The Best of Oaxaca City

Description:

This was the first temple built in Oaxaca during the 16th century and was the first church considered Cathedral before the building of the actual one. On the 17th century, an earthquake destroyed it and the Juaninos monks rebuilt it, and added a convent and a hospital (where the 20 de Noviembre Market is now).
The exterior is simple, while the interior has a slightly ornated altar and a ceiling painted by Urbano Olivera. Near the entrance, there's a glass shrine to the virgin Oaxaqueños revere.
The paintings depict episodes of the history of the state and the portraits of some bishops of Oaxaca.

Description:

The Cathedral was built n 1733 where other two churches stood before strong earthquakes destroyed them in the XVI and XVII centuries. The temple is dedicated to the Virgen de la Asuncion (Our Lady of the Assumption). The facade is an splendid elaborated 18th century baroque piece of art, with numerous sculptures and reliefs, framed with two towers. The Neo-Classic interior, though beautiful, is not as interesting and stunning as the exterior, because it was plundered during the Reform War.

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Just one block away from the Zocalo, this is a traditional market where you'll find all kinds of mole, chocolate and cheese. This is also the perfect place for souvenir shopping, since here you'll find jewelry, ceramics, textiles and silversmithing.

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This market is just south of the Benito Juárez Market and is friendly known as The Food Market because you'll find all kinds of ingredients and local dishes. The Oaxaca Cuisine is shown in all its splendor in here. A must for any food-lover.

Description:

Rufino Tamayo was a abstract and surrealist painter born in Oaxaca. Many people visit the Rufino Tamayo Museum expecting to find paintings by Tamayo. But this building, constructed in 1979 by the renown architects Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon y Abraham Zabludovsky, actually contains the artist's personal collection of pre-Columbian art, gathered over a 20-year period.

Unlike many others pre-hispanic museums in Mexico, the piece in this one are not displayed chronologically or by civilization. Instead, Tamayo grouped them by themes and designed the displays and each room.

When the artist died in 1991, he left the museum to his fellow Mexicans.

Description:

This church, with its 79 ft (24 mts) high Baroque facade, is the religious center of Oaxaca. It was built in 1690 to house the image of the Virgin of Solitude (Virgen de la Soldedad), the State of Oaxaca's patron saint.
The face is unique in Mexico because of it's projecting forward from the building, suggesting a retablo (a folding wooden altarpiece).
The inside is heavily decorated as well. The Virgin is the main protagonist, and is quite famous for her clothes. Her vestments are encrusted with pearls, and until a years ago, before it was stolen, her crown was made out of 4lb of gold and decorated with diamonds.
Though both the facade and the interior are heavily decorated, the church itself is not very tall (as many other churches built around Mexico during the XVII Century were) because Oaxaca is a strong earthquake area.
Legend has it that a donkey that didn't belong to anybody sat down on a rock and refused to move. On his back, the donkey had a box, and inside the box the hands and the face of the Virgin were found. A few days later the Virgin herself revealed on that spot, and there's where the church was built. You can still see the rock, to your right, as you enter the church.... read more

Description:

The Andador Macedonio Alcalá is a four blocks pedestrian street going from the Zocalo to Santo Domingo. Many bookstores, some of the most important art galleries, big craft stores and small museums can be found along the street; always surrounded by beautiful buildings.
This is the best way to cover downtown Oaxaca, many of the most important sire being just one block from the Andador.

Our Local Expert Says:

The views of the mountains and the white flowers on the trees are beautiful and are a not-to-be-missed photo opportunity.

Description:

Really close to Oaxaca City is this amazing archaeological site. This was one of the main cities of the pre-Hispanic world and was a very important political center of the Zapoteca civilization. During Monte Alban's Golden Era, the Zapoteca world included what today is the State of Oaxaca, the south part of the State of Puebla and the east part of the State of Guerrero,
Monte Alban is very large complex with many interesting building to visit and a breathtaking view of the mountains.
The Juego de Pelota and North Platform are two of the most important buildings on the site and are an excellent example of the Zapotec architecture. At the Danzantes Patio you'll find a set of unique stones with images of people who appear to be dancing (thus the word Danzantes, that means People Who Dances). The Building J is unique in the pre-Hispanic world. Is arrow-like shaped and has a different orientation than the rest of the buildings. Nobody is sure what it was built for, but some believe it was an observatory.
Many tombs have been found inside some of the buildings and next to them. The most marvelous discovery was the Tomb 7 filled with amazing pieces of pottery and jewelry that now can be founded... read more

Our Local Expert Says:

Along Monte Alban, this is the most important set of ruins in Oaxaca.

