03Cities and regions
Oaxaca state
Oaxaca and Monte Albán
Oaxaca de Juárez lies in the Central Valleys of southern Mexico, 1,555 metres up at the foot of the Sierra Madre, so days are warm and nights are cool. Its centre is a grid of colonial buildings around the Zócalo, and Zapotec and Mixtec culture lives on in its markets, crafts and kitchens. Above the city, on a ridge levelled to about 1,940 metres, stands Monte Albán, the Zapotec capital founded around 500 BC; it rises some 400 metres above the valley floor and looks out over the city and its mountains. City and site have shared a World Heritage listing since 1987. Spend a day in town and its markets, half a day at Monte Albán just 9 kilometres away, and a day at Hierve el Agua to the east, where swimming pools sit on the edge of a cliff above the valley. The city also hosts the Guelaguetza, a month of dances from the state's seven regions.
- 0 m
- Altitude
- 1987
- World Heritage
- about 1,940 m
- Monte Albán altitude
- about 70 km east
- To Hierve el Agua
Highlights
- The ZócaloThe tree-shaded main square, with an Art Nouveau bandstand at its centre since 1901.
- Benito Juárez MarketA market filling a whole block just south of the square, selling food, crafts and local produce.
- GuelaguetzaA month-long cultural festival of dance and music from the seven regions of the state.