Take in Oaxaca’s rich culture, cuisine & nature over 7 full days & 8 nights as we forage, cook, & craft with local Zapotecs in verdant Sierra Sur mountains & explore the ancient history, epic food and indigenous artisanship of the region. Alissa Allen, veteran mushroom dyer and founder of Mycopigments, will be joining us from Seattle, Washington, to lead our forays and mushroom dyeing workshop. 
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Our trip will be book-ended in the cultural and foodie mecca of Oaxaca City with most of our time immersed in the mountains and valleys, exploring the diverse edible (and dyeable) landscape with our Zapotec friends, sharing generations of knowledge from nature to traditional cooking, natural dyeing, fiber arts, and more.

"A wonderful way to see Mexico
​off the beaten path!”

- Reema K., 2022 participant from New York City

TRIP OVERVIEW 

Our first night will kick off in Oaxaca City with a group welcome dinner to get to know each other and enjoy Oaxaca’s famous cuisine before heading into the Sierra Sur mountains for two full days of foraging. 

Leaving the city, we’ll travel through the rolling hills of the Ocotlan Valley, which is filled with artisan enclaves focused on black clay pottery, incredible embroidery, weaving and colorfully painted, copal wood-carved alebrijes. On our way, we’ll weave in a stop or two to take in these beautiful crafts and meet the artisans who make them.

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In the misty mountains, we’ll stay in cozy wooden cabins heated by fire in the night and spend our days in the woods foraging for mushrooms and lichens to dye with in the coming days. Alongside women from the community, we’ll also collect a range of mushrooms, lichens, medicinal plants and other dyers for identification; we will use our portable dye testing table at our mountain abode to explore what we have found, a small glimpse of the bigger experience of dyeing skeins of wool later in Teotitlan.

Nestled in nature, we’ll gather the colors offered by the mountains, learn about the food and medicine provided by these forests and enjoy hot chocolate and local dishes prepared by our friend and bonifide mushroom chef Ariadne.

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From the mountains, we’ll head back into the Valleys of Oaxaca to the Zapotec weaving and dyeing village of Teotitlan de Valle. 

While in Teotitlan, we’ll be immersed in Zapotec daily life and culture. Starting our mornings at the local market for breakfast while streams of women with ribbons braided in their hair bustle through to gather  their daily produce and tortillas.

Staying with Dr. Sam and his Zapotec artisan family, we’ll spend three days turning our foraged treasures into a rainbow of colored wool yarn to accent the rugs we’ll make on foot treadle looms to take home with you and remember our adventure together. 

​We’ll also be inviting a handful of community members to join in mushroom dyeing as the Zapotec dyers in the village are very interested in learning more about mushroom dyes to incorporate into their weaving process.

Last year, Alissa presented to more than 50 community members on the mushroom and lichen colors of Oaxaca to raucous applause and a photo session. We couldn't be more excited to build in more time with the heart a soul of Teotitlan again this year!

​We’ll wrap up our time with a night back in Oaxaca City for some last minute market shopping for those looking for gifts and one last celebratory meal to show off our woven and dyed creations from the week.

​Of course, you don’t have to leave Oaxaca when the trip ends… in fact, we encourage you to stay and are more than happy to share what we know.

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Meet Our Team

Zack & Kim 
​Williams-Hunter

Tour Leaders

Over several trips to Oaxaca, we have cultivated a rich relationship with the people, culture, & cuisine that has culminated in this invitation for a hands-on, immersive window into this cradle of civilization. 

Avid travelers with curiosity & a deep appreciation for culture & engaging people around the world, we believe that through travel & connecting with different cultures, we gain a greater understanding of the world, our place in it, and the better future that we can build together. It's in this spirit that we share the Oaxaca that we know & love with you. 

Alissa Allen​

Mushroom Dye Master

Alissa is the founder of Mycopigments. She specializes in teaching about regional mushroom and lichen dye palettes to fiber artists and mushroom enthusiasts all over the world. Alissa got her start in the Pacific Northwest and has been sharing her passion for mushrooms for over 15 years.
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Alissa uses brilliant colors found in fungal dyes to entice people to take a closer look at mushrooms and lichens and the role they play in our lives. This will be her second season joining us for mycoadventures in Oaxaca.

​Dr. Sam Lazo

Zapotec Weaver & Dyer

Our host for three nights, Samuel grew up in the Zapotec way of life with a family of weavers in Teotitlan de Valle. In his own journey of self-discovery, Samuel has revisited his people’s written history from an indigenous perspective.

​For the better part of the week, you will be immersed in one of the cradles of civilization at the hands of none better to guide you. 
From the oral stories of the Benizaá people from the last Ice Age, Dr. Sam will help us understand the depth & wisdom of his ancestral people & land.