by Ron Mader

Santa Maria del Tule, Oaxaca – Join participants in the 2008 Rural Tourism Fair for an informal cypress tree walk with a visit to one of Mexico’s most awesome natural wonders. Included will be talks about indigenous culture and the classic Chinanteco dish, Caldo de Piedra (Stone Soup). The visit to Santa Maria del Tule takes place January 22.

The town proudly takes its name from the famous evergreen and boasts several extremely large and ancient Montezuma Cypress trees. The largest tree dwarfs the town’s church and is more than 2,000 years old. The largest tree dwarfs the town’s church and is more than 2,000 years old. Imagine … this tree was a sapling at the time when the Zapotec civilization at Monte Albán was flourishing!

Our objective in the walk is to count the trees and take photos that will be posted online.

The meeting point for the tree walk will be Mixe-owned Ayuuk craft store one block west of the famous Tule Tree. Join us at 11am as we walk around the town to tour this unique natural monument.

After the tree walk, we’ll meet for lunch at Caldo de Piedra, a palapa-style restaurant is located on the north side of the highway, kilometer 11.9 heading to Tule from Oaxaca City. The restaurant serves Chinanteco cuisine, including the famous Caldo de Piedra, literally ‘stone soup’ made with fish, shrimp and a few fire-hot stones.

The meeting point for the tree walk will be the Ayuuk craft store a block west of the famous Tule Tree. Join us at 11am as we walk around the town to tour this unique natural monument.

BACKGROUND – A small festival among friends, the 2008 Rural Tourism Fair will be the eighth annual tourism fair created by Planeta.com and friends. The fair takes place January 21-30.

The fair highlights rural travel and ecotourism and brings together inspired travelers, local travel providers, community leaders, indigenous artisans, media, academics and students.