SOLD OUT: MyColores: Sierra Sur in the southern mountains of Oaxaca.
Take in Oaxaca’s rich culture, cuisine & nature over 7 full days & 8 nights as we forage, cook, & craft with local Zapotecos 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.
Located halfway between Oaxaca City and the Pacific Coast, high up in the mountains, the mushroom famous town of San Jose Del Pacifico sits on a ridge of mixed pine forest. The entire town is adorned with mushrooms, from the wool products to the murals, the wood carvings, art, food and more. We partner with local guides to explore the many varieties of dyeing mushrooms, and our friend Chef Ariadne provides masterful dishes of edible mushrooms for our enjoyments over the five days/six nights in the mountains.
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. See our day-by-day itinerary below, under the Key Trip Details section.
Located halfway between Oaxaca City and the Pacific Coast, high up in the mountains, the mushroom famous town of San Jose Del Pacifico sits on a ridge of mixed pine forest. The entire town is adorned with mushrooms, from the wool products to the murals, the wood carvings, art, food and more. We partner with local guides to explore the many varieties of dyeing mushrooms, and our friend Chef Ariadne provides masterful dishes of edible mushrooms for our enjoyments over the five days/six nights in the mountains.
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. See our day-by-day itinerary below, under the Key Trip Details section.
It was absolutely magical! Every day was different and interesting: hiking and foraging for mushrooms in the mountains, visiting artisans in small villages, staying with a family of weavers, learning about Oaxaca, mushrooms, natural dyes, and weaving! And so much delicious food! It was so well-organized and I can't imagine any other mushroom-foraging-natural-dyeing-weaving trip would be as full of love, laughter, and community as this one." |
2023 MyColores Color Palette in Oaxaca
|
Key Trip DetailsLength: 8 nights
Average Foray Distance: 3-5 miles/day Altitude: 6,000-8,000 feet Exertion Level: Moderate Accommodations: - 2 nights in Oaxaca City hotel - 6 nights in mountain cabins All meals included (8 Dinners, 7 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches) |
Alissa is the queen of mushroom color! Come learn and dye with her in Mexico this summer!
|
Day-to-Day Itinerary Overview
|
Day 1: Check in and meet your fellow foragers and dyers and enjoy a group dinner at one of Oaxaca’s top restaurants.
Day 2: Visit the Ocotlan Market, enjoy traditional Oaxaca cuisine, and stop by a few artisan villages of the Valley known for weaving and embroidery on our way to mountains. Evening dinner by Chef Ariadna and presentation from Alissa from Mycopigments on dyeing with mushrooms. Day 3: Foray in the mountains of San Jose for dye mushrooms lead by Don Carlos with a campo lunch freshly made by Dona Carmen. Back at Teteo Innan, we’ll set up our ID table and pop-up dye studio to play throughout the week. Day 4: Foray and lunch with a local artisan community and mushroom dye demonstration with Alissa. Optional stop in town with a relaxing evening and dinner by Chef Ariadna. |
Local Honguero Don Carlos photographs one of the Dyer's Polypore on his property [Phaeolus schweinitzii].
|
Day 5: Foray in San Sebastian with local guides to complete our foraging to create a rainbow of color. Afternoon playing in our dye studio &/or stop in town to see local crafts.
--Optional Full Moon temazcal that evening onsite. -- Day 6: Morning workshop with local artisans to learn the process of turning wool into yarn with lunch; afternoon to natural and mushroom dye exchange. Enjoy dinner in town. Day 7: Medicinal plant foray with local herbalist in the morning and an afternoon to finish dyeing any remaining naked fibers that you have. Day 8: Depart mountains, visit San Bartolo Coyotepec, an afternoon in Oaxaca City; final group dinner to close our time together.* Day 9: Check out from hotel with a rainbow of mushroom color and lasting memories.** |
|
*All meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) starting with dinner on the night of 8/15 through our last night together on August 22 with accommodations provided through 8/23.
