Toni Sobel has a master's degree in Latin American Literature from New York University and also attended the Latin American Literature post-graduate program at Stanford, ABD. She has lived in Oaxaca for more than 30 years and is a federally certified tour guide with over 20 years of experience. Among the institutions and people that have joined her tours are: the Getty Museum of Los Angeles, The Culinary Institute of America, The Archaeological Conservancy, and Chef Rick Bayless (PBS "Mexico: One Plate at a Time). There are several specific tours that you are regularly organized. However, Toni can also help design a more customized trip that can incorporate your personal interests. Some sample tours are as follows: Tour #1 - Monte Alban Visit the impressive ruins of this famous Pre-Colombian Urban Center started by the Zapotecs around 500 B.C.  AFter lunch enjoy a Dominican Monastery built in the 16th century on the site of a pre-Colombian Mixtec stronghold. Top off the day with a visit to a wood carving village.  You will watch men and women creating an infinite variety of brightly painted wooden figures.  The imagination and skill of the carvers will surprise and please you. Tour #2 - Mitla The elaborate ruins of Mitla decorated with magnificent mosaics will captivate your attention.  You will proceed to a rug weaving village where a master craftsman will demonstrate the process involved in carding, spinning and dying the wool which is then woven into truly admirable tapestries.  In addition to this basic tour you may include a visit to three other Zapotec ruins, a Dominican Ex-convent and a stop at the famous Tule tree.  If you visit on Sunday, you may include a tour of a traditional Indian market.  Feast your eyes on the luscious produce and enjoy the swirl of people around you as you bargain for different handmade products.  Tour #3 - Craft Villages  Tour three famous craft villages.  The burnished black pottery, wood carvings and back strap loom weaving traditions have been handed down for generations.  You will have an opportunity to visit the home of these artisans and acquire truly memorable souvenirs.  At the cochineal bug farm where these insects are harvested to make the famous red dye you will have a most unusual opportunity to see the process from start to finish.  After lunch, visit the workshops of local artists who create painted ceramic figures that depict daily life.  The Ex-Convent, recently restored as a cultural center by the world famous Oaxacan artist Rodolfo Morales, is an impressive sight.  If the tour is held on Friday one can also see a traditional Indian market.   Tour #4 - Ecotourism Enjoy the magnificent mountain scenery as you hike through a pine and oak forest guided by native inhabitants of the area who have been trained by the World Wildlife Foundation.  Learn about the animal and plant life lincluding a wide variety of orchids.  Enjoy a wonderful traditional meal prepared at a scenic campsite.   Tour #5 - Oaxaca City The Colonial City of Oaxaca, designed in 1536 by the same architect who laid out Mexico City, offers many interesting stops on a walking tour that begins in the Zocalo, the town square, where you visit the Cathedral and the Ex-Government Palace.  Walking up the "Andador Touristico" you will visit the State Library, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and a magnificent Museum that  houses the Tomb Seven,  Jewels from Monte Alban.  Visit the Basilica of the Virgen de la Soledad, the patroness of the City of Oaxaca.  The Museo Rufino Tamayo de Arte Prehispanico houses a collection of pieces from all over Mexico.  You will end wtih a tour of a city market.