Greetings from cold, gray, windy, and rainy Northern California. I arrived a couple of weeks ago and am still in recovery from a three-day wedding in Teotitlán del Valle right before I departed for winter in the San Francisco Bay Area. Family, friends, frozen fingers, and a severe case of sticker shock have also contributed to no new blog posts for sixteen days. And, please consider this advance warning: I’m going to be in el norte for several months. However, I have many ideas and photos for future Oaxaca focused blog posts — they just may be few and far between. I begin with remembering last February’s return visit to Vives Verde, the labor of love garden created by architect Francisco Martínez.
Over fourteen years ago, architect Francisco Martínez began a project of landscaping a former garbage dump into a healing, artistic, and environmental garden — a marriage of plants, recycling, whimsical art, and education.
A water catchment system utilizing paths, beds, and ponds irrigate this garden of more than 200 species and 2000 plants — mostly from Oaxaca.
Francisco and his garden are dedicated to raising awareness of preservation and conservation of the sustainable environment. In his effort to fulfill the garden’s mission, he hosts free guided tours — ranging from the architecture faculty of the Universidad Regional del Sureste to students from the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz primary school.
Vives Verde is located at Calle Tula 627, Colonia las Culturas, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Oaxaca.
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