Ready to explore Oaxaca, Mexico?
Rich Beauty and Captivating Culture Awaits
OAXACA is a beautiful, interesting, complex, captivating City and State of south Mexico.
Oaxaca, What is it?
Oaxaca is a large Federal State, mountainous, with a wonderful climate most of the year, the highest biodiversity in Mexico and the highest number of Indian cultures still alive in the country, something one can experience at every corner, in every situation of this wonderful region.
The presence of Indian cultures is still permeating the everyday life of the city and the communities. Handicrafts, one of the most representative characters of Oaxaca, have their source in the iconography and taste of these Indians folks.
Oaxaca State also has a long coastal line with beautiful, not overcrowded, beaches.
What to see in Oaxaca, Mexico
The City Of Oaxaca
The city is located in the center of the State in a large valley surrounded by majestic mountains. It was founded by the Spaniards in the XVI century, boast a well-preserved colonial time architecture and has been named “Cultural Heritage of Human Kind” by the UNESCO. The blending of Spanish and Indian cooking traditions made Oaxaca a center of excellent gastronomic enjoyment. The city offers also, museums, magnificent folklore festivals, colorful markets, churches..., and much more.
Oaxaca is a luminous city! The local green stone called “Cantera Verde” has a light greenish tone that beautifully reflects the light, giving the city a luminosity that makes it a lively place that everybody enjoys so much.
The Valley Of Oaxaca
This is the largest intra-mountainous Valley in the State. It hosts the city, a large number of communities of Indians and Mestizos, many archaeological sites and plenty of places where handicrafts are made, where traditions are still alive and was the living place for hundreds of years of the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures.
The Two Most Important Archaeological Sites
Monte Albán
A majestic and impressive place, is the most important archaeological site in the Valley of Oaxaca. The remains of this ancient sacred city of the Zapotecs are located on top of a group of hills southwest of the actual city of Oaxaca. Its origins are dated around 500 BC and was abandoned in the middle of the ninth century AD. Architecturally speaking it is said to be the most beautiful and harmonious looking site from ancient times. It was a well-planned city and one that lasted for more than a millennium as the dominant entity in the Valley of Oaxaca.
Mitla
Another ancient site and a very different one from Monte Alban. What impresses most in Mitla is the so-called “Stone lace” work that we can admire in the walls of the very well-preserved decoration of these palaces. Mixtecs, the authors of this refined work, were reputed to be almost obsessed with precise and detailed work. The place, which is still a dynamic and large community, is a center of textiles handicrafts and has a large market for this.
Local Arts & Handicrafts
The ancient cultures of Oaxaca had to make everything by hand. No machines of any kind were used for the fabrication of objects of any kind. The houses, palaces, ceremonial centers and the whole cities were made literally speaking, by hand. This situation made possible the development of a very high level of practical dexterity. Most of the handicrafts shops you see in Oaxaca are a clear manifestation of this inheritance.
Handicrafts are made in villages or ‘pueblitos’ whose artisans specialize in one kind of handicraft; actually, the whole community produces the same kind of craft. Which means you have to visit many villages where you will find a large variety and the best quality of each craft. Some crafters are more famous than others but the interesting thing among these communities is that everybody respects each other’s work and abilities.
Coyotepec – Black Pottery
This village has made black pottery ever since. It is a tradition that dates back to the initial times of the Monte Alban culture and continues to produce the same kind of pots using the same 5000 years old technology. It is amazing to see these people working, using their hands and very simple tools to produce shiny black vessels without the use of wheels. Ancient culture is unchanged and alive.
Atzompa – Terracotta And Other Pottery
This place has also a very long tradition in producing utilitarian kinds of pottery. In the recently excavated area of the hill at the side of the village, a kiln, very similar to the ones used nowadays, was unearthed and this proved that this place has a long lasting tradition of making utilitarian pottery. In recent years though, innovation has found its way into this activity and the diversity of forms, color and techniques resulted in a wider variety of artistic and decorative objects.
Arrazola And Tilcajete – Wooden Figures aka “Alebrijes”
These two communities are about 25 km. away from each other, but they have the same traditional handicraft. Both produce wood carved figures that were intended to be toys for children some 50 years ago. Tourism liking has introduced a substantial change into what is being produced now. This has become a highly regarded artistic enterprise and some of these figures are real art works that can reach very high prices.
Jalieza – Back-strap Loom Textiles
Maybe the oldest device humans invented to make textiles was the back-strap loom. In Jalieza, it is possible to see women manufacturing textiles with this very, very old technology. Once again, we are confronted with the liveliness of traditional thinking and doing. These women could produce the same things using accessible modern technology, but… they just want to do things their own way, keeping alive their tradition and being the masters of the process.
Market activities in the villages are held every day, but there is one day in the week where a bigger market, called “TIANGUIS,” takes place. These market days are quite interesting: people from the surrounding villages attend these markets, this is the day they share the weekly news and happenings of the week. They go to sell and buy their products for the week. All this make marketplaces a colorful, unique and joyful experience.
Market days are as follows:
SUNDAY - Tlacolula Market
The biggest and the most colorful market.WEDNESDAY - Etla
THURSDAY - Zaachila
FRIDAY - Ocotlán de Morelos
Market Days In The Valley Villages
Adventure Awaits Beyond Monte Alban & Mitla
Besides Monte Alban and Mitla, which are the most visited ancient sites, there are other sites which are of interest for people interested in archaeology or ancient cultures and their evolution. Most of them are located in the eastern side of the valley.
