Travel + Outdoors

Oaxaca Travel Guide & Rug Making Process with Matiz

published on March 8, 2022 by Angela Hamilton

Did you see our reel posted in collaboration with Jezarely Miguel, Founder and Designer of sustainable home décor brand Matiz? If you missed it, no worries! Jezarely was kind enough to share the deets in a detailed Oaxaca travel guide for all of you interested. We’ll also learn more about Matiz, the rug making process, and the team behind the brand. And, don’t forget to watch the videos at the end of this post for a closer look! Thanks to Jezarely for sharing the info below…

Matiz (mah.teez), meaning hue in the Spanish language, designs artisanal work that respects and preserves the indigenous traditions of handmade textiles. I began Matiz in the midst of the global pandemic in 2021, but most importantly in the spirit of my love and admiration for my roots. My designs are a reflection of the beautiful southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico, where my family’s story was founded. In an effort to support artisan makers, I have blended my past expertise in the commercial interior design industry and appreciation for sustainability, by developing artisanal rugs to bring more awareness to cultural heritage craft processes and sustainable practices.

Working directly with our artisans, we bring high-quality, small-batch rugs, committed to using locally sourced materials from Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. We encourage our team to set their own wages and support them by allowing them to create and continue their craft for generations.

oaxaca travel guide

Located in southern Mexico, the state of Oaxaca is known for its rich culture, diverse landscape, colorful architecture, and delicious food. If you’re looking for an all-in-one experience, begin your adventure in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca’s capital and largest city in the state. Its central location allows this city to be full of diverse experiences and learning opportunities from dialects, food, and artisanal goods.

Here are some prime locations to visit during your stay in Oaxaca City.

Templo de Santo Domingo: One of the largest cathedrals in the city that continues to hold history, exemplify baroque style architecture, and a strong religious significance. This is the perfect spot in the city to grab lunch or dinner at a nearby rooftop restaurant for extraordinary views of the church and the surrounding landscape. A few of our favorite spots are Gozobi, Tierra del Sol, and Casa Oaxaca.

Jardin Etnobotanico: Located on the same block as Templo de Santo Domingo, Jardin Etnobotanico is a botanical garden that showcases a wide range of Oaxaca’s native plant species. One-hour guided tours are available in spanish, english, and french, however due to its popularity and limited capacity, it’s recommended you arrive 30 minutes prior on weekdays and an hour before on weekends.
El Zocalo: El Zocalo is Oaxaca’s busiest public square with a kiosk right in the center. During the day, you can find vendors on the sidelines selling anything from painted alebrijes, embroidered clothing, elaborate beaded jewelry, to many other crafts.
Mercado Benito Juárez: Walk a block south from El Zocalo to Mercado Benito Juárez, a covered market that showcases everything from artisanal goods to fresh produce. If you are on the hunt for more handmade goods, walk down two more blocks to El Mercado de Artesanias.
Mercado 20 de Noviembre: The best time to hit Mercado 20 de Noviembre is either in the morning for breakfast or throughout the afternoon for lunch. There is an abundant amount of food stalls, all offering similar menus, so don’t be afraid to sit at any of them, you won’t be disappointed. We recommend you order a tlayuda, which is a large tortilla that is typically topped with, lard, beans, veggies, oaxacan cheese, salsa, and your choice of meat. To top it off, order an agua fresca (fresh juice), to complete your oaxacan meal.
Hierve el Agua: If your time in Oaxaca allows for day trips to neighboring towns, we highly recommend you visit Hierve el Agua in the town of Roaguía. Due to its location and road conditions, it is best to travel with a local or an agency. Our time with Coyote Aventuras via Airbnb allowed us to visit multiple locations – Roaguía, Tlacolula, and a mezcaleria near Teotitlan del Valle.

wool rug making process

Matiz is a strong believer of sustainability and all it entails. Therefore, we believe in preserving our artisans craftsmanship which includes the practice of gathering local wool and producing natural dyes with ingredients from Teotitlan del Valle. Below is a brief summary of the wool rug making process our artisans have implemented for the past four generations.

