Travel log
Oaxaca antiguo
Day 1
MONTE ALBÁN
The most majestic of Oaxaca’s ancient ruins, Monte Alban, meaning “White Mountain,” is an ancient Zapotec capital and archaeological site with a spectacular mountain top location overlooking the valleys of Oaxaca. Monte Alban sits just a few kilometers west of Oaxaca City.
Monte Alban, being one of the culturally and historically significant places to visit in Mexico, received the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 1987. The site is situated an impressive 400 m (1300 feet) above the floor of the Oaxaca valley.
When you arrive at Monte Alban you’ll immediately notice that the ruins of pyramids, temples, plazas, and other residential structures all center on the Great Plaza, a large open area on the flattened mountain top that offers excellent 360-degree views of the city and valleys below.
Across the Plaza, the north platform, home to the largest complex of structures at Monte Alban, rivals the Great Plaza in size and offers the best views of the surrounding area.
Along the eastern side of the Great Plaza you’ll find altars, pyramids and a ball court. The plaza’s west side is lined with ceremonial platforms, including the earliest known structure at Monte Alban that houses the site’s most important discovery, a series of rock carvings known as Los Danzantes (The Dancers).
At the far north end, near the entrance, is an area with tombs, some of which have been excavated revealing a variety of paintings and stone carvings. There are 170 known tombs in Monte Alban and a collection of artifacts discovered in them is on display in the Regional Museum of Oaxaca in nearby Oaxaca city.
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One of the main tourist attractions of Oaxaca is its handicrafts, these are distinguished by their color, texture and creativity, perhaps that is why the alebrijes are one of the most representative creations of Oaxaca.
The town of San Antonio Arrazola is the place of origin of the wooden alebrijes.
These are made with zompantle, copal or copalillo that the artisans extract directly or buy to the "copaleros". The wood is carved before it dries to give it the shape that will have the alebrije once finished. Once dry the wood is sanded and prepared for decoration. The craftsmen paint the wood and draw on it with different techniques to give the color and the final design to these figures.
The craftsman's imagination recreates mythical beings like dragons or mermaids, but also creates fantastic beings, like a jaguar with a crocodile's head, a porcupine with wings or armadillos with brightly colored shells, lines and dots.
The alebrijes are unique, no two pieces are alike, the craftsman discovers the shape that keeps the wood and prints each piece whit his personal touch. For Arrazola´s craftsman the wood is as well they say "mother of our imagination".
Although the alebrijes of Arrazola are more and more appreciated, they can still be found at affordable prices, this varies according to the decoration, the type and the shape of the wood. The craftsmen sell them in their workshops and in the markets, the quality of some of their creations takes them to hotels and galleries.
For a few years now, during the vacation periods, the tourist walk of the municipal agency of Arrazola where "La Feria del Alebrije" is organized, in which the handicraft work of several dozens of families of this village is exhibited.
San Antonio Arrazola is located in the municipality of Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, less than 10 kilometers southwest of the Oaxaca City. It can easily be reached by car on the road that goes to Zaachila, as well as on the urban buses of Monte Albán.
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ARRAZOLA XOXO
CUILAPAM DE GUERRERO
The beautiful town of Cuilapam de Guerrero is located in the state of Oaxaca, in the southern part of the region known as Central Valleys.
Its origin is Mixteco and according to the historians its first name was "Sahayuco" which means "Foot of hill", originally it was to the foot of the hill of Monte Albán. Later it was called Coyolapan, which derived to Cuilapam whose meaning is "Valley of cocoyoles" and the appellative "of Guerrero" was granted to him in honor of the Mexican hero Vicente Guerrero, executed in this locality in 1831.
Former Convent of Cuilapam
When you get to Cuilápam, the first thing you should visit is its former convent, which is a magnificent building that is the main tourist attraction of the town. It is a Dominican temple built in the 16th century with large walls made of green quarry and river stones.
Inside the former convent is located a small museum that exhibits important vestiges of the region, in addition, we can find mural paintings, mostly in black and white, decorating its interior walls.
The temple and convent are dedicated to the Apostle Santiago and also have an Open Chapel, a non roof building that was one of the most important centers of evangelization in the central valleys of Oaxaca.
The Legend of Princess Donají
In this beautiful temple was buried the famous Zapotec princess Donají, who died beheaded by the Mixtecs in the pre-columbian city of Monte Alban. According to legend, the Mixtecs refused to reveal the place where the princess's head had been buried until, a while later, a shepherd boy found her, with a lily growing on his intact face.
The Dominican friars thought that by giving a Christian burial to the temple they would attract more faithful devotees to the Catholic religion, so they baptized their mortal remains as Juana Cortes and since then the beautiful Princess Donají rests in the majestic temple of Cuilapam.
Vicente Guerrero
The former convent is also an important part of Mexico's history, given that Vicente Guerrero, second President of the Nation, had been imprisoned in its walls. Don Vicente Guerrero was betrayed in Acapulco and taken to Huatulco, disembarking in what is now known as the "Bay of Delivery", was later imprisoned in this convent and shot in his backyard on February 14, 1831.
As you can see, Cuilapam de Guerrero is a beautiful town with a great historical and cultural past and one of the wonders of the state of Oaxaca that you should know.
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