The mountainous state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico is a land of cultural, linguistic, climatic and ecological diversity. It also has a proud history. Centers of ancient civilizations can be seen in the archaeological remains that are scattered over mountaintops, under most of the contemporary towns and frequently embedded in colonial architecture. Miles of now crumbling agricultural terraces were once able to feed large populations with locally domesticated corn, beans, peppers, squash and tomatoes.
Today this rough terrain still provides habitats for a great variety of plants. Steep mountains allow for rapid changes in altitude so that a single farmer can grow temperate and tropical crops within short distances, and an enthusiast can easily botanize in a pine forest, then a cloud forest, then a tropical wetland or a semi-arid scrubland and finally move on to a valley of rich farmland.
In the following photographs, I have attempted to capture a small segment of Oaxaca’s botanical diversity during the month of July 2007. While the photos primarily display flowers from the Mixtec and Zapotec highlands, I have also included trees, grasses, lichens, fungi and occasional fauna, as well as specimens from the extraordinary Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca, under the technical direction of M. C. Alejandro de Ávila Blomberg, in the city of Oaxaca.
I give special thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities “Oaxaca: Crossroads of a Continent” Summer Institute, sponsored by The Community College Humanities Association, for my introduction to this biologically rich area, and to my fellow participants for their encouragement.
I welcome any and all identifications.
Laurie Moody
