Dainzu

Today’s ride through the countryside was a thirty-mile excursion through the Tlacolula Valley to the archeological ruins at Dainzu and back. Six riders met at the rendezvous point in the plaza in front of Santo Domingo at 9 am. They were met by a crowd of about fifty cyclists preparing for a rally / ride through central Oaxaca on behalf of the Alianza party, which has candidates vying for positions in the elections scheduled for early June. Gringos are forbidden from participating in Mexican politics, so we declined the offer of free Alianza T-shirts. Opting for an easy ride, the group chose to get to Santa Maria del Tule on the paved bike path, which was unusually crowded today with an equal mix of bikers and people out for a Sunday stroll. From Tule we continued east on dirt roads through Tlacochahuaya and on to the archeological ruins of Dainzu, which was our turn-around point. Passing through Tule again on the way home, we stopped for a light lunch at one of the many curbside comedores on the main street. All told, riders pedaled 30.6 miles (49.2 km) on the outing, with a negligible elevation gain and loss of about 650 feet (198 meters).