Oaxaca
Encyclopedia : O : OA : OAX : Oaxaca
- Oaxaca is the name of both a state in Mexico and that state's capital city. This article is about the state. For the city, see: Oaxaca, Oaxaca.
| Oaxaca | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Location | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Capital | Oaxaca | |
| Area | 93,952 km² Ranked 5th | |
| Population (2005 census) | 3,506,821 Ranked 10th | |
| HDI (2004) | 0.7164 - medium Ranked 31st | |
| Governor (2004-2010) | Ulises Ruiz Ortiz (PRI) | |
| Federal Deputies | PRI: 11 | |
| Federal Senators | PRI: 2 PRD: 1 | |
| ISO 3166-2 Postal abbr. | MX-OAX Oax. | |
The Mexican state of Oaxaca (pronounced /wɑˈhɑkɑ/ in English) is in the southern part of Mexico, west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Oaxaca borders the states of Guerrero to the west, Puebla to the northwest, Veracruz to the north, and Chiapas to the east. To the south Oaxaca fronts the Pacific Ocean.
Oaxaca has an area of 95,364 km²; it is the fifth largest state in the Republic. In 2003 it had an estimated population of 3,597,700 people.
The state is located in the mountains and valleys of the Sierra Madre del Sur range.
Oaxaca is the historic home of the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples. Mexico's most famous leader, President Benito Juárez, came from the Oaxacan village of San Pablo Guelatao. Other famous Oaxacans include Rufino Tamayo, Porfirio Diaz, Francisco Toledo, María Sabina, J. Alberto Canseco Díaz, Major League Baseball player Vinny Castilla and many other writers, artists and politicians.
History
During the millennia prior to the arrival of the Aztecs in 1436, the most powerful and influential groups in what is today Oaxaca were the Zapotec, the Mixtec and the Mixe. The civilizations achieved by these groups are reflected in important archeological sites including Monte Albán, Mitla, Guiengola and Huijatzoo.
The influences changed when the Aztecs settled around the Cerro del Fortín and down to the present Church of Carmen Alto where their temple was located. The name of the state comes from the Nahuatl designation they gave to the Central Valley around the capital – "Huaxyácac" or place of the guaje trees because of the great number of this species (Leucaena leucocephala).
As the Spanish who arrived less than a century later found this difficult to pronounce it evolved into the present name of Oaxaca, for the city and for the state. The settlement founded by the Spanish in 1521 as Segura de la Frontera, later known as Nueva Antequera, was officially raised to the category of a "royal" city in 1532 by decree of Emperor Charles V (Carlos I) with the name of Antequera de Guaxaca.
Crafts
Oaxaca has a number of native crafts, including the production of alebrijes, weaving and black clay objects. Oaxaca is also known for producing mezcal, similar to tequila and sometimes with the worm inside the bottle. Oaxaca also produces alebrijes, which are popular wooden carvings of animals, usually painted with very vibrant colors.
External links
- [Official site of the State Government] (in Spanish)
- [Oaxaca's Tourist Guide] (in Spanish and English)
- [Oaxaca's original English newspaper]
- [Towns, cities, and postal codes in Oaxaca] (in Spanish)
- [Information about guaje trees]
| States of Mexico |
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| Aguascalientes • Baja California • Baja California Sur • Campeche • Chiapas • Chihuahua • Coahuila • Colima • Durango • Guanajuato • Guerrero • Hidalgo • Jalisco • México • Michoacán • Morelos • Nayarit • Nuevo León • Oaxaca • Puebla • Querétaro • Quintana Roo • San Luis Potosí • Sinaloa • Sonora • Tabasco • Tamaulipas • Tlaxcala • Veracruz • Yucatán • Zacatecas Federal District: Mexican Federal District | |
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