Valles Centrales
This rehabilitated former convent, previously a dilapidated jail, is now a first-class art museum and includes a room dedicated to the work of local magic realist artist, Rodolfo Morales. Morales was responsible for driving much of the restoration of the building which began in 1995. His ashes are interred here too.
After enjoying the art, it's also worth perusing the adjacent church framed by a lovely avenue of slender trees.
Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca
19.19 MILES
Got two hours? You'll need it for the Museum of Oaxacan Cultures, housed in the beautiful monastery buildings adjoining the Templo de Santo Domingo. This…
18.58 MILES
The former capital of the Zapotec people is today an illustrious ruin, but for over a thousand years it served as the second-largest ceremonial site in…
26.88 MILES
Natural springs have never looked this good. Set in truly ethereal surroundings amid low brush-covered mountains, Hierve El Agua (meaning 'the water boils…
19.16 MILES
Gorgeous Santo Domingo is the most splendid of Oaxaca’s churches, with a finely carved baroque facade and nearly every square centimeter inside decorated…
22.93 MILES
Second only to Monte Albán in their importance, though not as old, the ruins of ancient Mitla date from the final two or three centuries before the…
21.03 MILES
If you like your pre-Hispanic Mexican ruins suitably ‘ruined’ and crowd-free without compromising on authenticity or spectacular setting, opt for Atzompa…
Centro de las Artes de San Agustín
28.5 MILES
Pretty San Agustín's large, early-20th-century textile mill has been superbly restored as the Centro de las Artes de San Agustín (CaSa), a spectacular…
17.75 MILES
Visitors flock to the village of El Tule to behold El Árbol del Tule, which is, by some counts, the fattest tree in the world. California's General…
1. Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca
11.71 MILES
San Bartolo's excellent, modern, folk-art museum, with its bright pink facade, is on the south side of the main village plaza. It’s very nicely done and…
11.73 MILES
It was doña Rosa Real Mateo (1900−80) who invented the method of burnishing barro negro with quartz stones for the distinctive shine. Her family…
12.14 MILES
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…
15.47 MILES
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…
17.08 MILES
A popular place to taste and buy artisan mezcal right next to the fields where they grow the agave. Granted, it's a hot spot on the tour-bus circuit (if…
17.2 MILES
Tlacolula's main church is notable for its ornate baroque side-chapel, known colloquially as the Capilla de la Plata (Silver Chapel), a dazzling riot of…
17.75 MILES
Visitors flock to the village of El Tule to behold El Árbol del Tule, which is, by some counts, the fattest tree in the world. California's General…
18.28 MILES
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…