HIGHWAYS 175 AND 131merge coming into the Oaxaca Valley and either way you will pass through several towns known for their unique handicrafts. Among them are: San Bortolo Coyotepec, famed its beautiful, sleek black pottery; Santa Maria Coyotepec, which calls itself "the world capital of cochineal", the natural dye made from made from the tiny dactylopius coccus insect that feeds on the nopal cactus. San Martin Tilcajete is known for its alebrijes, colorful and fantastic animals and bizarre otherworldly creatures, carved from copal wood and brightly painted.

Take the fork for "Puerto Angel" and Highway 175 will take into a sprawling semi-industrial town called Ocotlan de Morelos. The birth place of Mexican painter Rodolfo Morales, you can visit his home, now a museum. Keep your eye out on the right side of the main road for the workshop of Josefina Aguilar, an extraordinary ceramicist who creates colorful and whimsical figurines and scenes: islands populated by mermaids; colorfully garbed market ladies; Frida Kahlo tableaus and representations of the Virgin of Guadalupe. She has earned international fame and she proudly showed her latest certificate of merit and the words of a corrida written for her by a local poet.

Several years ago, I was intrigued to see the familiar "Motel 6" logo as I passed through Ejutla de Crespo. I found a decaying adobe relic, the former Hacienda de los Corres, which dates back to 1682. I never did discover how it came to be affiliated with the U.S. motel chain. Well, today it is the Hotel Seis and has undergone quite a face lift.

There's a pool, handsome gardens, large, comfortable rooms, a disco, meeting rooms, a private chapel and a museum documenting the history of the area and the families who ruled over it from this one-time massive estate. Room rates start at $200 pesos for a double room, breakfast and meals are also very reasonably priced.

As you enter the city of Miahuatlán de Porfirio Diaz, you'll see a statue of the great man for whom the town is named on horseback. Suspended above the highway is a sign that has always puzzled me. It reads "Miahuatlán de Porfirio Diaz, Tierra del Maíz, del Ocelote y La Sierpe", Land of Corn, the Ocelot and La Sierpe? Now that one got me. I decided to spend the night in Miahuatlán and investigate.

It's not easy finding your way into the town center, but worth the effort. There is a huge central square in front of the handsome Church of San Andres, patron of the city; opposite is the Municipal Palace, where Sr. Máximo Aragon Santiago lovingly attends the town museum and can tell you about the history of the place.

For example: Miahuatlán means place of the corn fields. The band stand in the plaza dates back to the days of Don Porfirio. Gen. Porfirio Diaz was born in Oaxaca, but led Mexican forces in a decisive battle against the French here. The town has another patron saint: Our Lady of the Rosary, whose temple is a very interesting, almost Gaudiesque structure. There is comfortable, clean and secure lodging at the Hotel Juan Manuel ($130 pesos per night) and an excellent restaurant called La Loma, where I enjoyed a delicious chicken in cream and chipotle sauce for $70 pesos. There's a busy market to explore, and since this is the heart of agave country, you can visit one of the palenques where mezcal is made. And about that "La Sierpe"? Well, it was supposed to read La Sierra (The Mountains), somebody got it very wrong! (If anyone has another explanation for this, please let me know)

San José del Pacífico is a beautiful town, 8400 feet above sea level, but only a three hour-or-so drive back to Puerto Escondido. This town is worth a visit for the breathtaking vistas of forested peaks among the clouds in the high Southern Sierra.

This time of year the cool climate offers a welcome respite from the intense heat of the coast.

There's great hiking and birding among the trails through pine forests. But San José del Pacífico is also known for its psilocybin mushrooms and attracts those looking to sample its hallucinogenic effects. That's why the gift shops offer wooden and ceramic representations of the these fungi, alongside the woolen gloves, hats, sweaters and shawls.

Mushroom season corresponds with the rainy season, roughly July to October, but they are often available year around, preserved in honey. Mushrooms and their healing and visionary properties have long played a role in the culture of the handsome local Zapotec people in this land of the clouds. But you should be aware that they are an illegal controlled substance under Mexican law.

NOTE: Neither of the two routes over the mountains is an easy drive. You will encounter thick fog and a high probability of heavy rain. Don't drive after nightfall. Bus service to these destinations is available - inquire at the central bus terminal - and there are a new fleet of minivans making regular trips