Mexico Travel Guide and Destinations

Oaxaca Regional Museum (Museo Regional de Oaxaca): Oaxaca

The Oaxaca Regional Museum is located inside the enchanting exconvent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán. Some of its recently redesigned rooms contain important samples of prehispanic and colonial history and culture. It is housed in a beautiful green stone building attached to Santo Domingo Church. It contains the Zapotec treasures from Tomb Seven at Monte Albán. This and other archaeological sections make the most sense if you visit them after seeing some sites in the Central Valleys.

Hours: The museum is generally open from 10 am. to 8 pm., Tuesday to Sunday. Entry is 20 pesos free on Sunday and holidays.

Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art (Rufino Tamayo Museo de Arte Prehispanico de Mexico): Oaxaca City

Rufino Tamayo was born in the City of Oaxaca, on August 26, 1899. His real name is Rufino Arellanes Tamayo. He does not come from an artistic background since his father was an employee, his mother, homemaker. He was acolyte at the church where he directed choirs, leading some people to notice a slight religious vocation in him.

In this environment, his fondness and interest focused toward music, and his parents wished for him to become a priest and a musician. Of his musical inclination, however, all that survived was his fondness for almost unknown autochthonous melodies, later forming a good repertoire by singing them with the accompaniment of a guitar.

Tamayo’s parents sent him to Mexico City to study bookkeeping, but instead, and against his family wishes, he enrolled in the National Fine Arts School, the former San Carlos Academy. In order to support himself worked in the Museum of Archaeology, which was offered by Minister Vasconcelos, a fellow Oaxacan, who was fond of Tamayo. His aesthetic theories originated in that museum because of his contact with pre-Colombian artefacts and his great feeling for drawing and proportion came to life.
(more…)

State Government Palace: Oaxaca City

Place of the State Govt. of Oaxaca.

Teatro Macedonio de Alcalá: Oaxaca City

Teatro Macedonio Alcalá, which as well as being a working theatre houses a collection of romantic art is one of the attractions in the Oaxaca City. This beautiful 1903 Belle Epoque theater, 2 blocks east of the zócalo, holds 1,300 people and is still used for concerts and performances in the evening. Peek through the doors to see the marble stairway and Louis XV vestibule. Sometimes, a list of events is posted on the doors.

Tobala Mezcal de Oaxaca

In the State of Oaxaca the region producing Mezcal is integrated for the following municipalities: Sola de Vega, Miahuatlán, Yautepec, Santiago Matatlán Tlacolula, Ocotlán, Ejutla, y Zimatlán.
The word Mezcal comes from the Nahuatl term “Mexcalmetl", meaning “Agave".
In the present time, Mexicans use the term “Maguey” to refer to the “Agave". The Maguey is not a cactus, botanically, it has its own familly: Agaveaceae; formed by more than 120 species, in which Tobala and Hangustifolia haw (espadín)stand out because of the unmistakable quality and flavor Mezcal acquires once their vegetative characteristics are transformed.

Alcoholic beverage obtained from the distilling of the mostos (juices) extracted, mainly, from the Maguey Espadín (Angustifolia haw). It has to be produced in the “Mezcal Region” within national territory. The Mezcal is colourless or softly yellow when is reposed or aged for a short time. This process takes place during its storaging in white oak or encino barricas.

Tule Tree( Arbol del Tule): Oaxaca City

Arbol del Tule is Mexico’s most famous tree, and some say the world’s largest single biomass. The Tule tree and its environs comprise a unique natural monument, an attraction for locals and visitors alike. These massive trees can live up to 2,000 years. Of the eight tule trees in this locality, the one known as El Arbol del Tule is the oldest and largest, with a circumference of about 54 m/177 ft. Near the City of Oaxaca, in the town of Santa Maria del Tule, there are 8 great ahuehuetes (Taxodium mucronatum). One of these trees, known as El Arbol del Tule, is worlwide admired for its longevity and huge dimensions: it is more than 2000 years old and has a circumference of about 54 meters. The Tule tree is a unique natural monument and the area in which it lives is also of great natural value. Since the 1940’s this area has changed considerably.
(more…)

Zocalo: Oaxaca City

The city square is called Plaza Principal or the Zocalo. Actually it is 2 squares: one is a park with a bandstand and trees for shade; while the other contains shops and outdoor cafes. On a typical day people from all walks of life are seen at the Zocalo including protesters, soldiers, bands and groups of singing children adding to the atmosphere. At night the area fills with street musicians and vendors who sell a variety of foods and crafts. The zocalo has been the heart of Oaxaca for nearly 500 years, since it was laid out by Juan Pelaez de Berrio and Alonso Garcia Bra.

History & Background
In a way, Oaxaca’s zocalo is very similar to others in cities designed by colonial Spanish architects. Zocalos served as the symbolic manifestation of Spanish power, as each plaza had buildings representing the two main colonizing institutions: the church and the crown. The central square was the most crucial part of the layout of a new city, as it consolidated the rule of the conquistador. The space for Oaxaca’s own zocalo was originally delineated by Juan Pelaez de Berrio in 1529. Alonso Garcia Bravo, who also designed Veracruz and Mexico City, then used the plaza as a reference point when he planned the rest of the city.

The zocalo’s historical significance as a social gathering place has fortified its critical role in the fabric of Oaxacan urban life. It is not unusual for families to gather to celebrate the anniversary of parents who originally met in the zocalo. Moreover, the maintenance of the square is a matter of civic pride because the space is the location of the governor’s offices and most national festivities such as the Grito de la Independencia (September 15). Hence, the state government funds many events such as the weekly performances of the state music band.