Historic Centre of Oaxaca
Patrimonio Mundial / Centro HistóRico · Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca
A green-stone colonial city in a high valley, and the best place to eat in Mexico. Oaxaca was laid out on a grid in 1532 over a Zapotec and Mexica settlement and built from the local green cantera that gives the centre its old-gold colour, then survived earthquakes that flattened comparable cities. Santo Domingo de Guzman is the great set piece: a Dominican church with a gilded plaster interior, beside a convent that now holds the Museum of the Cultures of Oaxaca and the gold from Tomb 7 at Monte Alban. Around it lie markets that have never been industrialised, mezcal, mole, sixteen indigenous peoples, and craft villages within half an hour in every direction. The centre is flat, compact and walkable, but the pavements are narrow and the altitude is 1,555 metres. It shares its UNESCO listing with Monte Alban. Plan three days, book far ahead for the Guelaguetza in July and Day of the Dead, and visit villages on market days. Check protest news before you fly.
Andador Macedonio Alcalá at Santo Domingo, Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico
An open city - free, no gate. ⚠ MUSEUMS INCLUDING THE MUSEUM OF THE CULTURES CLOSE ON MONDAYS, and Sunday free admission at INAH sites applies to Mexican nationals and residents only. ⚠ THE ETHNOBOTANICAL GARDEN IS ENTERED ON GUIDED TOURS ONLY, on a fixed daily schedule with fewer tours in English than in Spanish - check the times the day before. Markets run from early morning to late afternoon; the Zócalo and the Andador are at their best in the evening. ⚠ THE GUELAGUETZA IN JULY AND DAY OF THE DEAD AT THE START OF NOVEMBER FILL THE CITY - accommodation books a year ahead and prices multiply. ⚠ Protests can close the Zócalo or the airport road at short notice. ⚠ NOTHING HERE WAS VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.
Historic Centre of Oaxaca on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos