Mexican craftsmen have long been renowned for turning the simplest piece of glass, tin or wood into a charming work of art, so it´s not surprising to discover that along with pottery, woodcarving and weaving, Oaxaca´s multi-leveled, multi-cultured indigenous population produces a stunning array of folk art. This includes alebrijes - fantastic animals made from painted wood, colorful woven baskets, fine swords and cutlery, traditional black pottery, tin jewelry, puppets, corn husk figures, miniature toys and tableware.

Also produced are specially crafted items for annual celebrations such as the Day of the Dead and the Festival of the Radishes on Dec. 23 when radishes in all shapes and sizes are crafted into Nativity scenes, figures of saints and animals, flowers, churches, and other imaginative designs which are then put on display on long tables in the zócalo, or city center, to be judged by a committee of radish experts and awarded prizes for excellence and imagination. As with all Mexican fiestas, music, colorful costumes, fireworks and dancing are part of the fun.

MASTERFUL METALWORK

There are no iron mines or belching smelters in Oaxaca, so where one may wonder do all the gleaming knives, cloak-and-dagger stilettos and ornate swords even King Arthur would be impressed sold in fancy hotel gift shops and stores throughout the city come from? Most are made in the village of Ocotlán de Morales, others by cutlery artisans throughout the city. The raw material? Recycled steel mostly from car parts such as pistons and springs.

In ancient times the Zapotec and Mixtec goldsmiths were among the most famous in all of Mexico. The tradition remains, particularly in ornate gold and silver filigree pieces often decorated with pearls, coral and semi-precious stones. Colonial pattern earrings, Mitla crosses, pendants, chains, charms and, since the discovery of Tomb 7 in Monte Albán, reproductions of ancient Mixtec chokers, earrings and grimacing pectorals, are featured in glittering showcases throughout the city.

CANDLES, MINIATURES AND TOYS

In an area where blackouts may be common and bees are plentiful - voila! - candles. With its endless celebrations and ceremonies, weddings, confirmations, quinceaños (like sweet 16 parties for 15-year-olds), Mexico, a country whose calendar is crowded with holidays and fiestas, probably burns more candles than any other place on earth. And what fine candles indeed, brilliantly colored and often decorated with flowers and tinsel. Most Oaxacan candles are produced in Teotitlán del Valle, the same village known for its colorful rugs and wall hangings.

Miniatures abound in the range of Oaxacan crafts. There seems to be a fascination with thumb-sized tea sets and dinnerware, subminiature wedding scenes, bullfights, funerals, bands, and entire kitchens sometimes small enough to fit inside a walnut shell. San Martín, Arrazola, Atzompa and Coyotepec are principal villages where they are made and subsequently sold in craft shops and markets throughout Mexico.

Almost all manner of folk art produced in Oaxaca is also made in miniature. Baskets, tin figures, decorative ornaments, wooden furniture, kitchenware, cupboards, dinnerware and tiny picture frames with tiny faces peeking out can all be found in the markets. One fellow in town is something of a celebrity in smallness. Would you believe the Lord´s Prayer written on a grain of rice?

The capital city of Oaxaca (pop. 242,249), situated in the pleasant valley of Oaxaca - a valley of artisans - reflects Mexico´s cultural diversity and enjoys an agreeable, temperate climate. Numbered streets and pastel-colored buildings fan out from the zócalo in an orderly grid. Native art delights and astounds all visitors as it has for centuries, spread out like jewels in a huge central market and in open-air stalls that seem to be on every street corner.

Here is how British author D. H. Lawrence described Oaxaca´s large downtown central market in 1924. It is little changed today.

"The market is a huge roofed-in place. Most extraordinary is the noise that comes out, as you pass along the adjacent street. It is a huge noise, yet you may never notice it. It sounds as if all the ghosts in the world were talking to one another, in ghost-voices, within the darkness of the market structure. It is a noise something like rain, or banana leaves in the wind."

Ron Butler´s "Dancing Alone In Mexico," a travel narrative, was recently published by the University of Arizona Press.