Oaxaca, Mexico.
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As the most culturally diverse state in Mexico, Oaxaca has brought us many gems such as mole, the origin of dia de los muertes, alebrijes or Mezcal. The indigenous Zapotec inhabitants have been living in the region for thousands of years, resulting in a region filled with cultural heritage and tradition. Notwithstanding, the indigenous villages are among the nation’s poorest rural communities.

I worked for Fundacion Envia, an NGO that empowers local female entrepreneurs through micro-loans and business-workshops. Able to spend quite some time in the region, I got to know some of the villages and its people of the Tlacolula valley up close. Set in the middle of the mountaineous valley, the Zapotec history still weaves into their daily lives in various ways, whether it is their artisan tradition of naturally-dyed tapistry or their many festivities and cultinary costumbres.