Arts and Sciences: A Week in the Woods

Hola from the Botany Crew! Mollie and Chuck here to tell you about the adventures of this incredible week in the mountains of Oaxaca!

Let’s start by saying it was an experience of a lifetime! We got the opportunity to be in a place where you can see a vast range of vegetation from different climates from all around the world, all in one week. Not only did we learn about at least 50 different species of plants, we also got to experience new cultures, bond with our small group of seven students, hike through some gorgeous terrain, and swim in the river!

Our week began at Calpulpam where we were welcomed with open arms. We had visited this “magic pueblo” before. It was wonderful to be remembered by the community. This pueblo is about 2 hours from the city, and at a very high elevation. It gets very cold at night, but the days are warm and sunny! Here we learned about the species Cactaceae, Ericaceae, Solonacea, Lamiaceae, and more! We had our meals at a beautiful outdoor restaurant overlooking the river. Some of us even ate trout that was caught right then and there.

Our adventure continued to the next pueblo where we stayed for one night. We were supposed to stay longer but Mother Nature had another plan. A very rare “tornado” storm took place. Everyone was safe, however the roads and some buildings were not in the best shape. We lost power as well. Although this sounds scary, it actually was pretty remarkable to see how the community all came together to help one another and get the town back in shape. The president of the community checked on us and made sure we had everything we needed for the night. With the lack of electricity, we all came together, had a candle lit music session and played games. It was actually a beautiful experience.

From there we headed down the mountain, on the windiest roads one may have ever experienced. We eventually arrived at a pueblo named San Mateo Yetla where we stayed for three days. The climate was shockingly different from the city and other pueblos we have visited. It was hot thick humid air. The vegetation was incredibly different too. We saw coffee plants, ferns, Bromeliads, mango trees, fig trees, many Anacardiacea, a ton of Pepperacea and more.  Each day we woke up, had a hearty breakfast, and headed into the mountains with our tour guide Simon. As we walked along we checked out all the different species of plants along the trail. Our professor Dr. Sundue explained each and every one with such great enthusiasm.

Everything about this week was rewarding, physically, mentally and intellectually!

With much love, Mollie and Chuck!