Experience History in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico

The city of Oaxaca is a popular destination for tourists. With lively festivals and colourful streets, it’s easy to see the appeal. Its colonial history can be seen and felt on every street corner and its proximity to ancient ruins means its a great spot for history lovers. Add to that are the many high end restaurants that make Oaxaca a foodie’s destination. All of this ensures that Oaxaca has something for every type of traveller.

Although the surrounding valley had been inhabited for hundreds of years, the city of Oaxaca was only settled by the indigenous Mexica people in the late 1400s. They came from their capital in Tenochtitlán (Mexico City) to invade the other indigenous settlements in the area, most of whom were Zapotec and Mixtec. They set up the town as a strategic post and named it Oaxaca, after a locally found tree. It didn’t stay Mexica territory for long though. Thinking this was the location of Mexica’s gold, the Spanish came and conquered them in the early 1500s. Like the Mexica, the Spanish also used it as a post to control these newly occupied lands. After the Spanish arrived, the small town developed into a city and went through a few different name changes, including Antequera. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).