The state capital OAXACA sprawls across a grand expanse
of deep-set valley, 1600m above sea level, some 500km southeast of
Mexico City. Its colour, folklore, numerous fiestas, the huge
extent of its indigenous market and its thoroughly colonial centre
combine to make this one of the most popular, and most rewarding,
destinations for travellers, many of whom come here to study. Even
the increase in package tourism and the pedestrianization of
Macedonia Alcalá, the main thoroughfare from the zócalo to the
cathedral, a street now lined with high-class handicraft and
jewellery shops, have done little to destroy the city's gentle
appeal. Furthermore, Oaxaca is also widely seen as the artistic
centre of Mexico, with several state-run and private galleries,
resident artists, art and jewellery master classes and regular
exhibitions (including free ones in the zócalo). In the market and
in shops everywhere, you'll find Oaxaca's trademark fantastical and
fantastically coloured model animals.
Once central to the Mixtec and Zapotec
civilizations, the city later took a lesser role. Cortés ,
attracted by the area's natural beauties, took the title of Marques
del Valle de Oaxaca, and until the Revolution his descendants held
vast estates hereabouts. But for practical purposes, Oaxaca was of
little interest to the Spanish, with no mineral wealth and no great
joy for farmers (though coffee was grown). Nevertheless, by 1796 it
had become the third largest city in Nueva España, thanks to the
export of cochineal and subsequently textile manufacturing.
Meanwhile, the indigenous population was left to get on with
life far more than was generally the case, with only the
interference of a proselytizing Church to put up with. An
earthquake destroyed much of the city in 1854 and the slow
rebuilding was shaken to pieces by another quake in 1931. The
city's most famous son, Benito Juárez , is commemorated
everywhere in Oaxaca, a privilege not shared by Porfirio
Díaz , the second most famous Oaxaqueño, whose dictatorship
most people choose to forget.
Nowadays Oaxaca is becoming an industrial city - the
population is well over 200,000, the streets choked and noisy, with
large numbers of people choosing to retreat here from Mexico City,
resulting in an increase in property values - yet it seems set to
remain easy to handle. In the colonial centre , thanks to
strict building regulations, the provincial charm is hardly
affected, and just about everything can be reached on foot.
Provincial it remains, too, in its habits - the big excitements are
dawdling in a café, or gathering in the famous zócalo to
stroll and listen to the town band; by eleven at night much of the
city is asleep, although late-night dancers are still going
strong.
Surrounding Oaxaca is some fantastic topography, making an
impressive backdrop to the city skyline at sunset. The Sierra Madre
del Sur enters Oaxaca state from the west, while the Sierra Madre
de Oaxaca runs down from Mexico's central volcanic belt. The two
ranges meet in the centre of the state and between them, converging
in Oaxaca town, lie the three Valles Centrales