The Valley of Oaxaca, México

The Y-shaped valley has three arms: the northern Etla valley, the eastern Tlacolula valley, and the southern Ejutla valley valley. The area has a long history of indigenous culture, with some of the oldest and most important Archaeological sites in Mexico located in and around the Oaxaca Valley, including San José Mogote, Monte Albán, Mitla, and Yagul.

A diagram of the area with key archaeological sites is shown below: ( from Feinman and Nicholas, 2019 )

At 80 miles long and about 15 miles wide, it is possible to visit the three valleys in easy day trips from a central location in Oaxaca City.

Click the buttons below to zoom to the different valley sections:

Oaxaca has a large indigenous population, with Zapotec and Mixtec languages most commonly spoken especially in rural areas. Many housholds in the area are bilingual or speak only Zapotec or Mixtec.

The dark shaded municipalities in the map at right have >50% of households speaking both Spanish and at least one indigenous language.

Especially in the hill areas surrounding the valley, indigenous language and culture are dominant. Zapotec is the most common language, spoken mostly in the east and south, with Mixtec a second common language, more spoken in northern areas of the valley and hills.

Each of the three valley arms has several towns and villages which serve as weekly hubs for the surrounding areas to buy and sell crafts and farm products. The market towns have a long history, many originating in the pre-colonial period and still thriving.

In the Zapotec language, weekly markets in towns are called "tsanguis." These markets are immensely popular and have a long history in the region as artisan centers. Artisans, farmers, and tradespeople come from the surrounding valleys to tsanguis markets to sell pottery, furniture, woven goods and food.

In the Tlacolula valley, the town of Tlacolula de Matamoros houses one of the most vibrant indigenous markets in the area, held every Thursday.

The nearby temple site at Mitla is a temple area inhabited by the Zapotec and Mixtec from the postclassic into the early colonial period.

The Mitla ruins are easily visited , located just outside the town of San Pablo Villa de Mitla.

The background photo shows a detailed view of the intricate mortar-free rock construction which makes up all of the the temple walls at Mitla. (Photo:  Bobak Ha Eri ).

Mitla is accessible and easily visited from Tlacolula de Matamoros or Santa Maria del Tule.

The Ejutla valley also has a long history of settlement and has several popular indigenous market towns, including Ocotlán de Morelos.

The Etla valley is centered on the town of Santa Maria Atzompa, which is famous for its pottery markets.

The Etla valley arm contains the archaeological site of San Jose Mogote, one of the oldest in the region.

Just west and south of Oaxaca city, Monte Albán is a sprawling mountaintop archaeological site just southwest of the city of Oaxaca. Overlooking the whole valley, the site was the seat of Zapotec power in the region for nearly a milennium. (Photo credit: David Confran, wikimedia).

The city of Oaxaca de Juarez was the colonial Spanish capital. Hernan Cortes was granted rule over large portions of southern México by the Spanish crown and he built a palace a the city center, dealing harshly with the surrounding indigenous towns.

The town is a bustling tourist and market area. Vendors travel to Oaxaca City from all around the three valleys, coming to the weekly central markets to sell artisinal goods, food, and to work in the city.

traditional carved figurines

The city is a great place to explore the surrounding indigenous culture, to find beautiful artisinal works, and to experience the foodways and culture of the region, including Mezcal which is distilled from locally grown maguey cactus.

Made from local maguey cactus.