Colorful old houses (now shops and restaurants) in the shadow of Santo Domingo church
Papier mache skeleton for Day of Dead celebrations
The church of Santo Domingo de Guzman was founded in 1572 and finished in 1731.
Agave plants are important in the Oaxaca area, used to make rope, cloth, tequila, and mezcal.
The church of Santo Domingo de Guzman has been called one of the most beautiful in Latin America.
The church was founded by Dominican monks; part of the ceiling features Dominicans who became Pope
A statue of Juan Diego, to whom the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared in 1531
A much plainer neighborhood church, also begun in the 1500s
We looked in the church and saw a quinceanera, a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday
Oaxaca'a main shopping street, the Alcala, is off-limits to cars and great for strolling
More colorful old Oaxaca houses (many open onto a central courtyard)
A clothing vendor weaving on a backstrap loom
A street vendor selling cigarettes and candy stops for a rest
This shop is decorated with murals made entirely of beans
Detail of a bean mural shows a Oaxacan woman in festival clothes
An artist sells his paintings outside the Santo Domingo church
A shoe repair shop looks atmospheric in the lamp light
This 17th-century colonial building now houses Oaxaca's museum of modern art
A vendor selling woven baskets and Christmas decorations
Besides picturesque charm, Oaxaca has strong political currents. This banner protests the killing of two human rights workers in 2010.
A clothing vendor embroidering a shirt
Locally woven rugs for sale in Oaxaca
This house with big bouganvilla trees in the windows was one of our local landmarks
A rooftop cafe in the center of the city
Chris and Francesca out for a day's walk
A display of cloth in Oaxaca's wonderful textile museum
Balloon sellers in Oaxaca's main square, the zocolo
Melissa and Francesca enjoy the local playground
A seller of local herbs and flowers in a market
Oaxacan textiles are wonderfully colorful
Carved and painted animals are a traditional Oaxacan craft
A small shrine to the Virgin Mary in a marketplace
A village woman in traditional festival dress embroiders cloth in a special Christmas market
Dancers in the traditional dress of villages near Oaxaca wait to perform for a wedding at Santo Domingo church
These feathered headdresses are used for a Zapotec dance that predates the Sapnish conquest of Mexico
Giant papier mache dancing puppets are a common part of Oaxacan festivals
