Pablo, our guide, bemoaned the cultivation of agave on the fields that used to be devoted to raising corn which is indigenous to the region.  Mezcal has become so popular that on the drive to Mitla all we saw was field after field of agave and production plants next to one another.  Apparently Mezcal has soared in popularity – sort of like single malt scotches it comes in a  variety of flavors.  Up until today I always thought of it as Slivovitz on steroids, but there are some gentler versions. We spent the morning at Mitla where the ruins date from the same time as Macchu Picchu.  The Benedictine monks moved right in and appropriated some of the structures and materials for their church and monastery. We spent the afternoon at the home of a weaver in Teotitlan Della Valle, which is a town filled with weavers.  All of the dyes he uses are natural—the most important is the red dye made from cochineal bugs — apparently these bugs were a source of enormous wealth to the Spanish who discovered them in Oaxaca and tried to keep the source of their red dye a big secret to avoid competition.  Mariano, the weaver, showed us how he raised the bugs and crushed them to make red dye, then mixed the dye with other plant matter to vary the colors. We saw how he fixed the wool so the dye wouldn’t run and then he demonstrated how to weave on his loom.  Meanwhile, his wife, Rafaela, made lunch from scratch – fresh salsa, quesidillas filled with string cheese and squash blossoms and a form of Oaxaca pizza, a tortilla ( just made) spread with black beans, avocados, and anything else someone wants to put on it.  Everything was awesome, particularly the fresh, thin, crisp tortilla.  Mariano brought out some Mezcal that wasn’t too strong, and it was a fun afternoon