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Places To Drive - Oaxaca StateThe land of mescal, the Guelaguetza and a magical cuisine, Oaxaca is located in the south of Mexico, borders on Guerrero, Puebla, Veracruz and Chiapas and has a spectacular Pacific coastline. Its scenery contains natural contrasts that make it unusually attractive. It is surrounded by the Sierra Madre Oriental, which leads into the Nudo Mixteco and the Sierra Madre del Sur. The Central Valleys are formed by a depression between these mountain chains. Climates here are extremely varied: tropical in the north of the Sierra de Oaxaca, dry steppes in the valley and Yautepec, dry and desert-like in the ravines and cool in La Mixteca. It was the site of two of the great cultures of pre-Hispanic Mexico: the Zapotec, based in Monte Albán, and the Mixtec, whose capital was Mitla. After the Conquest, the territory was divided into the capitals of the valley and the isthmus. Oaxaca City, the state capital, is one of the loveliest cities in the country, with its magnificent churches and civil buildings, surrounded by villages of craftspeople, jealous of their traditions and their marvelous natural attractions. Oaxaca's coasts have some of the most exotic beaches on the Mexican Pacific. Interesting Places - As you walk through the streets of Oaxaca City you'll discover beautiful civic and religious buildings, particularly in the Historic Center, which was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO due to the artistic and cultural value of the following buildings: Plaza de la Constitucion (Zocalo) - Located between Hidalgo, Trujano, Flores Magon and Bustamente streets, in the Historic Center. The main sights here are the corridors lining the plaza and the art nouveau-style pavilion, which takes you back to the Porfirian era at the beginning of the 20th century. Palacio de Gobierno - Located at Avenida Guerrero and Miguel Cabrera, this building with a neoclassical façade houses an important collection of murals by artist Arturo Garcia Bustos. The murals chronicle the history of pre-Hispanic Oaxaca, the conquest and independence. They also depict the formation of the universe and ancient indigenous beliefs. Open daily from 10:00 to 6:00. Alameda de Leon - Located on Independence Street in the Historic Center. This place was once a small plaza called Cantaros (pitchers) because it was an area where potters sold their wares. Alameda was inaugurated as a garden in 1843 in honour of General Antonio de Leon. Catedral (Cathedral) - Located beside the Alameda de Leon in the Historic Center. This is the city's most important church. Construction began in 1535 as a headquarters for bishops and it was finished in 1574. The Baroque-style façade has sculptures of Catholic saints, which surround a beautiful relief depicting the Assumption of Mary. It is a replica of a painting by El Tiziano. Inside you can admire numerous works of art, images and relics of the 19th century, such as the remains of the famous Cross of Huatulco, a legendary symbol of faith for Oaxaca's coastal residents. Open daily from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. Templo y Ex Convento de Santo Domingo de Guzman - Located on Macedonio Alcala Street in the Historic Center. Considered one of the architectural marvels of the city, this complex stands out for the temple's façade, which has three main bodies. Inside the recently remodelled Baroque architecture features a principal altarpiece in the nave, 10 chapels and a large dome with 104 paintings of religious martyrs. The paintings were done between the 16th and 18th centuries. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 to 8:00. Templo de San Felipe Neri - Located on Avenida Independencia, at Tinoco y Palacios Street in the Historic Center. The Baroque-style façade is constructed with three main bodies and a crest. Former Mexican President Benito Juarez and Margarita Maza, a Oaxaca native who helped the poor, were married at this site in the 19th century. Open daily from 9:00 to 6:00. Basilica de la Soledad - Located on Avenida Independencia, near the Jardin Socrates. This 17th-century construction is one of the most important examples of religious architecture during the Viceregal era in Oaxaca. Open daily from 9:00 to 6:00. Beaches - The coast of Oaxaca has remained one of Mexico's relatively undiscovered beach areas. At this point the Oaxaca coast has managed to preserve it's natural beauty. It is one of the few places in Mexico where you can see sea turtles on a regular basis in any numbers. Huatulco - Bahias de Huatulco is one of Mexico's newest planned resort complexes. This incredible location offers some of the most beautiful bays and beaches in the country. The natural beauty of the nine bays of Huatulco and the surrounding area provided the perfect starting place of the Mexican government to try to duplicate the success of some of their other planned resorts. The incredible beauty of the beaches combined with balmy days, warm water temperatures and relatively cool evenings, will surely entice many visitors from the colder northern climates during the winter. Puerto Angel - Puerto Angel is one of those, incredibly tranquil and extremely beautiful, fishing villages that still really do manage to exist in México. Reminiscent of a far-off port, somewhere in the South Pacific, this area really is a step back in time. Maybe just few steps back - to the 60's and 70's era of the hippies, who have flocked here for decades. As in any town with a small population (under 4000), Puerto Angel lacks most of the amenities associated with modern resorts, with only a few hotels, most of which are fairly basic. Manzunte - If Puerto Angel is tranquil, Playa Manzunte is sound asleep. And "sleepy" is a perfect description for this tiny fishing village, located just five miles west of Zipolite on a fairly decent paved road. Manzunte, for our purposes, actually consists of the