Oaxaca
 

I have read several reports of mounting violence in Oaxaca. We are travelling in a bus tour beginning November 24th and the plan is to stay 2 days & nights there. Has anyone been there or live there and can give us an update on situation. The tour company says they are monitoring the events.

Thanks!

I was there in July, at that time it seemed safe enough. Although, as I have commented here before, I don't think I would have wanted to be there if I hadn't been there many times before. All reports since then indicate things have gotten worse. In particular one from "El Universal" last week that said armed protesters had forced their way into the Camino Real Hotel. Likewise the State Department keeps uping the sverity of its warnings. Whether to go or not, I think, would depend on where you were staying and what you were planning on doing. I would not want to stay in the centro and the Zocalo sounds dicey for sure. When we were there protesters blocked some roads and buses were using alternate routes to avoid roadblocks. My final comment is one I have made before, if you happen to be there when the governemtn decides to end the protests it won't be pretty.

There are several posts on the www.tripadvisor.com forums stating that the chaos will continue into Spring: Avoid, imhpo.
M (SMdA, Gto.)

We were planning a stay there this fall anc cancelled. Just not worth the risk

Dude: were you attending one of the schools there? I am just curious as to what kind of toll this has taken on the schools and the families that provide the homestays? Any insight?

The situation in Oaxaca has gotten more tense, there have been military helicopters flying over the zocalo since Sept. 30. Fox has not ruled out the use of force.
Reuters online gives the latest information on what is happening.

When this is all over, I hope we who love Oaxaca return to this culturally rich city.

Check out today's news from Oaxaca!
Banks firebombed, etc.
M (SMdA, Gto.)

We were not attending a school, but one of my daughters went down before us and was studying at Becari. Stopping by the school, there appeared to be fewer students than in my experience when I have attended the school in summers past. Likewise, my daughter's host family expressed to me that they would like to have more guests. Anyway, at that time, it seemed business was down and I bet it is much worse now.

thanks Dude: having attended Becari myself I was concerned about them since they are located close to El Zocolo. the other school up on the highway-can't remember the name may be a little better off just because of the location but I can't really say.

I have also taken student groups to Oaxaca over the past ten years. We have always used the Becari scool and used host families. This year I have already cancelled and am making alternate plans. When in Oaxaca we ate in restaurants, used guides, rented buses and purchased many crafts. I can only imagine the impact on the people who used to depend on the visitors to their great city. Also Continental began a direct flight from Houston, which must be virtually empty. On a recent email from Sandra and Martha the directors of the school, they commented on their numbers being down, but a few large college groups were still planning on coming down. I wonder how all of the hotels and small B and B's are doing?

Thanks, everyone (especially Dude) for the input. My friend and I are booked into a hotel in Oaxaca in mid-January but have not made plane reservatins as yet. Two middle-aged ladies, one of whom does not walk well. Of course, we chose a hotel as near to the Zocalo as possible!
I will continue to monitor what you all have to say about the situation in Oaxaca.
In some countries it is possible to avoid the unrest if you are not involved in politics, or move in politically active circles. Is that the case in Oaxaca? Or is it more wide-spread?
My Spanish is excellent, but it might not save me this time.
What do you think?

Do a search for Oaxaca news on Rueters. It sounds like things are getting worse, with the possibility of a government attack imminent. Reports advise armed protesters forced their way into the Camino Real Hotel and also that two banks were bombed. One news source quotes Fox as saying he's going to end this before he leaves office. As far as avoiding conflict, I think it depends what happens. When I was there in July, whenever protesters blocked a main route, our transportation took an alternate route. E.g I have never taken the airport transporation across a field before. Probably, if you stayed far from the Zocalo at say, Hotel Mission de Los Angeles you would probably be safe, but who knows. The Zocalo area has been under control of the protesters ince May. They have established a government, divided into camps,vandalized and occupied the Hotel Marques de Valle, have armed patrols, a "radio station," etc. I know this first hand. I assume the governments first step will be to re-take the Zocalo. I would think it will have to be bloody. For you r trip, how about buying tickets to Mexico City? If Oaxaca is resolved by then great--bus on down. If not bus to Taxco, or one of the other colinial cities. You should have a great time either way.