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Population: 244,727 inhabitants in the
city.
Location: Oaxaca State is located in the south-east portion of
Mexico.
 Oaxaca
is a beautiful colonial city located a little over 300 miles south
of Mexico City. The city owes its fame to the beauty and harmony
of its architecture, the richness of its cultural traditions,
the wide variety of its typical foods, and its soft temperate
climate which is spring-like throughout the year. Its name comes
from the Indian word Huaxyácal. In Oaxaca you will find
an incredible mix of both Spanish and indigenous culture.
Please
note that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found
to the right of this pages. 
The center of Oaxaca is made
up entirely of colonial buildings and churches. You can spend
days just walking through the narrow streets of Oaxaca visiting
all the old buildings and admiring the lovely courtyards located
within them. The zocalo, the most important part of any Mexican
town, is especially interesting. Surrounding the area are many
sidewalk cafes and restaurants where you can sit in the sun and
enjoy watching the activities in the plaza. The area is always
full of vendors, locals, tourists, and during the nights, there
are always bands playing.
 From
the zocalo, the city proceeds in an orderly manner on streets
extremelyclean and full of flowing traffic. Close by, one of the
main streets is closed to cars. It connects the zocalo with the
Santo Domingo Temple and it known as "Andador Turistico"
(Tourist Boulevard). The Contemporary Art Museum is located here
as are many of the old colonial houses, various galleries, restaurants,
and some of the most distinguished jewelry and handcraft stores
in the city. At the end of the Tourist Boulevard stands the exceptional
Santo Domingo Temple, a splendid example of Mexican baroque architecture.
If buying local arts and crafts
are something you are interested in, Oaxaca is the place to go.
In and around the city there are markets where you can buy pottery,
carvings, paintings, rugs, plus much more! The main market day
in Oaxaca is on Saturday. Merchants from all over the area bring
in their goods to sell. Every other day of the week, the surrounding
towns have their own markets. Each town specializes in a certain
good. Trips to these markets are a wonderful way to get to know
this fascinating region of Mexico.
 In
and around the city itself, there are many different archaeological
ruins, all of which are very well worth a trip. The most famous
of which is Monte Alban, an ancient ceremonial complex on a mountain
top overlooking Oaxaca.
Finally, for those interested
in something even more relaxing, Oaxaca is just a few hours away
from the beautiful tropical beach areas of Huatulco and Puerto
Escondido.
Without a doubt, Oaxaca
is an ideal place to learn Spanish and experience Mexico!
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