two separate beaches of Agustinillo and Manzunte. This little stretch of beach is what many beach lovers dream of, not a luxury resort in sight, just one of the most pleasant beaches on this entire coast. Puerto Escondido - Puerto Escondido, is another fishing village, but this is one that has started to spring to life. Still small by anyone's standards, with a population of around 30,000, Puerto Escondido has managed to retain much of it's original small town charm. The town which has seen much growth in recent years is actually divided by the main coastal highway so many tourists will not even notice much of the growth. Playa Principal, the main beach, remains much the same as it has been for years. Natural Attractions - Oaxaca is blessed with many natural attractions, there are peaks almost 10,000 feet high (more than 3,000 meters) caverns among the deepest in the world, untouched beaches, secret jungles and vast valley's. Oaxaca, the state capital is also a UNESCO world heritage site for Humanities Cultural Patrimony. Some of these natural attractions are beaches like Puerto Escondido, Puerto Angel, and Huatulco. Natural spas like Laollaga, Eitzul-zul, and Atonaltzin. Waterfalls such as Hierve el agua, and La Guacamaya. There are also caves and caverns, spectacular lagoons, dams and beautiful plant life seen nowhere but here in Oaxaca. The Northern Sierra - The Northern Sierra of Oaxaca is among the three richest areas in variety of fauna in the country, with more than 400 species of birds and 350 species of butterflies. One of the best preserved natural areas in Mexico, it also has a very wide variety of flowers, and seven of the nine kinds of vegetation in the country. Alternative Tourism offerings integrate journeys for mountain-biking and hiking along well defined routes and accompanied by professional guides. This allows visitors to know the most spectacular sites and impressive forests, as well as ancient traditions. Activities can include rappel, rock climbing, fishing or participating in practices of traditional medicine as temazcal (a kind of sauna with herbs) or the limpias (natural healing).The communities of Benito Juárez, Cuajimoloyas, Lachatao, La Nevería, Latuvi, Llano Grande, Ixtlán de Juárez and Calpulalpan de Méndez all offer rustic style cabin and camping sites for travellers. The Central Valleys - Hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, bird watching, participating in handcraft workshops or participating in local fiestas, ceremonies and dances, are just some of the activities offered by the Region of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca. This large area surrounds the capital city of the state and its rich in traditions, legends and gastronomy. Routes on Central Valleys include sites such as Monte Alban, the cradle of Zapotec civilization, San Antonio Arrazola, an artisan town which creates the famous alebrijes -fantastic multi-colored items carved in wood, La Lobera in Zaachila, where paragliding takes the adventure literally to other levels, Teotitlán del Valle and Santa Ana del valle, where the natural attractions are united to the beauty of an old tradition of woolen textiles, and the culture and local history are represented in its Community Museums. Yagul, where the pre-hispanic ruins form a special frame for the adventure of rappel and rock climbing, not forgetting Ocotlán, Tlacolula or San José El Mogote, where the cultural expressions, like the markets, handcrafts, the fiestas, the ways of life and the people themselves are the main enchantment. The Coast - Oaxaca has some of the most beautiful beaches on the Pacific coast. Rich in flora and fauna. Most of these beaches are untouched and offer some of the most beautiful and serene sights that Oaxaca has to offer. There is of course rock climbing and hiking, waterfalls, rappelling, and mountain biking and horseback riding. All of which you get a fantastic view of the turquoise waters of the coast. Flora & Fauna tours - Think you have a green thumb, take a tour of Oaxaca and surrounding areas plant and animal life. These tours show you plants that are only found within the state of Oaxaca, and animals that you have only seen on national geographic. This region is filled with hidden treasures like forests, jungles, waterfalls, animals, even buildings with thousands of years of architecture designed into them. Turtles - The state of Oaxaca is home to many beaches used by turtles for nesting. Most of these turtles are endangered and have been hunted for hundreds of years. Some of these beaches are protected by worldwide conservation efforts in order to help the populations. The great thing about this is that when the turtles come up out of the water to nest people may come and watch the turtles nest. There are limits as to how far you can go and you are not allowed to have any contact with the turtles. This makes for a great tour for those who are interested in seeing the natural attraction side of Oaxaca Mexico. Tule Tree - The tule tree is in the town of Santa Maria del Tule. It is the world's largest tree and is more than 2000 years old. The tree has a circumference of 54 meters (or 164 feet). The largest girth of any tree on the planet. A good brain buster... this tree was a sapling when the civilization at Monte Alban was beginning to grow! Museums - The Archaeological Museum of Mazatlan The museum contributes to the cultural task of showing the history of the area and of Mexico. The Museum attests to the importance and richness of the archaeology that characterizes the cultures that flourished and developed during the pre-Hispanic era in this region. This is the sixth museum in the state of Sinaloa and is the ideal place to find archaeological material specifically from Mazatlan. Address: Sixto Osuna # 76 in the Historical Center of Mazatlan, a blow away from the Oceanside boulevard also known as Olas Altas. |
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