Oaxaca Attractions

Oaxaca State - Capital

Apart from the Capital city there are other attractions and towns found within the State of Oaxaca. They are:

Monte Alban

Location: 10 kilometers from the city of Oaxaca

It is believed that Monte Alban was actually named in the 16th century after the Spanish landowner's surname "Montalvan". The previous names for the city were the Mixtec name "Sahandevul" which means "At the Foot of the Sky” and another variation which is derived from the older Zapotecan language, "Danibaan" or "Sacred Mountain".

From about 500 B.C. through 800 A.D., Monte Alban flourished as the capital of the Zapotecs. Its great structures formed of irregular stones and mud faced with cut stone and sometimes stucco, many decorated with elaborate reliefs, overlook the surrounding valleys. It includes a central plaza, two major platforms to the north and south, pyramids, palaces, temples, underground passages, an observatory, and a ball court.

Mitla Mexico

Location: 38 kilometers from the city of Oaxaca

The ruins of Mitla are one of Mexico's most fascinating and enigmatic sacred places. Archaeological excavations indicate that the site was occupied from as early as 900 BC.

The ancient city of Mitla was made up of 5 main palaces, or precincts: One for the Zapotecan High Priest, One for secondary priests, one for military officers, with one reserved for the king and another for his entourage (when they were in town).
Today, what is left of Mitla, gives us a glimpse back into the past. To a time when the walls with long panels of geometric mosaics made of polished stone and pieced together without mortar stood out against a brilliant red background.

Other interesting places you can visit in Mitla are the San Pablo Mitla Church and the Market of Handicrafts where beautiful textile works are sold. Mitla seems another testimony to Zapotec conservatism, in its preservation of this older style of social order in an era when the priesthood of other areas in Mexico were little more than mouthpieces for kings.