History

Oaxaca has two places declared by UNESCO as belonging to the Cultural Heritage of Mankind: the archaeological site of Monte Albán and the Centro Historico of Oaxaca City. These pre-Hispanic and colonial riches are without compare in Mesoamerica. The Zapotecs believed that an unknowable and all-powerful supreme force with neither beginning nor end governed the world. They believed that man and nature together formed the maximum divinity, an inseparable unit whose relationship should be of mutual respect, balance, and appreciation. A solar calendar of 365 days marked the passing of the years and of the seasons. While another, a ritual calendar of 260 days, ciphered the secrets of life and the periods in which the world was destroyed and renewed, as if shaken by a purifying cosmic fire. The decline of the Zapotec culture was followed by the booming of the Mixtecs, who in their turn, were displaced by pressure from the Aztecs, without any culture dying out. These people erected ceremonial centers, citadels, and burial sites. The most easily visited archaeological sites in the Central Valleys are Mount Albán, Mitla, Yagul, Lambityeco, Dainzú, and Zaachila.

Oaxaca was founded in 1521 by Francisco de Orozco and was not declared a city until