About the Hike:The renowned painter, Rodolfo Morales, restored and decorated a number of churches in the area, including the one in Santa Ana Zegache, which we will visit on this hike. In San Martin Tilcajete you will find hundreds of fantastically imagined and brightly painted wooden figures for sale in art shops and markets. The carving of alebrijes is a cottage industry here, and supports many families (and not a few towns).  Alebrijesoriginated in Mexico City in 1936, the creation of Pedro Linares, who dreamed of such weird creatures while hallucinating during a serious illness.

Driving Time: 60 minutes

Type/Difficulty: Countryside / Easy - It is imperative that hikers bring a hat or umbrella and water.

Hike Type:Point to Point

Starting elevation: 4826 feet/ 1470 meters

Distance: 3.3 miles / 5.3 KM

Elevation Change: +101 ft / -85 ft

Additional Fee: Admission/ Guide n/a

Meal: restaurant lunch in San Martin Tilcajete

Time frame: 8:00 - 6:00 pm.

Meeting Point: Calle de Los Libres, between Zarate and San Martin, directly behind the Gran Fiesta Americana Hotel. See map on the hiking introduction page.

Subsistence farming in Zegache For insight into subsistence farming and the need to keep native varieties of corn from becoming extinct, you might want to read an interesting article from the “New York Times”: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/world/americas/oaxacas-native-maize-embraced-by-top-chefs-in-us-and-europe.html?emc=eta1&_r=0