I got out from Oaxaca city for a few days to the village of San Pablo Villa de Mitla this week, so I could visit the waterfalls in the mountains nearby. As ever in December in Mexico there were local festivities on for christmas, with a night market and lots of lights.

The view from the very quiet guesthouse looked directly out to the Zona Arquelogical de Mitla. I was the only guest but was warmly welcomed as always in Mexico.

The following day I took a shared 4×4 pickup truck up the mountains to visit Hierve El Agua. This is a set of water cascades or an appearance of frozen waterfalls. These are a type of travertine, when calcium carbonate precipitates out from the hot springs water.

With warm water in the pools and spectacular views out across the mountains, it was easily worth the trip out from Oaxaca city to see this. I spent a good few hours walking around the site, having a dip in the pools and getin local snacks for lunch.

The village was very colourful with this excellent mural, whilst only a small village it was worth the trip out to.