Lisbi and Pablo

Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca Airport is 6km south of the city, 500m west off Hwy 175, and is served by numerous airlines

Airlines:
- Aeroméxico To/from Mexico City several times daily.- Interjet Flies to Mexico City two or three times daily

- TAR Aerolíneas Direct flights to/from Guadalajara, Villahermosa, Huatulco and Tuxtla Gutiérrez

- United Airlines Flies to/from Houston, Texas daily

- Vivaaerobus Budget airline flying to/from Monterrey two or three times weekly

- Volaris Low-cost Mexican airline with flights to Mexico City (three weekly), Tijuana (five), Monterrey (two) and Los Angeles (three)

Santo Domingo de Guzmán (1172−1221), the Spanish monk who founded the Dominican order, appears as the right-hand one of the two figures holding a church in the center of the facade, and his elaborate family tree adorns the ceiling immediately inside. The Dominicans observed strict vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and in Mexico they protected the indigenous people from other colonists’ excesses.Santo Domingo was built mainly between 1570 and 1608 as part of the city’s Dominican monastery, with the finest artisans from Puebla and elsewhere helping in its construction. Like other big buildings in this earthquake-prone region, it has immensely thick stone walls.
Gorgeous Santo Domingo is the most splendid of Oaxaca’s churches, with a finely carved baroque facade and nearly every square centimeter inside decorated in 3D relief with intricate gilt designs swirling around a profusion of painted figures. Most elaborate of all is the 18th-century Capilla de la Virgen del Rosario (Rosary Chapel) on the south side. The whole church takes on a magically warm glow during candlelit evening Mass.

During the first two phases of Monte Albán culture, temples and other structures were built with dressed stone. Zapotec occupation of the site may be dated with certainty by about the 1st century bce. The beginning of the third and most flourishing phase of Monte Albán corresponds to the Classic Period (300–900 ce). The influence of the Teotihuacán architectural style is quite evident; the zenith of the period was reached circa 500. During the ensuing fourth period, about which little is known, Monte Albán lost its political preeminence, and its structures began to decay. In the final phase, which lasted up to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, the Mixtec inhabited the site; they reused some of the old Zapotec tombs, and the two cultures became fused.Monte Albán, site of ruins of an ancient centre of Zapotec and Mixtec culture, located in what is now Oaxaca state, Mexico. The initial construction at the site has been placed at circa 8th century bce. It contains great plazas, truncated pyramids, a court for playing the ball game tlachtli, underground passageways, and about 170 tombs, the most elaborate yet uncovered in the Americas. The site is located on high ground, probably chosen for its defensibility. The great plaza atop the highest hill is flanked by four platforms; two temples stand on the platform to the south.

Hierve el Agua is a set of natural rock formations in the Mexican state of Oaxaca that resemble cascades of water. The site is located about 70 km east of Oaxaca city, past Mitla, in the municipality of San Lorenzo Albarradas, with a narrow, winding unpaved road leading to the site. The site consists of two rock shelves or cliffs which rise between fifty and ninety metres from the valley below, from which extend nearly white rock formations which look like waterfalls. These formations are created by fresh water springs, whose water is over-saturated with calcium carbonate and other minerals. As the water scurries over the cliffs, the excess minerals are deposited, much in the same manner that stalactites are formed in caves. One of the cliffs, called the "cascada chica" (small waterfall) or the Amphitheatre, contains two large artificial pools for swimming as well as a number of small natural pools. One of the artificial pools is very near the edge of the cliff

The 20th November market (Mercado 20 de Noviembre) in Oaxaca City centre is a must see, especially if you are hungry! The sights and smells of 20th November market are captivating especially if you haven’t visited a market in Oaxaca before. At the 20th November market it is possible to buy your produce and then have it cooked for you, and many people go there for the grilled meat. 20th November market however is not all about grilled meat; there are many other foods available to buy there too, such as mole, empanadas etc. There is also the usual market merchandise that is typical to all markets in Oaxaca, dried chilies, vegetables, artisans etc. This market has the impression of merging with the Benito Júarez market as one is in front of the other.

Mitla is the second most important archeological site in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, and the most important of the Zapotec culture. The site is located 44 km from the city of Oaxaca. in the upper end of the Tlacolula Valley, one of the three that form the Central Valleys Region of the state. The archeological site is within the modern municipality of San Pablo Villa de Mitla.[4] While Monte Albán was most important as the political center, Mitla was the main religious center. The name Mitla is derived from the Nahuatl name Mictlán, which was the place of the dead or underworld. Its Zapotec name is Lyobaa, which means “place of rest.” The name Mictlán was Hispanicized to Mitla by the Spanish. However, what makes Mitla unique among Mesoamerican sites is the elaborate and intricate mosaic fretwork and geometric designs that cover tombs, panels, friezes and even entire walls. These mosaics are made with small, finely cut and polished stone pieces which have been fitted together without the use of mortar. No other site in Mexico has this.