OF THE AMERICAS ISSUE THEIR CALL.

Oaxaca city is the capital of the state of Oaxaca. It sits in a valley 5,000’ above sea level, surrounded by magnificent peaks surpassing 10,000’. One of Mexico’s two southernmost states, Oaxaca has a very large indigenous population. For half of Oaxaca’s citizens, Spanish is their second language. 16 major indigenous languages are spoken today, with Zapotec and Mixtec being the most prevalent. 15% of Oaxacans speak each of them. This pervasive indigenous presence sets Oaxaca apart from the rest of the country. The Valley of Oaxaca has been the heartland of the Zapotec people and Oaxacan civilization for more than 3,000 years.

The Re-formed Congregation of the Goddess, working once again with GATE (Global Awareness Through Experience), brings you this unique program, designed especially for women of the Goddess community and friends. GATE has a rich tradition of bridging cultures via alternate tourism. Comprised of several Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA), GATE has a 20+ year history of offering emersion programs rich in cultural, political and spiritual experience via people-to-people contact in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Eastern Europe. Over the past few years they have developed programs emphasizing indigenous woman-centered spirituality which offer the opportunity for expanded dialogue with local women. RCG has a 20 year history of working to empower women via Dianic wicca, goddess religion, and feminism. The nuns and the witches have come together! Our program will be led by Marie Des Jarlais, FSPA & GATE Co-Director and Alejandra Sanchez Pedroza, teacher, linguist and guide.

Elements of the Program May Include:

• walking the historic center of Oaxaca city including its Zocalo (town square), known as perhaps the prettiest in all Mexico, where people gather, bands play, and the pulse of the city can be felt.
  
  
• guided explorations of the Rufino Tamayo Prehispanic Art Museum; the Santo Domingo Church, Regional Museum and Botanical Garden; the Benito Juarez Museum; the Cathedral of Oaxaca; the Basilica of our Lady of Soledad, patron of Oaxaca
  
  
• meeting with women who are involved with indigenous communities and human rights work
  
  
• spending an afternoon in dialogue with a curandera (healer)
• visiting area villages known world-wide for the quality of their indigenous arts and handicrafts. Specialties include weaving, both black and green clay pottery, and the highly imaginative brightly painted woodcarvings known as alebrijes
  
  
• browsing and shopping the colorful local markets
  
  
• walking around El Tule, the enormous and magnificent 2000+ year old Cypress, said to have the broadest trunk of any tree in the world
  
  
• exploring the major archaeological sites of Monte Alban (a magnificent mountaintop ceremonial complex of pyramids, platforms, palaces and ball courts built by the Zapotecs around 500 BCE) and Mitla (known for its geometric patterns, and still in use at the time of the Spanish conquest), as well as the less excavated sites of Yagul, Dainzu and Lambityeco
  
  
• a morning of birdwatching in the Oaxaca valley
  
  

Knowledge of Spanish is not necesssary. GATE staff serve as translators and facilitators of this experience.

Working Itinerary

[NOTE: all meals are included except for the evening meal on Day 6, Thursday.]

Day 1. Saturday: Arrivals, welcome, orientation, and evening meal.

Day 2. Sunday: Breakfast. Monte Alban. Guided tour and mid-day meal at Monte Alban. Visit one of the many villages in the area, perhaps one specializing in green pottery. Arrive back in Oaxaca for a presentation by a woman working with indigenous women in various villages & who can share with us the reality and challenges of women living in more isolated, rural areas. Evening meal and reflection on the day.

Day 3. Monday: Breakfast. Meet with a woman who works at a human rights center, and will tell us of her research and efforts on behalf of women in the State of Oaxaca. Mid-day meal at the restaurant La Casa de la Abuela (Grandmother's House.) After lunch: guided tour of the Cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption (led by Alejandra Sanchez) Then free time in the plaza, and visit to the market area. Evening meal at a restaurant under the arches by the Zocalo.

Day 4. Tuesday: Birding. Early breakfast. Vehicle and guide will arrive at 6:00 a.m. to take us out of the city for a morning of birdwatching (bring binoculars.) Mid-day meal at: restaurant near the Santo Domingo church. Afternoon: guided tour, led by Alejandra Sanchez, of Sto. Domingo church and museum. Evening meal and reflection on the day.

Day 5. Wednesday: Breakfast. Guided tour of the Mitla ruins. On the way we'll stop at the Tule tree, a huge cypress over 2,000 years old. The archaeological site of Mitla is famous for the many geometical patterns which decorate the stone walls. We’ll stop at Mitla’s large market before we leave the city. We'll end the morning with a visit to a mezcal distillery, the famous alcoholic beverage made in Oaxaca. Mid-day meal: a restaurant near the ruins at Mitla. On the way back to Oaxaca we’ll stop at one of the nearby villages, perhaps one specializing in weaving. Evening meal in Oaxaca.

Day 6. Thursday: Breakfast. A vehicle and guide will arrive to take us to see the ruins of Yagul, Dainzu and Lambityeco. Yagul is a site on top of a hill representing a ceremonial center where we will see remnants of residences, a ball court, tombs and temples. Yagul gives us a spectacular view of the valley. Lambityeco boasts of preserved stucco heads forming part of the design of the tomb as well as two spectacular masks of the rain deity Cosijo. In Dainzu we'll see stone carvings in relief, said to represent images of ball players. Mid-day buffet meal near the Zocalo. After lunch we will visit with a curandera in her home. This woman is renowned for her use of herbal medicines, is frequently heard on a local radio station, and is a recognized authority in Mexico. Evening meal: on your own to try one of the many fine restaurants Oaxaca has to offer. Perhaps a late gathering on the hotel rooftop to glory in the stars over Monte Alban and talk over the day.

