Mexico (Page 1: Oaxaca)

Oaxaca - a view of the city.  This is the capital of the eponymous state, with a population nearing 500,000.

Oaxaca - view of the Zócalo, or main sqaure, taken in front of the large 17C cathedral.

Oaxaca - another view of the Zócalo, this one taken from the balcony of my hotel room.

Oaxaca - a street scene, showing the colonial atmosphere of the city.

Oaxaca - Church and Plaza of San Felipe Neri.  The church dates from the mid-18C.

Oaxaca - facade on the Church of San Felipe Neri.

Oaxaca - Church of Santo Domingo, constructed in the late 16C and considered one of Oaxaca's finest churches.

Oaxaca - detail of the front facade of the Church of Santo Domingo.

Oaxaca - view from inside the Church of Santo Domingo of the adjacent plaza.

Oaxaca - statue of Benito Juárez, father of Mexican independence.

Oaxaca - a colorful street behind the Church of Santo Domingo.

Oaxaca - the Camino Real Hotel, housed in a former 17C convent and beautifully restored.

Cuilapan - this unfinished convent from the late 16C lies in a small village 17km from Oaxaca.  It is now in ruins.

Cuilapan - interior view of the main chapel.

Zaachila - this town lies roughly 15km southeast of Oaxaca, and is famous for its Zapotec tombs.

Zaachila - view of one of the Zapotec tombs, believed to date from the 12C.

Dainzú - this site was occupied from c. 750 - 1000 AD, roughly contemporaneous with Monte Albán.

Dainzú - view of the ceremonial ballcourt.

Lambityeco - another small Zapotec site, occupied from about 700 AD.  The view is of a ceremonial pyramid.

Tlacochahuaya - a small town in the visinity of several archaeological sites.  The beautiful church dates from the mid-16C.

 Tlacolula - a small market town in the vicinity.

Tlacolula - the principal church resembles that of Santo Domingo in nearby Oaxaca.

Mitla - after Monte Albán, the most famous site in the state of Oaxaca.  The colonial church is set amidst the ruins, and dates from the late 16C.

Mitla - view of the first patio.  Mitla was founded about 100 AD, and was continuously occupied until its "discovery" by the Spanish in 1528.

Mitla - view of the walls which surround the first patio.

Mitla - the Hall of the Columns, between the first and second patios.

Mitla - the second patio.  The color is largely original.

Mitla - the second patio looking west.

Mitla - the second patio, looking toward the colonial church.

Yagul - a small site near Mitla.  It was a large Zapotec and Mixtec religious center, and has the second largest prehispanic ballcourt in Mexico.

Yagul - one of several pyramids at the site.

Map courtesy of Lonely Planet.