Oaxaca Attractions

The house at García Vigil 609, where Benito Juárez lived as a servant from 1818 until 1828, has been turned into a museum (Museo Casa Juárez) exhibiting memorabilia concerning the president who was born in 1806 in Guelatao near Oaxaca.

The Museo de Arte Prehispánico Rufino Tamayo (Rufino Tamayo Museum), a gift to the state from the famous Mexican artist Tamayo, is housed in a palace on the Av. Morelos (no 503), four blocks away from Zócalo. Archaeological objects from the most important Indian cultures are clearly displayed in five rooms.

A national monument to Benito Juárez, another to the Mexican national flag and an open air theatre are situated on the Cerro de Fortín de Zaragoza, a hill rising about 100 m (328 ft) above the town.

This 16th c. building which has housed a hotel since 1976, was once a convent. The building also served as a prison and even as Municipal Palace.

Every year the country's largest and most colourful fiesta, the "Guelaguetza" (Zapotec: "performance"), takes place here on the two Mondays following July 16th. It includes a mixture of pre-Spanish and Christian dances belonging to the Indian tribes from the state of Oaxaca.

This institute exhibits graphic art, both national and international. There is a library on site.

Contemporary works of art are displayed in the Municipal Museum (Museo de la Ciudad, Alcalá 202), south of Santo Domingo. It is housed in the beautifully restored 16th c. Casa de Cortés, said to have been built on the orders of Hernán Cortés in 1529 after he had been granted the title of Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca. He died without ever seeing it.

This museum is housed in an 18th c. mansion. The main exhibit rooms vary their displays frequently. There is also a video library in the museum.

This theater was built in the early 1900s and was named after a famous composer and musician from Oaxaca.

This church was built between 1699 and 1722 and has neither a bell tower nor cupola.

A further 10km/6mi from Santa María del Tule a turning to the left leads to the nearby town of Tlacochahuaya with the 16th c. San Jerónimo Church.

The colourful paintings inside the church are original. Indians portrayed their artistic and religious ideas here in a highly original way by covering the walls with stars, flowers, birds, suns and angels.

The small village of Santa María del Tule lies about 10km/6mi east on MEX 190. The famous tree of Tule (Arbol del Tule), an impressive example of a species of cypress tree (Taxodium Mucronatum Ten), stands in front of a charming little church. It is estimated to be 2000 years old, is 40 m (131 ft) tall and has a circumference of 42 m (138 ft).

3km/2mi past Tlacochahuaya, a left turn leads to Teotitlán del Valle, 5km/3mi away. This village with a pre-Spanish past is built around a 17th c. church and is widely known for sarapes (rectangular woollen cloaks with a central hole for the head).