Washing: After gathering the necessary quantity of wool for a rug, our artisans harvest a local ingredient called raiz de amole, found in Oaxaca’s luscious forests. Due to its cleaning properties, raiz de amole is used to wash the wool because it naturally produces foam.
Brushing: Once the wool has been washed and laid out to dry, the wool is continuously brushed until the brushing strokes are smooth and all the knots have been removed. The brushed wool is then spun on a spinning wheel to prepare a full skein.
Ingredients Selections and Dyeing: A few ingredients have to be selected in order to proceed to the dyeing process. This is one of the most exciting moments of the process as the color options are unlimited. Noted are some of the ingredients we use to create our standard yarn colors: cochinilla (cacti parasite), añil (indigo), musgo (moss), cáscara de nuez (walnut shells), cáscara de granada (pomegranate skin), flor de cempazuchitl (marigold flowers), and huizache (sweet acacia). Once the ingredients have been selected, they are placed in a large pot to boil until its color has been released, this is then a sign to submerge the skein until it has soaked it’s necessary color.
Loom Prep: Before stepping foot on the loom pedals to weave, the loom is prepped to the width the rug will be. This is an intensive process that requires a lot of concentration and uninterrupted time. If a strand of yarn is accidentally missed, our artisans need to traceback their work and begin once again.
Weaving: However, once the loom has been completely prepared, our artisans gather all the required colored spindles and weave away. This portion of the process is a lot of back and forth to step on one pedal to the next, physical strength to tighten each weave, and hours of standing. Our artisans’ hard work is never unseen and always appreciated.

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Thanks again to Jezarely and Matiz for sharing this Oaxaca travel guide and insight into their artisan process! Check them out, as well as other ethical home décor brands, in our sustainable directory, and follow them on Instagram @matizco_.

What I Learned About Living Sustainably On the Road

published on February 23, 2021 by Madi Beumee
updated on November 2, 2021

Seeing my first National Park, The Great Smoky Mountains, several years ago made me fall in love with nature in ways I had never experienced before. The massive scale of the trees kissing the sky was unlike anything I’d ever seen. In that moment, I realized how much I wanted to savor these incredible places on Earth. How much I wanted my children and grandchildren to one day get to experience that exact moment of being blown away. From that point on sustainability played an active role in my day to day activities and lifestyle. I discovered simple swaps that I could make or actions I could take that could make a positive impact on the world around me (no matter how tiny those impacts felt).

Fast forward to September 2020, when a pandemic and no attachment to a set location made me realize it was the perfect time to live on the road and visit those parks that had started this whole journey for me. The choice to do so was not made overnight. It took careful planning and consideration. In the midst of packing, I started to think about the items I wanted to take or plan for to continue some of my sustainable habits on the road.

The pandemic had already made certain elements of sustainable living more of a challenge. It felt like single-use items that I usually avoided were somehow unavoidable. The compost drop off I regularly utilized was no longer accepting drop offs. Being that I was facing these sustainability bumps in NYC, I figured it would not be any easier on the road—if anything it probably would be harder. That being said, I learned through my trials and tribulations of living sustainably on the road.

How To Live Sustainably On the Road

1. Pick your single-use alternatives. Having lived in the city prior to my adventures on the road, packing my sustainable go-to’s was something that was a part of my daily routine. Packing things like metal straws, reusable water bottles and coffee mugs, and zero waste utensils is a super simple way to minimize your trash. The same goes for living on the road—and it’s nice not to scramble for single-use alternatives!

2. Opt for things that can be recharged. When searching for a flashlight and headlamp, I was really set on purchasing ones that could be recharged (as opposed to battery operated). Both because I knew I would save money not having to buy batteries, but also because I knew I wouldn’t have to keep going through batteries (and try to find a proper place to dispose of them). Though it took a little searching and was more of an investment, it was absolutely worth it.

3. Recycling programs vary. A few of the Airbnbs we’d stayed in didn’t have a recycling bin. So in those moments, we had to take the time to find a recycling center that we could drop off our recycling. We quickly realized that recycling programs and accessibility to recycling efforts definitely varies state to state! How2.recycle.org is a great resource for those of us in the US or Canada.

4. You’re not as dirty as you think you are. When you’re constantly surrounded by the luxury of a warm running shower, you’re less inclined to actually consider if it’s something you really need. On the road I would go a few days without a shower and it made me realize how I am definitely an “over” shower-er. It was such a great reminder to take a break from just going through the motions and try to save water. It’s definitely something I’m implementing into my life now too!

I always like to be transparent when I talk about my sustainability journey and emphasize that you don’t have to be perfect. Small steps and actions DO MATTER. If living sustainably on the road taught me anything, it’s that it is all a journey.

Have you ever tried living sustainably on the road? Tell us where you went!

3 Sustainability Questions to Ask Your Host Before You Book Your Airbnb

published on September 4, 2020 by Angela Hamilton

When you travel, do you make sure the accommodations you book maintain an eco-friendly property? With hotels this question is fairly easy to answer, but you have to dig a little deeper when booking via rental marketplaces like Airbnb, VRBO, Vacasa, etc. The hotel industry has an unsurprisingly substantial impact on the environment so choosing an independently run vacation rental can already be a sustainable act, but recently I started wondering how else I can ensure that my travels align with my own eco-friendly practices.

The perk of these vacation rental sites is that you can often connect with your host before you book. I think this is a great time to ask questions and ensure you’re totally comfortable staying in the host’s space, particularly during Coronavirus. Here are 3 questions you can ask that say a lot about your host and their property.

What do we do with trash? Do you recycle?

Don’t assume your Airbnb has recycling, compost, or other trash services, even if you know that the town you’re staying in generally does. I’ve stayed in too many Airbnbs only to realize there was no recycling available. My friends and I joke about the times we’ve “packed out” bags full of recycling after group getaways… But it’s not always possible, and it’s obviously never ideal to road-trip home with a trunk full of trash!

This is a simple question you can ask, and then decide how to proceed. Is staying at a particular property worth it if you can’t properly dispose of your post-vacay waste? Further, if they don’t have eco-friendly practices in place, it’s not too presumptuous to conclude that they probably don’t consider “green” hospitality practices in other areas (like when cleaning, restocking, etc.)

What is your cleaning process for each new guest?

I admit that before COVID-19 I didn’t put too much thought into how an Airbnb was cleaned. I did in the sense that I wanted to make sure any cleaning fees actually went to maintaining a safe and hygienic space, but it didn’t really matter to me how it was done (did the owner do it themselves? did a team of professional cleaners come after each guest?).

Now that ANY travel is risky, it’s so important to make sure your Airbnb is getting a thorough clean. In my experience, cleaning fees have been higher during COVID, which is another reason to actually confirm that you are getting what you paid for. I’ve personally only booked a couple of properties in 2020–small staycations within a couple hours drive from Seattle to get a change of scenery and relieve some cabin fever!–but my last stay made me want to dig a little deeper.

In Airbnb’s COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, they encourage all hosts to use their enhanced cleaning protocol, which includes sanitization techniques, recommended supplies, and a five-step process outlined in their cleaning handbook. Hosts who commit to doing so receive a listing highlight that lets guests know they’ve incorporated the advanced cleaning standards. It’s definitely a big plus to see what they’ve done to support hosts and encourage better cleaning standards, but in the end, it is the guest who will get to see and decide whether it’s been implemented properly.

(Side note, if you’re staying in any ‘bnb during this time, take responsibility for the risk! Everyone needs to do their part, especially if we want to continue supporting each other when traveling. This post isn’t to rag on hosts at all, but to help guests interpret a listing and understand what to expect before they arrive.)

What cleaning supplies and toiletries do you use?

If there are certain chemicals you avoid when cleaning your own home, for health or sustainability reasons, you may feel uncomfortable staying somewhere that has just sprayed those chemicals throughout your home-away-from-home! You also might be concerned with which products actually do the job of disinfecting a space, and how safe they really are. There will certainly be some compromising.

As far as toiletries… I was super impressed to find that one of the last places I stayed had Who Gives A Crap TP rather than conventional! I’m sure there are so many hosts who have to weigh the benefits of offering sustainable amenities against the added cost. Sure, TP probably isn’t a make-or-break-it consideration for you, but it could influence your booking decisions if you’ve got options to pick from.

Of course, read all listings thoroughly to see which questions have already been answered for you! What questions do you ask before booking an Airbnb? Do you take sustainability into account?

How to be an Ally of Mother Earth with Casha Doemland

published on September 11, 2019 by Angela Hamilton

One thing I love about the community surrounding sustainable living, is that every new discovery comes with the feeling of community rather than competition. It’s this shared idea that we’re all in this together, that we all need each other to make a difference, that more can only mean more support, that inspires rather than intimidates when I find a community that operates a little like mine. Coming across the Instagram account Allies of Mother Earth, I instantly felt a sense of camaraderie with its founder, Casha Doemland. (Perhaps this isn’t so surprising, but when you’ve worked in the digital space for years, you start to feel like every community is oversaturated, and it’s so refreshing to realize that there is no such thing as an oversaturated community of people who care. Sigh!)