** You can put your newly dyed yarn to use and add a 6 hour hands-on weaving workshop with Dr. Sam, Leonora, and his incredible family in Teotitlan del Valle on 15th century style looms to bring home a small rug to remember your time here. |
|
WHAT PAST MYCOLORES ADVENTURES SAID:
Alissa shows how to responsibly harvest a Phellodon niger dye mushroom.
|
"Alissa is an amazing instructor and full of knowledge and very friendly to anyone at any level of mushroom foraging and dyeing..."
- Charlene; Boston, MA |
Kim shows how to test lichen for magenta and red dye.
|
Dyers polypore for the win! We found a huge ring & can't wait to visit this patch again in 2024!
"This trip was incredible! Kim and Zack were warm and wonderful... Getting to spend time in the small pueblos outside of Oaxaca gave us the chance to interact with people from different cultures."
- Kristi; Seattle, WA 
Matsutake bisque! This is as much a foodie tour as it is a fiber art one!
|
"Just dive in for an experience of a lifetime with a deep immersion into the diverse culture of Oaxaca. The people, The food, The mountains, The valleys, The foraging, The art, The creativity; everything was so new and yet so ancient and profound."
- Nancy; Portland, OR 
Our rainbow of colors foraged in the Sierra Sur mountains!
We had an amazing time up in the mountains of San Jose del Pacifico foraging for edible and dye mushrooms.”
- Stacy; Spokane, WA |
Our MyColores Sierra Sur Team
Zachary & Kim Hunter
Your LeadersZachary and Kimberly shared their first hosted Mexico tour together less than two months after meeting. That love-(and-tourism)-at-first-sight in Fall of 2018 has blossomed into a project far beyond their original dreams.
In 2023, they celebrated their 5th year of hosting mushroom adventures in Mexico, a journey that saw them move to Oaxaca in early 2022, and to dedicate their attention to the cradle of civilization hiding in plain sight; to tap into the both ancient and future wisdom of the people of the clouds. |
Alissa Allen
Mushroom Dye MasterAlissa 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.
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. |
Ariadna Pinacho
Chef & Local GuideChef and Owner of Huitzil Restaurant in San Jose del Pacifico, Ariadna is a genius of myophagy, an accomplishment garnished with the front-of-the-house mastery by her partner Erik Gasga-Naranjo. Their meals have never not impressed, with an attention to detail so often overlooked in rural Oaxaca.
Ariadna grew up in San Jose del Pacifico, and still lives and works with her family (Mother, father and siblings) at Teteo Innan Temescal and Cabins, and is a local Honguera and edible mushroom expert. |
How to join, the cost and what's covered:
|
Payment Policy, Non-Refundable Deposit and Refund Schedule
Payments for the trip shall be made in full, and includes the NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT of $500 which helps us secure accommodations, reserve transportation, book restaurants, and secure the tour. With this payment commitment, your deposit will be returned to you only on one of two conditions: the trip is completely canceled (all monies will be returned), or you help arrange for someone else to take your place. Refunds for cancellations will be returned on the following schedule:
|
How to Join & Discounts
We review each application to make sure our mycoadventure is a good fit for all participants and give us insight to create the best experience for each group. Upon review, we're reach out ASAP to offer an info call, deposit information and next steps. We will fill the trip in the order of applications received and deposits secured. Our group size is capped at 12 participants and we have very high interest this year. If you are interested, get your spot on the list for 2024!. Payment plans are available on a case-by-case basis. Please send info@thefungivore.com an email to explore this option. |
What is Covered on Trip
*Double occupancy is assumed for our available accommodations. If you are traveling with someone, be sure to let us know if you need 1 bed or two. **All meals, lodging, tours, activities, and workshops are included. Alcohol during meals, souvenirs, and some optional activities are not included. Ground transportation to & from Oaxaca International Airport (OAX) to Oaxaca City is not included ($5-20 each way). The deposit is non-refundable IN MOST CASES. We use it immediately to secure transportation, lodging and reservations. However in 2020, the full cost of the trip, deposits included, was fully refunded due to the pandemic. If the trip is canceled for any reason, you will get ALL of your money back, guaranteed.) THE FLIGHT TO OAXACA is not included. Please make travel arrangements to be able to join us in Oaxaca for dinner on August 15th. |
