Best of Oaxaca Valley

Santa María del Tule [1]: Townsfolk have literally built their town around their gigantic beloved El Tule tree, a cousin of the giant redwood trees of California.

Teotitlán del Valle [2]: Fine wool carpets and hangings, known locally as tapetes, are the prized product of dozens of local family workshop-stores.

Mitla [3]: Explore the monumental plazas and columned buildings, handsomely adorned by a treasury of painstakingly placed greca (Grecian-like) stone fretwork.

San Bartolo Coyotepec [4]: A small city of roadside home-workshops and an unmissable museum display the famously pearly-black pottery pioneered by celebrated potter Doña Rosa a generation ago.

Zaachila [5]: Its monumental archaeological zone and riotously colorful tianguis make Zaachila a Thursday destination of choice in Oaxaca.

Monte Albán [6]: Any day is a good day to visit this, Mesoamerica’s earliest true metropolis, which to some still seems to rule from its majestic mountain-top throne.

San José El Mogote [7]: Its regal reconstructed pyramids and plazas and the unforgettably red diablo enchilado displayed in its community museum, plus the neighboring Etla market [8], make San José El Mogote a worthwhile Wednesday out-of-town excursion.