| Mexico - Sites |
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Oaxaca
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| Oaxaca is a distinctive colonial city with its charming Spanish
Colonial style
buildings. The place is very easy to get around because it is only small
city and you can easily walk to places of interest. It is also
reasonable safe to travel on your own here. The town square is quite lively with plenty of restaurants and cafeterias. There are street vendors around and some of them sell some great handmade jewellery at cheap prices. A walk along the streets of the main city reveals many musical groups that play on the streets and add to the character the city. There are a number of markets in Oaxaca providing the tourist with a huge variety of hand crafted goods. You can purchase some artistic leather goods which have quite elaborate designs. There are also some beautiful paintings done on special bark paper which is made from cacti plants of the region. These markets are very special and filled with interesting goods that will be hard find anywhere else. The indigenous people of the area also sell a type of grasshopper as a typical dish of the region. You can buy a bag of these grasshoppers for less than $1US. Some of the most popular tours to take whilst visiting Oaxaca include Monte Alban and the Tlacolula Valley. Monte Alban is well known for its beauty as well as for an archaeological site containing a number of temples built in accordance to tracking of celestial bodies such as constellations. It also houses a rare insight into pre-Columbian medical practises that include brain surgery. The site is adjacent to a museum which provides the tourist with an in depth look at the daily lives and customs of the people of the time. The location gets its name from a white flower that grows on local trees and gives the impression of an Albino Tlacolula Valley - Tours include visits to a number of places interest such as: Tequila making distilleries at Mezcal, where you can try a wide variety of tequilas for free. Tule Cypress - The widest tree in the world, located in Santa Maria del Tule in Oaxaca. Makers of Zapotec rugs, table runners and shoals - hand woven with natural dyes from Oaxaca and made by loom techniques. Archaeological sites including ancient burial sites located at Pablo Villa de Mitla. “Hierve el Agua” - Witness Petrified cascades, a beautiful place on the mountains that has swimming rock pools and small typical restaurants with a beautiful view of the mountains. Distance From Mexico City: 488kms (6hrs by BUS) Climate: ~18C(64F) to 45C (113F), warm climate Getting There: Plane, Bus 6hrs (From Mexico City) Top |
