Archaelogical Oaxaca
Written: Sep 08 '99 (Updated Oct 06 '99)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Culture, food, people and places like you've never experienced!
Cons: It gets very Hot in the summer, but hey, who cares!
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| ferny's Full Review: Oaxaca |
If you are intrigued by ancient civilizations as I am, you will love this city and it's surroundings. There are 7 mayor Zapotec and Mixtec centers, all within 40 minutes of modern day Oaxaca as well as numerous museums.
The ruin sites vary in size, so you have to plan your trip carefully in order to get the most out of it. Here's what I recommend:
You have to take at least a couple of days to get to know the city of Oaxaca. You can start with a visit to the "Santo Domingo" convent, a beautiful representation of baroque arquitecture in Mexico. It was built in the 1500's and it's characterized by being painted with gold on the inside. As if this wasn't enough, it is home to the "Museo Regional de Oaxaca". This museum carries a beautiful display of ancient artifacts from the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures. Among these is a collection of pieces representing the most valuable treasure ever found in america, being that most of these pieces are made out of gold. This treasure was found by Dr. Alfonso Caso in tomb 7 of Monte Alban. Other attractions in the city of Oaxaca include the "Museo Nacional de Antropologia" and the "Museo Rufino Tamayo" with numerous prehispanic artifacts, and the "Mercado Gastronomico" where you can eat such Oaxacan delicacies as Mole Negro, Tlayudas, Tamales and Grillos (crickets).
After you've visited the city of Oaxaca there are 2 day trips you have to make.
One of them will take you to Monte Alban, the most important Zapotec center. This is a big site and will take you a good 5 hours just to get a glimpse of the city. The most remarkable fact about it is that the mountain that it was built on, was "flattened" and after this was done, the founders built the city on top of it, and this was done around 200 - 900 ad! Aside from that fact, the view of the city of Oaxaca from Monte Alban is breathtaking.
After visiting Monte Alban, if you are not too tired, you can go out of your way for about 30 minutes and reach the town of Zaachila. This little town has a very small pyramid in the middle of it. The most remarkable things about it are the stone carvings that are on its inside, truly the work of masters.
The second day trip would send you to the town of Mitla. Mitla became one of the most important Mixtec centers in the Oaxacan central valley in the postclasic period (1000 - 1500 a.d). Today, you can see how the Spanish built a church using the stones from some of the pyramids, making it a truly spectacular view. There are also several Mixtec/Zapotec sites you can visit. The first one you will encounter is called Yagul after a 10 minute drive. This place is about a mile from the main highway. If you want to get spectacular views this is one place that will not disappoint you. The ruins are actually built in a small valley. Behind them there's a little mountain that you can climb in order to get a great view of the surrounding area. After Yagul, about 5 minutes away, you will find the site of Lambityeco. This place is right next to the highway. It is very small but just like Zaachila it is home to some of the most beautiful stone carvings you'll ever see. Finally, about 15 minutes from there you will encounter a dirt road which after about 5 miles will take you to Dainzu. This is the most secluded place of all the ones I've mentioned. It is fairly big in size and you'll enjoy walking around the labyrinth like city.
Before returning to the city of Oaxaca, you might want to stop at some of the Mezcal Factories that you'll find on the highway. Mezcal is a liquor very much like tequila. The differentiating factor being the kind of Agabe it is made out of and the fact that Mezcal has a worm in it and Tequila doesn't!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ferny
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Member: Fernando Kleinert Ganem
Location: Eugene OR
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 12 members
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