Description:

Mitla was the most important Religious center for the Zapotecs. The city is now a set of ruins, being destroyed by the Spaniards after the Conquest of Mexico. The clergy built the San Pablo church exactly where Mitla's main temple was, but never demolished the rest of the city, so the ruins were preserved without hardly any restoration.
Mitla's famous painted walls and unique entwines and fretworks have influenced Oaxaca's and the rest of Mexico's art. The delicate and complex geometry of the place and the decor are what give Mitla its magical and enchanted feeling.
Mitla was recently appointed a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in August 2010.

Our Local Expert Says:

A fun way for kids to spend the afternoon, trying to find forms on the Tule trunk.

Description:

In Santa Maria del Tule a legendary ahueheute (cypress) is a must-go natural attractive. This 2000 years old three has a 14.36 meters diameter and is more than 40 meters high. If you wanted to hugh the trunk, you'd need at least 30 people with their arms wide open.
The funniest part of this attraction is the explanation kids from Santa Maria give. They have founded all sorts of forms in the trunk, like crocodiles, lions, bears, faces, gnomes and many more.

Our Local Expert Says:

Among the 27 churches in Oaxaca this may be the most splendorous and richly decorated.

Description:

The Church of Santo Domingo is a baroque building founded by the Dominican Order built over a period of more than 100 years, beginning in 1560. The decoration on the inside is the work of the best artists of that period. The gilded ceiling and walls are covered in plaster statues and flowers. The yellow stained-glass window fills the interior with a golden glow every time the sun shines through it.
The under choir is a richly decorated area with an elaborated genealogical tree of the Dominican order, including numerous saints and martyrs. This is the first thing you'll see entering the church, just look up!

And don't forget to visit the Centro Cultural Santo Domingo in what used to be the Dominican Convent. Is a beautiful complex with a botanical garden, a library and museum telling the history of Oaxaca.

Our Local Expert Says:

This may be the bigger and most important Colonial construction in Mexico.

Description:

The Former Convent of Santo Domingo, right next to the Temple of Santo Domingo, is an splendid building that currently houses the Museum of the Cultures of Oaxaca, the Botanical Garden of Oaxaca and an ancient Library with more than 23 thousand books.
Because of the Reforma War (1957- 1960) the Dominicans were forced to flee the country and the army used the temple as a stable and the convent as headquarters. Many of the sacred art was lost and the building suffered some alterations.
Al the end of the XIX century the clergy recovered the temple and in 1994 the reconstruction work for the former convent began. The Centro Cultural (Cultural Center) opened its doors in 1998.
At the Museum of the Cultures of Oaxaca you will find many examples of cultural expressions, history and art of Oaxaca.
The treasure of the Tomb 7 of Monte Alban is here. Hundreds of pieces made of gold, pearl, silver, shell, jade, turquoise, coral and many more materials were founded in 1932 in the tomb, and all of them are displayed in here. read more

Description:

The Andador Macedonio Alcalá is a four blocks pedestrian street going from the Zocalo to Santo Domingo. Many bookstores, some of the most important art galleries, big craft stores and small museums can be found along the street; always surrounded by beautiful buildings.
This is the best way to cover downtown Oaxaca, many of the most important sire being just one block from the Andador.

Description:

Oaxaca has produced some of Mexico's most famous modern a contemporary artists: Rufino Tamayo, Francisco Gutierrez and Francisco Toledo among others. The Museum of Contemporary Art of Oaxaca or MACO (Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Oaxaca) was opened in 1992 to exhibit the work of these artists and many more.
The museum is in a 18th Century building called "Casa de Cortes" because locals believe it was built to be Hernan Cortes' residence after he was named Marques del Valle de Oaxaca (Marquis of the Oaxaca Valley), though it was actually built a century after Cortes died. Nevertheless, the facade and the inside of the house is beautiful.
The museum has a permanent collection and some temporary exhibit rooms. It's also the stage of many cultural activities like workshops, concerts, conferences and more.
It opens everyday (but Tuesday) from 10.30 to 20:00 hrs.