Long after first connecting online, Casha interviewed me for Allies of Mother Earth. I was honored to share the story of eco club, and discovered just how many times our personal stories overlap… especially since I began writing about sustainable lifestyle while also living in Los Angeles. Naturally I wanted to dive deeper into AOME, its beginnings, and Casha’s plans for the future. Not surprisingly, she’s kicking ass with this new community of Allies in Los Angeles. They’ve recently connected to clean up Griffith Park (my old neighbor!) and have big dreams for supporting Mother Earth as their community grows.

Above photo by Jack Strutz for Allies of Mother Earth.

Tell us about yourself, outside of Allies of Mother Earth.
Los Angeles-born, but Georgia-bred, I returned to my roots approximately three years ago on an impulse and have never looked back. Throughout this time, I have not only achieved my dream of being a freelance writer, but I have learned a variety of skills/trades, lived in Indonesia for few months, and conquered a couple of fears like rock climbing outdoors and learning to ride a motorcycle.

You’re based in LA. How would you sum up the struggles (and successes) of your local community in dealing with the environmental problems we face?
I definitely think there are a significant amount of people in my local community who care about the environment, and who want to not only clean up the planet but live a lower impact, eco-conscious lifestyle. It’s obvious by the sheer number of people who are making shifts in their diets (climate change) or shopping smart to rid themselves of not only plastics but items that are not ethically made.

Additionally, there are a significant amount of people who are speaking out against environmental issues and offering solutions.

On the flip side, I think it’s easy to fail or slip with living consciously because of time constraints or not having the finances to invest in certain things. Sustainable living is a luxury. I, myself, have failed pretty miserably in the last two months due to a grave personal matter where my priorities in life shifted into survival mode. It’s only in the last week that I’ve slowly started to return to an eco-friendly lifestyle.

So, if anything, the struggles surrounding environmental problems are due to a lack of solutions for all. It’s not that people don’t care or aren’t making moves in the right direction, it’s because change takes time.

Thinking back in your life, how did you come to care strongly about Earth and its future?
I’ve always been enamored with Mother Earth’s beauty and found solace in long hikes, scenic drives and days spent by the ocean. When I went into middle school, I discovered the environmental club and helped run the recycling program as well as build trails out in parks.

From there, I always knew I wanted to give back somehow but was unsure of how until I moved into Los Angeles, and found an inspiring community that I realized I could ignite change on my own.

Through my sustainability freelance writing, I expanded my knowledge and launched Allies of Mother Earth.

How would you describe your local community of Allies? Has it been easy or difficult to find fellow Allies? How have you gone about establishing a community?
My community of Allies of Mother Earth is still fairly small as I have just officially launched the website and began planning my official events, but there are definitely plenty of humans who are interested. It’s been fairly easy to foster a community, as lots of people care about the planet, and most of the rad individuals within mine are friends, friends of friends, or individuals who have caught wind of my project through social media/word of mouth.

What are your goals and plans for AOME?
My goals for Allies of Mother Earth are fairly straightforward. I’d love to first, and foremost, raise awareness of the current state of the planet and promote ways in which we can keep her clean and show some much-needed love. In the process of doing so, foster a community with individuals who feel the same by highlighting radical eco-conscious, low waste brands, stores, and humans.

Additionally, I’ve got a handful of local clean-ups and one surprise event in the pipeline for the fall/winter.

In a dream world, which can very much be my world, I’d like to shift Allies of Mother Earth over to a non-profit and continue to spark change on a more national (potentially international) level. I am currently planning to go back to school for a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, so I can further understand policies and back that up.

Above photos of Los Angeles shop Sustain LA. More information on Casha’s visit available on Instagram.

Tell us about your other projects.
Outside of Allies, I have worked on We Are Phenomenal, a platform dedicated to telling the stories of women and gender non-binary individuals around the globe as authentically as possible, for the last three years. Throughout that time, I’ve been able to connect with so many phenomenal and inspiring individuals, and for that, I am forever grateful. It’s a project that I think will always be around and that I will work on in my free time.

Where else can we find you?
You can find all the goodies on my main website/portfolio, cashadoemland.com, as well as on Instagram at @cashad and @alliesofmotherearth.

LA friends, be sure to sign up for one of Allies’ cleanups to meet Casha and fellow AOME in person! Details on the next event can be found on Instagram.

From Rides to Rehab: The Complicated State of Tourists & the Endangered Asian Elephant

published on March 11, 2019 by Megan Kitt
updated on March 7, 2019

The streets of Thailand are swarmed movement: the three-wheeled tuk-tuks, jam-packed songthaews, and zipping motorbikes cram among cars and buses, a mix that earned the country first place in the world’s most congested roads.