Dainzú
This place is said to have started its development before Monte Alban. It has very interesting representations of a certain type of “Ball Game Players” in very dynamic expressions, something unusual in a culture where most of the representation of people have a static outlook. The excavation was never finished and this allows for a better appreciation of the different period sequences of construction not to be seen in any other places.
Lambityeco
Small site but very interesting. It boasts some of the best-preserved reliefs of the rain god and some of the lords that ruled the place. The period of occupation of Lambityeco somehow covers the time when Monte Alban was declining and its influence decreasing in the Valley and other centers were taking the lead as alternative ceremonial places, one of them being Lambityeco. Located in the neighborhood of salty water sources, the most important economic activity was to produce salt.
Yagul
Placed at middle heights of a rocky hill, this place seems to have been inhabited until the arrival of the Spaniards in the XVI century. The remains of palaces and tombs and fortified walls tell us of a time of great turmoil in the valley during the so-called post-classic period. This place is also a natural preservation park and the starting point of the Caves area, recently declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. A wonderful place for nature lovers, as you here have the opportunity to take a walk and enjoy a “vista” over the valley.
Cuilapan – Ancient Convent
An unusual construction of a Dominican convent can be relished in Cuilapan. It used to be the largest Mixtecs community in the Valley of Oaxaca at the beginning of the colonial times and the extent of this big convent proves this. The sizable main church was never finished but the basilica chapel was. This construction has no parallel in Oaxaca and seems a little out of the place. Certainly, someone who had a respectable knowledge of basilicas in Italy projected it. Now, its remains tell us a story of power and devotion and the work of Indians who were the real builders of this and other churches.
Photo Credit: Abdeel Yañez Quintanar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Other Attractions In The Valley
Tlacochahuaya Indian Church
The temple of this village, dedicated to Saint Jerome is maybe the best example of Indian art in a catholic church. Indians used, for the ornamentation of this XVI c. church, the same pigments, workmanship and techniques of decoration applied formerly in the ancient temples and palaces. Four years of intensive and careful work was necessary for the total restoration of this magnificent temple. Very worthy of a visit.
Tule Tree
This wonder of nature, known as the Tule Tree, is a very old Ahuehuete (a kind of cypress) that boasts a girth of 180 feet. It is the national tree of Mexico. It might not be the oldest in the world or the tallest but it certainly is the largest one in the world. A sacred tree for the old people, it survived the temptation of cutting it down to make lumber.
Mezcal
The locally produced alcoholic beverage of Oaxaca: MEZCAL, has become trendy and there are lots of people coming to Oaxaca just to taste and get a good mezcal. To make it, different kinds of “agaves” are used,each of them having their own flavor and taste. A visit to a traditional factory is a must! For Oaxacans, there is no social happening where mezcal is not drunk, following the saying stating that:
¡PARA TODO MAL, MEZCAL!
¡PARA TODO BIEN, TAMBIÉN!
!Y COMO REMEDIO, LITRO Y MEDIO!
For everything bad, mezcal! For everything good, as well! Moreover, as remedy, litter and a half!
CASA (Centro de Arte San Agustín)
An old XIX century abandoned textile factory was transformed into a magnificent Culture Center, where artists from all over the world come to held art workshops on different art subjects. The restoration of the building is outstanding, preserving most of the ancient construction and adding a new value by the modern use of it. The setting of this place is magnificent and very often you can attend expositions, conferences, and art cinema activities.
Photo Credit: Elulene, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Destinations Outside The Valley
Hierve El Agua
Hierve el Agua translates as Boiling Water. Actually, it is not hot but gives the impression of boiling because it emerges with a lot of bubbles of carbonic gas that gives the impression of boiling. People also call it the Petrified waterfalls because they look just as if they were petrified waterfalls. There are only two places in the world where such a thing can be seen and one of these is Hierve el Agua. The landscape of the area is astonishing and there is the possibility of swimming.
The Dominican Road
The three most outstanding churches built by the Dominicans in the XVI c., are the Churches of Coixtlahuaca, Yanhuitlán and Teposcolula. They were being built at the same time by the same order of friars and even so they are very different from each other.
The one in Yanhuitlán was described as the most elegant construction of the XVI c., in the whole occidental hemisphere. It was built in a record time of only 25 years and history says that 6,000 Indians were working on the construction. It is very tall, elegant, and impressive.
In Teposcolula, it is not so much the church but the open chapel which is exceptional. Next to a simple and humble church, the startling elegance of this chapel makes an incredible impression. It’s pure Renaissance style, the well-defined proportions and the size of it makes it worth the trip.
The Sierra Norte Trip
This area north of the city of Oaxaca is very rich in Indian villages and astounding landscapes. One of these villages is Guelatao, where Benito Juarez, the only full blooded Indian who has been able to become President of Mexico.
The Village of Ixtlán possesses a beautiful church with an elegant facade and many baroque gilded redoes; it is also a typical mountain community.
Not too far away is one of the “Pueblos Magicos” of Mexico. These Pueblos Magicos (magic) are called this way because they have something that makes them special. In this case the village is Capulalpan. A quiet and very nice place with a center for traditional medicine next to the official modern hospital, a ecotourism center and a breathtaking surroundings.