In these two lovely tour videos below you can join along with The Archaeological Conservancy in Oaxaca for a taste of one of the most beautiful areas of Mexico: the Oaxaca Valley. Oaxaca lies in a semitropical valley surrounded by the peaks of the Sierra Madre del Sur. Vast and spectacular ruins of Ancient Mixtecan and Zapotecan civilizations lie just outside the city.
In the video ” Archaeology of Oaxaca Valley” Dr. Jeffrey Blomster, Professor of anthropological archaeologist and editor of After Monte Albán: Transformation and Negotiation in Oaxaca, Mexico, leads our group to visit many famous archaeological sites of the Oaxaca Valley. In the video join as we explore the impressive ruins of Monte Albán, a city built by the Zapotecs between 500 B.C. and A.D. 750. Next they tour Dainzú, a Zapotec city founded in 350 B.C. that controlled a narrow valley pass, as well as the ruins at Yagul and Lambityeco. On another excursion the group tours the elaborate ruins of Mitla. Built by the Zapotec and later occupied by the Mixtec, the masonry buildings are decorated with mosaics made from thousands of hand carved stones. The group also visits Zaachila, the last capital of the Zapotec kingdom; and in the Etla Valley and tours the site of San José Mogote, an important village first occupied around 1400 B.C.
Although the main focus was the valley’s amazing archaeological sites, museums and attractions, the group also discovered crafts villages, costume parades and of course some of the best culinary delights to be found on the planet.
In the video “Craft Villages of Oaxaca” the group visits tour nearby crafts villages, including San Bartolo Coyotepec, San Martín Tilcajete, Santo Tomás Jalieza, and Ocotlan de Morales, and the wood carving village of Arrazola. They conclude with the native weaving village of Teotitlán del Valle. Our participants get an up close and personal encounter with the master artisans of the region learning about each step along the way to spectacular creations. They meet masters of natural dyeing, pottery, wood carving and painting, weaving, paper arts and rug weaving.
The lure of Oaxaca is hard to resist. Its appeal goes beyond the Spanish Colonial architecture and the epicurean delights. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of experiencing the area (or those of you longing to return to Oaxaca), we will be running this trip again in the Fall of 2017.
Thank you so much to John Sadd, Tour Participant and Volunteer, for making and sharing these great tour videos!!
- More about Oaxaca with the Conservancy- The Lure of Oaxaca: Conservancy Tours for Day of the Dead
- Explore Our Other Upcoming Archaeological Adventures