But of all the modes of transportation available in Thailand, the most somber is the elephant. Often adorned with colorful ornaments and fabrics with a haphazard seat tied to its back, the elephants trudge along the sides of roads in tourist cities. I couldn’t help but feel something was off the first time I saw them.

Riding elephants remains a ubiquitous part of travel in Southeast Asia: If you can’t ‘Gram a photo of you atop a massive elephant, did you even go? However, the practice is rooted in cruelty.

Babies are ripped from their mothers and subject to a process called phajaan, or in English, “the crush.” Deprived of food or sleep, the elephants are beaten and stabbed with hooks and sometimes even blinded until they learn to submit to the mahouts who train them. The cruelty rarely ends after training, and elephants comply with their mahout in fear of violent retribution. Not only that, but also, elephants aren’t built to support humans on their backs, causing a painful strain on their spines.

Staying away from elephant rides was an easy choice for me. But as I traveled around Thailand, I learned that the issue of elephants in Southeast Asia is much more complicated than simply abstaining from riding.

Asian Elephants are listed as endangered, and their numbers have decreased by 50% over the last three generations. It’s still in descent today. While reducing the demand for animal tourism in Thailand helps, it ignores one problem: there’s not enough empty land in Thailand, or other Southeast Asian countries, for a robust, wild population. Across Asia, elephants have lost 85% of their original habitat.

I deal with issues of land in developing countries constantly in my work with Tuli. In East Africa, colonizers created wildlife refuges that protect big game species today, but no such refuges were established in Southeast Asia and, as you can imagine in such a densely populated region, there’s simply no room.

A solution many developing countries implements is simply kicking people out. Currently, the Ugandan government is rehabbing former wetlands that currently house a dense residential area on the outskirts of Kampala. To do this, the government canceled the land titles for parcels on this plot, without paying title holders—but only in the slums, not in a nearby, wealthier area that also spans the wetlands. Land is survival, people in the slum tell me, and the rehab is forcing the country’s poorest to start from zero. My hope is that, if Thailand takes a similar approach, the poor are not left vulnerable.

In the meantime, however, Thailand sits with its elephant problem. Many opposed to elephant rides are opposed to domesticating elephants as well, and for good reason, considering the abhorrent process of the phajaan. but if released, where would the endangered species go?

While in Chiang Mai, I visited Elephant Nature Park, a nonprofit organization that buys elephants out of the tourism industry and rescues them from the illegal logging industry. It also teaches local mahouts nonviolent training techniques for their elephants, much like the way I used positive reinforcement to train my dog.

My time at the park was, in my opinion, more fun than any elephant ride could have been. We drove high into the mountains to a Karen village, where the park teaches local mahouts ethical training and rehabilitates its new rescues before integrating them into the herd at Elephant Nature Park’s sanctuary.

We walked newly rescued Kham Moon through the jungle, helping her accustom herself to freedom and watching her trample trees and use her trunk to bring bark and grass to her mouth. We then took her to a swimming hole, where we rubbed mud on her to keep her cool under the hot, Thai sun. Splashing around with her and sliding in the mud, I got to appreciate her size and mourn her past.

It’s important when traveling not to blindly trust any animal tourism attraction that slaps “sanctuary” into its title, because the word alone doesn’t make a place ethical. I did hours of research and interviewed its workers while there, and was impressed with what I found. It also seems, to me, like a good solution to the lack of natural habitat for an IUCN Red-listed animal.

But not everyone agrees. At the park, I spoke with a Finnish elephant rights activist who came to Thailand to scope out elephant sanctuaries, and she told me she thought all elephants should be released to the wild. Curious, I asked if she thought extinction was a better scenario than domestication.

“That would be better for them than a life of captivity,” she said.

Personally, I think that’s a bit extreme. However, there’s a vein of thought that agrees release is the most ethical option, and it deserves a place in this discussion.

Regardless, it’s important for us as travelers to know that when we visit another country, we must assess our actions. Had there been no demand for elephant experiences in the tourism industry, these elephants would not have been so mistreated. Now that the demand is waning, the mistreatment is, too.

A friend who lives in Chiang Mai told me that since my visit there’s been a sharp decrease in ads for rides, as well as fewer sad elephants doing tricks and posing for selfies on roadsides. In a few years, she hopes the rides will be gone for good.

This is great news, not just for elephants, but for travelers in general: It’s easy to feel discouraged at the enormity of problems in the world.

How could my singular choice to abstain from elephant rides change anything? The thing is, it alone can’t. But my choice, and your choice, and everyone’s choices, added together, can.