Oaxaca City

Oaxaca City Travel Guide

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During the XV century, before the Spanish Conquest, the Zapotecas and the Mixtecos were the two ruling civilizations in what today is the South of Mexico. When the Spaniards arrived, they were in the middle of a fight with the Mexicas over the control of the commerce with Central America. By the time the Mexica Empire was conquered, Hernan Cortes appointed Pedro de Alvarado the leader in the conquest of the South. Since neither the Zapotecas or the Mixtecos were as advanced as the Mexicas, the conquest was quick.
After that, the Dominican Friars started the evangelization and built many temples. But many indigenous died because of some epidemics, and the area had to be repopulated with African slaves.
In 1858, 37 years after the Independence, Benito Juarez from Guelatao Oaxaca became the first ever full-blooded indigenous President. He governed until his death in 1872.
Oaxaca was highly improved during the Porfiriato, the 35 years Porfirio Diaz held the Presidency. This was the time... show full NileGuide review
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The Church of Santo Domingo in Oaxaca The Church of Santo Domingo in Oaxaca

The Church of Santo Domingo de Guzman in Oaxaca, known only as Santo Domingo, is a one of the best examples of the Baroque Architecture of New Spain in México. Its construction began around 1551 when the Government of La Antequera de Oaxaca -the old name of Oaxaca City- gave the Dominican Order a land to build a convent within the city, with the promise that the Order would support economically the works of drinkable water supply for the Oaxaca. The... Read More

An Enormous and Fun-to-Visit Tree in Oaxaca: El Arbol del Tule An Enormous and Fun-to-Visit Tree in Oaxaca: El Arbol del Tule

The Arbol del Tule is a 2000 years old cypress with a 14.36 meters diameter trunk; just so you can imagine how wide the trunk is, think of 30 people holding hands with their arms wide open forming a circle. It has the stoutest trunk in the world! In 2001 the UNESCO placed it on a tentative list of World Heritage Sites. It is more than 40 meters high and it can be seen from miles away. It is so large that originally it was thought that there were multiple... Read More

The Zapotec Culture in Oaxaca The Zapotec Culture in Oaxaca

There were two, really important Mesoamerican cultures in what today is Oaxaca City: the Zapotecs and the Mixtec. They were both powerful and left behind great cultural, artistic and architectonic heritages, as well as being the ancestors of some of the indigenous peoples that still live in the Oaxaca State. This time we’ll talk about the Zapotecs, a culture that goes back at least 2500 years, and that inhabited the ancient city of Monte Alban. The name... Read More

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  • Monte Alban - Oaxaca City
    • Monte Alban

    • 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...
      • Pyramids and Tombs
    • Nile Expert Tip: The views of the mountains and the white flowers on the trees are beautiful and are a not-to-be-missed...
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  • Templo de Santo Domingo - Oaxaca City
    • Templo de Santo Domingo

    • 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....

      • Religious Sights
    expert pick 
  • Centro Cultural Santo Domingo - Oaxaca City
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