Route of the Dominican |
San José el Mogote
Among the main structures of this archaeological site are its famous adoratorios (places of worship). Human occupation at San José el Mogote goes back to 1500 B C. It was the most important urban center in the Central Valleys before Monte Albán was founded. Archaeological exploration carried out here has been decisive for unraveling the history of the region. Its urban distribution and the architectural characteristics of its buildings allow us to deduce that it was the headquarters of a markedly elitist social organization. Many of the objects recovered during excavation are on exhibit in the small community museum located in a part of the old hacienda. This museum is one of the thirteen community museums found in Oaxaca, where you can learn about the history and customs of the different communities. From Oaxaca City go 12 kilometers down Federal Highway 190 toward Mexico City, then take the turnoff to the left and go 1 1/2 kilometers. |
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Villa de Etla (Wednesday is Market Day)
The construction of the church, convent, and the town of Etla began after Dominicans had an aqueduct constructed to a hill to the east of the current town. On the west side of the cloister there is a plaque with the following inscription: “It began and was finished in the year 1636,” although Padre Burgoa states that Padres José Calderón and Alfonso Espinoza began construction in 1620. This architectural group includes a large walled atrium, a church, and to the right the convent. On the eastern side is the Capilla del Santísimo that communicates with the presbytery of the church via a passageway through the wall. In the church there is a seventeenth-century table with legs adorned with carved with zoomorphic figures. Etla is 19 kilometers (30 minutes) to the northwest of Oaxaca City. Take Federal Highway 131. |
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San Agustín Etla
On the way to the town of Etla, there are several great tourist attractions that you must see, such as, the town of San Agustín Etla and Vista Hermosa with its Oaxaca art paper workshop and paper factory (former project of the painter Francisco Toledo), enjoy the beautiful façade of the textiles factory of Vista Hermosa; which is located up the road from San Agustín Etla. |
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Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán
In Náhuatl yanhuitlán means new town. The Mixtecs called it yosocahui: the new plain. Here you will find the Church and Ex-convent of Santo Domingo, an architectural complex that at its peak was the second most important part of the Dominican's holdings in the Oaxacan region. It is one of the most outstanding examples of sixteenth-century architecture in New Spain. The buildings were erected upon an enormous prehispanic platform. Although some modifications were made in the eighteenth century, it preserves many of its original paintings and sculptures, among which the main attraction is the sixteenth-century main retable painted by Andrés de la Concha de Seville. To get there from Oaxaca City take Federal Highway 190 toward Mexico City. At kilometer 119 (look for the kilometer signs along the road) you will reach Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán. You can also get to this charming place by taking the turnoff in Nochixtlán. |
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San Pedro and San Pablo Teposcolula
The Dominicans settled here in 1541 and began the construction of one of their most outstanding groups of religious buildings in New Spain shortly afterward. It has a magnificent open chapel that is one of the finest examples of sixteenth-century architecture in Oaxaca. The church had two choirs, one for singers and another for musicians. Early on the chapel was adorned with a retable painted by Andrés de la Concha and Andrés Pereyns. Some of their works are still preserved inside the church. Teposculula is 23 kilometers past Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán. To get there take the turnoff to Tlaxiaco from Federal Highway 190 heading toward Mexico City. |
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