Ciudad de las Canteras (City of Quarries), Barber shop competition

There are two extensive desert gardens in Oaxaca city. One is in the center of town adjacent to Santo Domingo Church, Jardin Etnobotanical. It is not well visited and is consequently a wonderful escape into the silence of seclusion. We discovered it in 2018 and it remains one of my favorite places in the city.

The other desert garden is the Ciudad de las Canteras (City of Quarries). I had wanted to visit this park, when we were here in 2018, and again during our current stay in Oaxaca. Until today it never happened, mostly for the lame reason that it is on the edge of the city proper and I was unsure of exactly where it was. Today Sheila asked me to direct her on a walk somewhere we had yet to see. That made up my mind and off we went after our morning dental cleanings (2 for $70!) We walked through a dull semi-industrial part of town and came out into a new to us neighborhood. Not really knowing more than vaguely where we were headed gave me the opportunity to practice my Spanish with an elderly gentleman. It took a bit to get him to understand where we were going (I did not know the name, only a description) but eventually I felt I had adequate instructions and off we went.

Turns out we had perfect instructions that took us down an interesting street with some colorful murals and shops until we arrived at the park. I started this blog with pictures of the park. The featured image is of the fence, quite attractive that surrounds the park except where a sheer bluff walls it off. There is a story behind the fence, and it leads to the following history.

The Ciudad de las Canteras Park is located on the border between Oaxaca City and the municipality of Santa Lucia del Camino, on a plot of about 17 acres. It is built on a site that supplied the stone for many of the great Oaxacan structures built in an 18th century golden age of construction. At the park we are literally in the middle of an old quarry bank. Stone from here was used to make pillars, doorways, and to adorn the corners of buildings and houses as well as construct several iconic Oaxaca structures. There came a time when the stone from the area was no longer in demand. The area fell into disuse and then became a receptacle for waste, as well as a dangerous place to be. Gangs and criminals found it to be a good place to conduct business and waylay innocent bypassers.

It remained as such for a long time. In 2013 government fostered a new project to rescue this space and turn it into one of the most versatile spaces for the public in Oaxaca. Back to the fence. In order to change the pattern of gangs and criminals utilizing the area for their own means the fence was constructed and the area is under guard from 7am to 7pm, allowing visitors to feel secure.

The plan included the construction of the Oaxaca Historical Archives a very large building with garden area, amphitheater and the archives. It is pictured below.

The state government motivated the creation of a site that would provide the inclusion and installation of streetlights to provide a safer environment for the neighborhood in addition to improving the area’s visual image. Included in the park are three outdoor workout recreational spaces and a fitness track for Oaxacan families and visitors. Native plants and trees have been added, including a storage area for plants for reforestation that had at least 200 hundred plants and trees. Six workers were sitting down for lunch as we walked through the park. Several dozens of species of native trees have already been planted. Additionally, there is a kiosk and a lake where species of black bass, mojarra, and charal reproduce. The lake appears to be a place to capture rainy season runoff as it has the appearance of a dam.

The Archives building houses the Alvaro Carrillo open-air theater with capacity for 1,200 people. It is a place where cultural activities are periodically presented. All in all it was a very impressive place to visit and well worth the walk of 2-3 miles.

Not at all related, but there is an odd, for me, phenomenon I have noticed in barber shops in Oaxaca. Rather than strive to be mundane and business like they appear to attract patrons by being flamboyant. The most flamboyant one we have seen we observed during the construction process. Now that it is complete here is a picture of what you are up against if you decide to move to Oaxaca to cut hair. In addition one more mural for you, of what appears to be two bewildered tourists?