Day 7. Friday: Breakfast. Morning: visit to the Botanical garden at Sto. Domingo and/or the fabulous Rufino Tamayo Art Museum and/or the Benito Juarez Museum. Mid-day meal. Afternoon is free time to do some last minute shopping, just wander around this beautiful city, or revisit some of your favorite places. If you haven’t already done so, this might be a good time to check out MARO—Mujeres Artesanias de las Regiones de Oaxaca (Craftswomen of the Regions of Oaxaca). Here a remarkable all-Oaxacan grass roots movement of women artisans has gotten the government to stake them to a building where they sell their goods and demonstrate their manufacturing techniques. Farewell evening celebration with buffet and Guelaguetza (folk dances.)

Day 8. Saturday: Program ends with breakfast. Return flights home.

Accomodations:

We will be staying at the Hotel Azucenas, a beautifully restored 19th century “Colonial Popular” home located amongst cobblestone streets on the edge of the Cerro del Fortin and close to the historic center of Oaxaca. Named for a wild lily that grows in the hills surrounding the city, it is located in a quiet neighborhood in one of the most traditional and charming corners of Oaxaca but within walking distance of the lively central square (15-20 minutes.) We have reserved the entire hotel to allow us an intimate group experience in this magical valley. Rooms are wrapped around the sun-filled interior courtyard and the roof top terrace garden and café/bar. All 10 rooms have private baths. Buffet breakfasts will be served daily in the hotel’s roof top garden, an oasis that affords a magnificent view of the old city and the surrounding mountains, one of which is topped by Monte Alban. Enjoy the flowering bougainvilleas, gardenias and fruit trees.

Weather

We will be in Oaxaca at the end of the dry season and can expect daytime highs in the 80’s, nighttime lows in the 60s. We will be at an elevation of slightly over 5000 feet and it can feel a bit chilly at night, so you might want a light jacket or sweater. Even though the rainy season doesn’t usually begin until later in May, bring an umbrella or rain jacket just in case.

Food

Oaxaca is known for good eating. Mole is the most Oaxacan of all dishes. Oaxaca’s famous white cheese is often served melted with guacamole and black beans. There are delicious local variations on chiles rellenos. We will make every effort to accommodate food needs/preferences. Vegetarian meals will be available with request in advance.

Program Leaders

Marie Des Jarlais is a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) who resides in Mexico City. Her passion is peace and economic and social justice and her connections with women throughout Mexico will make this program a unique experience. At the end of Dec. 2003 Marie will begin her 14th year as GATE Co-Director. In addition to Mexico, Marie leads groups to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Eastern Europe (the Czech Republic and southern Poland.)

Alejandra Sanchez Pedroza is a linguist by education, trained at Mexico’s National University School of History and Anthropology. She is a teacher of Linguistics at the T.E.C. in Cuernavaca, as well as a private Spanish tutor for foreigners. Alejandra is the gate guide for the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City as well as tour guide for the ruins of the Templo Mayor and tour guide for the Diego Rivera murals in the National Palace. She interprets the past through her woman’s sensibility and fine humor.

Group Size

Participation is limited to 16 women and we anticipate that this trip will fill up well in advance. Register early to avoid disappointment.

Price

$1175 (US$) WITH REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT OF DEPOSIT BY NOV. 1.
$1375 (US$) WITH REGISTRATION AFTER NOV. 1 (IF SPACE REMAINS.)

Program Fee Includes: lodging, all meals except for one, transfer from airport to hotel for those arriving in Oaxaca on the first day of the program, all entrance fees as well as internal transportation for group activities, tips for drivers and tour guides. Your fee includes virtually all expenses except for one evening meal on your own and taxi back to the airport at the program’s end (which will cost approximately $10 US, less if taxi is shared.) Accommodations will be in double rooms with private baths. If you are traveling solo you will be provided with a roommate.

Airfare from your home to Oaxaca is not included.

Payment Schedule with registration before Nov. 1—
TOTAL COST IS $1175 (US$)

1. Nonrefundable deposit of $275 by check or money order made out to RCG-Travel and postmarked by Nov. 1.
2. Payment of an additional $500 by check or money order made out to RCG-Travel and postmarked by January 1.
3. Final $400 is due in cash (US $) upon arrival in Oaxaca.

Payment Schedule with registration after Nov. 1 (if space remains)—
TOTAL COST IS $1375 (US$)

1. Nonrefundable deposit of $275 by check or money order made out to RCG-Travel.
2. Payment of an additional $700 by check or money order made out to RCG-Travel and postmarked by January 1. If you are registering after January 1, the total due upon registration is $975.
3. Final $400 is due in cash (US $) upon arrival in Oaxaca.

To Register:

A non-refundable deposit of $275 per participant (in US$ only please) will be required to begin the registration process. Please make your check out to RCG-Travel and be sure to include your name, address, email, and phone #. Mail to:

Lynnie Levy, 158 Jackson St., Madison, WI 53704 USA.

Once we have received your deposit check, we will forward your name, contact information, and deposit to the North American GATE office in La Crosse, WI. They will contact you with a registration form & registration will be completed with them. Please do not make air reservations until told by the GATE office to do so.

Questions? need additional information? Contact Lynnie Levy at the address above, e-mail: lynnlevy@chorus.net or call 608-246-2193.