Discover the inspiring story of the community-led microenterprise, Suchilquitongo Community Development Association, and their 'Xuchil' brand. This initiative revives ancestral Oaxacan foods, focusing on natural flours derived from mesquite pods. Visit the Xuchil workshop to learn about their mission of sustainable community growth. See firsthand how solar energy powers the creation of mesquite flour and taste this unique product. Following the tasting, participate in a mesquite cookie workshop, then meet other local agricultural producers, hear about their innovative farming practices, sample their harvests, and learn about their commitment to economic and environmental sustainability.  Following these activities in Suchilquitongo, we’ll travel to the Mixtec community, San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca, where we’ll stay at a local hotel next to the 15th century Dominican ex-convent, enjoy a traditional dinner, and partake in an (optional) ancient temazcal ceremony to ease our bodies to sleep after an eventful day.

8:00-900 AM: Breakfast in Oaxaca with Frederick Jiménez at AQTS

9:00-10:30 AM: Travel to Suchilquitongo

10:30 AM-12:30 PM: Meeting with Xuchil mesquite flour project members, interactive tour of the Xuchil workspace and project presentation, hands-on cookie workshop.  

Xuchil Natural Products is a community business run by the cooperative Suchilquitongo Community Development Association.  They produce healthy foods sourced and processed from the Oaxacan countryside.  Mesquite flour, based on the mesquite pods growing on the trees, is their key product.  However, they also offer mesquite based coffee substitute, corn meal, amaranth flour, honey, local black beans, corn, as well as other organic foods.

1:00-2:30 PM: Lunch in Suchilquitongo 

3:00-4:00 PM: Visit Don Plutarco to learn about his agro-ecological farming methods, then participate in harvesting his current batch of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or tomatoes.  Don Plutarco is a key local leader we'll meet who has spearheaded numerous agricultural projects to create organic foods, such as tomatoes, strawberries, and amaranth, using innovative and sustainable resources and practices. 

4:00-6:00 PM: Travel to San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca and set up in hotel

6:00-8:00 PM: Dinner in San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca

8:00-10:00 PM: (Optional) Participate in a traditional ancient temazcal ceremony

After waking up in Coixtlhuaca, we'll make the short drive through the mountains to Santa Maria Ixcatlan. Once there, we’ll engage directly with diverse community projects through hands-on workshops led by local artisans. After a traditional breakfast of memelitas and cafe de olla with a local artisan family, we’ll participate in the Xula Palm Craft project and learn the art of palm weaving – from the land to your hands. We’ll join a hands-on workshop in the caves where artisans create their masterpieces, and learn the secrets of the "petatillo" or "Mixtec knot" technique. Then, you’ll experience "Mezcal Ixcateco" and learn about the traditions of mezcal production by artisans. You’ll witness the techniques, from crushing agave with mallets to fermentation in animal hides and distillation in clay pots, and taste this craft. Then we’ll share a meal with a local family once more before returning to Oaxaca.

8:00-8:45 AM: Travel to Santa Maria Ixcatlan 

9:00-10:00 AM: Traditional breakfast in Santa Maria Ixcatlan

10:30 AM-12:30 PM: Palm craft tour/workshop with Xula Palma Artesanal

1:00-2:00 PM: Artisanal mezcal tour with Mezcal Ixcateco

2:30-3:30 PM: Traditional lunch in Santa Maria Ixcatlan

4:00-7:00 PM: Return to Oaxaca

7:30-9:00 PM: Dinner in Oaxaca with Frederick Jiménez at AQTS

Visit the 250-year-old Ex-Hacienda Guadalupe, a place where history meets modern innovation. Discover how this space now champions artisanal design through the "Oaxifornia" project, connecting hundreds of talented Mexican artisans, including those you've already met! See firsthand how cultural heritage thrives in the global market. Enjoy a traditional meal in the charming village of San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya, completing a lighter day of discovery.

9:00-10:30 AM: Breakfast in Oaxaca City with Frederick Jiménez at AQTS

11:00 AM-12:00 PM: Travel to the Ex-Hacienda Guadalupe in San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya

12:00-2:00 PM: Tour of the Ex-Hacienda Guadalupe and Oaxifornia

2:30-4:00 PM: Traditional meal from a local family in San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya

4:00-5:00 PM: Return to Oaxaca

5:00-7:00 PM: Free time

7:00-8:30 PM: Dinner in Oaxaca with Frederick Jiménez at AQTS

Travel to San Dionisio Ocotepec and learn from the Zapotec women of DAVA Artisan Design. Discover their mission to support sustainable employment for indigenous women through handcrafted, eco-friendly footwear, preserving Oaxacan textile traditions of intricate hand embroideries and colorful pedal loom weaving. DAVA partners with a network of over 150 textile artisans who create materials using techniques like natural dyeing, traditional embroidery, and loom weaving, which DAVA then employs in their shoe and sandal designs. Join a workshop, see their artistry in footwear creation, and learn about their sustainable innovations. Conclude your day at a chocolate workshop, where you’ll participate in the process of toasting cacao, making and tasting authentic Oaxacan chocolate.

8:00-9:30 AM: Departure and arrival in San Dionisio Ocotepec

9:30-10:30 AM: Breakfast with the family behind DAVA Artisan Design

10:30 AM-12:30 PM: DAVA Artisan Design sandal / shoe factory tour, presentation by family behind DAVA

DAVA Artisan Design, led by a collective of Zapotec women, hand-makes shoes and sandals that celebrate indigenous textiles from all over Oaxaca through contemporary shoe and sandal designs.  We will talk with the founder, Doña Clara, and her daughters who run the business.

12:30-2:00 PM: Lunch with the DAVA family

2:30-4:00 PM: Hands-on chocolate making workshop

4:00-5:30 PM: Return to Oaxaca

5:30-7:00 PM: Free time

7:00-8:30 PM: Dinner in Oaxaca with Frederick Jiménez at AQTS

Depart with memories, enriched by the cultural tapestry of Oaxaca. You'll carry with you the essence of this heritage, and the connections forged with the traditions and inspiring stories of the indigenous communities. Your journey will have provided a greater appreciation for the resilience, innovation, and warmth of the Oaxacan people, and a clear understanding of how your participation has directly supported their sustainable microenterprises. Transfer to the airport for your departure.