The Central Valley in the interior of the state offers the visitor numerous small villages whose inhabitants specialize in regional arts and crafts such as hand-woven rugs, black pottery, colorful, carved wooden figurines, shawls and other textiles. Here also is a wealth of pre-Columbian archaeological sites and ceremonial centers such as Monte Alban (1000 AD - 1500 AD)and Mitla (1000 AD - 1500 AD).
Renowned as one of Mexico’s most beautiful cities, Oaxaca has much to offer: colorful markets, local crafts, cuisine, prehispanic and contemporary art museums, convents, churches and an active arts community.
The state of Oaxaca is the fifth-largest state in Mexico and is bordered by the states of Puebla and Veracruz on the north, Guerrero on the west, Chiapas on the east and by the Pacific Ocean on the south.
The state reflects the whole of Mexico, with diverse landscapes that extend from the mountains to the coast. The Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range rises from the west and stretches along the western side of the state. Its Pacific-facing slopes have tropical forests flowing down to the hot and humid coast with its beautiful beaches. The inland Sierra Madre de Oaxaca mountain range has its origin in the center of the country, and its slopes include a cloud forest and stands of oak and pine.
The two mountain ranges meet in the center of the state, forming the Valles Centrales which open to the south. And at this convergence, on the northern edge of the Valles, is the city of Oaxaca. The warm and dry climate found here has attracted people to this area for thousands of years. The eastern part of the state lies on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the climate is hot and dry.
Economy
The economy of the state of Oaxaca is largely dependent upon tourism. Visitors to the city of Oaxaca and the coastal communities of Huatulco, Puerto Escondido and Puerto Angel are the single most important source of income. In addition to working in the service sectors, many indigenous people make handicrafts to be sold to the tourists. Oaxaca has a rich indigenous culture and their handicrafts are beautiful and highly sought after.
Coffee is the second largest economic producer and accounts for 30% of the state’s exports. Government subsidies have helped farmers improve coffee yields and Mexico has become the world’s largest producer of organic coffee (grown with no pesticides or chemical fertilizers.) Mangos and pineapples also contribute to the economy and in addition, many farmers grow corn, beans, squash, bananas, oranges, and avocados either to sell or for their own use. Productivity however, is low because the quality of the soil has been diminished due to incorrect use of pesticides over many decades.
Overall, however, Oaxaca is a very poor state with many of its natural resources underutilized. Programs to train indigenous people about the opportunities available are lacking, so many people have been forced to migrate to the cities. This migration has caused the city of Oaxaca to double in size in the past 20 years. Many indigenous people move "temporarily" from their traditional homes to the cities to work, then send their earnings back to their communities, thus providing a major source of income in rural areas. This situation has also brought many migrants from the Oaxaca area to the United States. Migrants come and may work for as long as 10 years to send enough money home to buy a house.
Archaelogy and the Central Valleys
Because of its importance in the Classic Period, the Valley of Oaxaca has prehispanic ruins spread throughout its entire area. Many of the largest and/or most excavated ruins are close to Oaxaca, including Monte Alban, Mitla, Yagul, Lambityeco, Dainzu and Zaachila.
Monte Albán
Monte Alban sits on a high mesa, 1200 feet above the valley floor. This location gave the residents a clear view of the Oaxaca valleys. The city was constructed by the Zapotecs who first moved to this site around 500 B.C. It was the center of Zapotec culture, and hit its peak between 300 and 600 AD. During this time, the population of the city was nearly 25,000 people with an additional 100,000 people living in the valley below. After about 700 AD, the city began to decline, and came under Mixtec influence around 1200 AD.
After this golden age, and for reasons still unknown, the city was abandoned, and during this time , it was Mitla that grew in power and influence. The Mixtecs who had migrated to this region began to use the buildings at Monte Alban as tombs for their dead. All the treasure found in the tombs were Mixtec rather than Zapotec.
At the center of Monte Alban is the Grand Plaza, one of the largest found in Mesoamerica and measuring roughly 900 ft by 600 ft (300 meters by 200 meters). On the south end of the plaza is the South Platform, on top of which stand two smaller pyramids.
On the west side, archaeologists discovered a wall with hundreds of relief panels that depict naked men in contorted postures. These are referred to as Danzantes, or dancers, although it is believed the panels represent sacrificed captives. In front of the South Platform is Building J. It is arrow shaped, and is the only building not built on a north south axis. It was likely used as an altar.
On the north side of the plaza, a wide staircase leads to the North Platform. This is the largest structure at Monte Alban. Its features include the Sunken Patio (150 ft on each side) and three pyramids. Beyond the North Platform is a residential area where archaeologists discovered more lavish tombs. At the present time the tombs are closed to visitors due to possible damage from a 1999 earthquake, and the public is unable to see the colorful frescoes and stucco masks of the Zapotec gods that adorn the walls of the tombs
Mitla
Mitla reached point of greatest influence at approximately the same time Monte Alban was abandoned. Although it was once believed that the Mixtec people dominated the resident Zapotecs, it is now believed that the Zapotecs controlled and the Mixtecs only influenced society.
Mitla is divided into 5 different groups of ruins. The most interesting of these are the Church Group and the Columns Group. The Church Group is so named because the Spanish built their Church of San Pablo in the middle of its courtyard. This was a typical Spanish method by which they would symbolically dominate the Zapotec pagan religion. Three partial panels of white on red Mixtec style murals, nearly 800 years old, are the most striking feature of this group.
The Columns Group is the highlight of this ruin. Although the Spaniards demolished several buildings and used the stones to build the Church, the remaining building shows the fabulous and incredibly intricate stone friezes, or mosaics that adorn the walls. Each small piece of stone was cut to fit the design then set in the wall like a piece of tile. There are 14 different geometrical designs spread out in the ruins, each thought to symbolize the sky, earth, the feathered serpent or other important cultural image.
Upon entering the secondary courtyard of the Columns Group, there are two holes which lead to empty tombs, thought to have been plundered in ancient times. In one of the tombs is a large column. Local myth refers to this column as the Column of Life. Depending on the speaker, the myth claims that if a person hugs the column, the number of hand widths remaining between the hands will tell either how long that person will live, or how many children they will have.
Yagul
These ruins are found on a mountain ridge from where the Zapotecs could view a large area of the valley and thereby protect their people from invaders. The buildings here are also lined with stone mosaics, like the ones found at Mitla. The major feature here is the ball court. It is the largest ball court in Oaxaca and the second largest ever found in Mexico. The ball courts found in Oaxaca differ from those found elsewhere in Mesoamerica, as the Oaxaca ball courts were build without rings on the side walls.
Lambityeco
Lambityeco is a part of a large, unexcavated city called Yeguih. Most siginificant and interesting here are the stucco masks found on the south wall. One of the masks represents the rain deity, called Cocijo by the Zapotecs and Chac by the Mayas. Two of the other masks are thought to be representations of the people buried in one of the tombs.
