Palacio de Gobierno

On the south side of the Zócalo stands the former Palacio de Gobierno, a wonder of marble and murals that houses a lovely, modern Museo del Palacio. Its stairway mural by Arturo García Bustos depicts famous Oaxacans and Oaxaca history, including Benito Juárez and his wife, Margarita Maza, and José María Morelos, Porfirio Díaz, Vicente Guerrero (being shot at Cuilapan) and Juana Inés de la Cruz, a 17th-century nun and love poet. The exhibitions upstairs are stunningly modern and high tech, looking at Oaxacan (and indeed world) history with lots of hands-on displays for kids. It also houses the world’s largest tortilla!