Mark Read

Valles Centrales

The historic yet sophisticated city of Oaxaca is ringed by a slightly more rustic collection of towns and villages that tout some the state's biggest calling cards: ancient Mesoamerican ruins, indigenous crafts, industrious markets, riotous festivals and fields full of mezcal-producing agave plants. There are three main geographical arteries: the Valle de Tlacolula, stretching 50km east from the city; the Valle de Zimatlán, running about 100km south; and the Valle de Etla, reaching about 40km north. All are within easy day-trip distance of Oaxaca city. The people of these Valles Centrales (Central Valleys) are mostly indigenous Zapotec.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Valles Centrales.

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Mineral Springs
Natural springs have never looked this good. Set in truly ethereal surroundings amid low brush-covered mountains, Hierve El Agua (meaning 'the water boils,' but the water temperature is actually cool) is a set of bubbling mineral springs that run into natural infinity pools right on a cliff's edge with spectacular panoramas over the sierra. Water dribbling over the cliff edge for millennia has created unique white mineral formations that resemble huge frozen waterfalls. Arrive early to avoid the crowds. There are two ghostly ‘waterfalls’ at the site. The ‘cascada chica’ is the one nearer the visitor car park and supports four popular mineral pools (the one nearest to the lip of the cliff is humanmade). From here you get perfect views of the more impressive ‘cascada grande.’ To get to the second ‘waterfall’ follow the trail for 1km to its end, where you can enjoy a much quieter more natural spot (with few bathers). The mineral-laden water is cool to cold, though usually swimmable. Altogether it's an utterly unique bathing experience and stunningly beautiful to boot. There are changing rooms just above the pools. Unofficial roadblocks – the result of a local feud – sometimes spring up close to the springs and charge you an extra M$10 to enter.
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Edificio de los Danzantes
This structure combines an early (Monte Albán I) building, which contained famous carvings known as Danzantes (Dancers), with a later structure that was built over it. There are a few original Danzantes in a short passage that you can enter, and copies of others along the wall outside. Carved between 500 and 100 BC, they depict naked men, thought to be sacrificed leaders of conquered neighboring towns. The Danzantes generally have thick-lipped open mouths (sometimes down-turned in Olmec style) and closed eyes. Some have blood flowing where they have been disemboweled.
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Plataforma Norte
The North Platform is almost as big as the Gran Plaza, and affords the best views. It was rebuilt several times over the centuries. The 12 column bases at the top of the stairs were part of a roofed hall. On top of the platform is a ceremonial complex created between AD 500 and 800, which includes the Patio Hundido (Sunken Patio), with an altar at its center; Edificios D, VG and E, which were topped with adobe temples; and the Templo de Dos Columnas.
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Plataforma Sur
The 40m-high South Platform, with its wide staircase, is the tallest in Monte Albán and is great for a panorama of the plaza and the surrounding mountains. Unlike some Mexican ruins, you are allowed to climb to the top of the structure.
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Ex Convento Dominicano
Standing by the highway in dusty Cuilapan, the Ex Convento Dominicano (aka Santiago Apóstol) with its pale 'green' stone walls seems almost to grow out of the land. With half the building missing a roof, one's immediate conclusion is that it's just another ruin. On the contrary, the building was never actually finished. Work on the long low church in front of the monastery with its stately arches and detailed stone carving stopped in 1560 due to financial disputes. Behind is the church that succeeded it, which contains the tomb of Juana Donají (daughter of Cosijoeza, the last Zapotec king of Zaachila) and is normally open only for Mass (noon and 5pm Saturday and Sunday). Adjoining the church is a two-story Renaissance-style cloister. A painting of Mexican independence hero Vicente Guerrero hangs in the small room where he was held in 1831 before being executed by soldiers supporting the rebel conservative Anastasio Bustamante. Outside, a monument marks the spot where he was shot. Aside from its roofless church and Guerrero associations, the convent is notable for its Moorish architectural influences and faded murals that incorporate some unusual indigenous themes.
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Zona Arqueológica
Ancient Zaachila, rather like Mitla, was a post-Classic Zapotec city that took root after the demise of Monte Albán. It was later conquered by the Mixtecs. The rough date of its establishment is sketchy, but it probably reached its apogee in the 1300s. The Zona Arqueológica sits behind the village church overlooking the main plaza and consists of a small assortment of mounds where you can enter two small tombs used by the ancient Mixtecs. Tumba 1 retains sculptures of owls, a turtle-man figure and various long-nosed skull-like masks. Tumba 2 has no decoration, but in it was found a Mixtec treasure hoard that’s now in the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City. When Mexican archaeologists first tried to excavate these tombs in the 1940s and 1950s, they were run off by irate Zaachilans. The tombs were finally excavated under armed guard in 1962. You can see photos of some of the objects that were carted off.
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Edificio J
Arrowhead-shaped Building J, constructed about 100 BC and riddled with tunnels and staircases (unfortunately you can’t go inside), stands at an angle of 45 degrees to the other Gran Plaza structures and was an observatory. Astronomical observation enabled the ancients to track the seasons, calculate agricultural cycles and make prophesies. Figures and hieroglyphs carved on the building's walls record Monte Albán’s military conquests.
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Edificio P
Building P was topped by a small pillared temple and was probably an observatory of some sort. The sun shines directly down into a small opening near the top at the solar zenith passages (when the sun passes directly overhead at noon on May 5 and August 8).
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Juego de Pelota
The stone terraces of the deep Ball Court, constructed about 100 BC, were probably part of the playing area, not seats for spectators. It’s thought they were covered with a thick coating of lime, meaning the ball would roll down them.