After morning pickup by coach from your Oaxaca hotel, travel a short distance east to Santa Maria del Tule, a town known for a natural wonder: a 2,000-year-old Montezuma cypress, or a tule tree, located within the church grounds at the town center. Considered to be the thickest of any in the world, this 509-ton tule boasts a trunk with a girth of 173 feet (53 meters),
Next, explore the archaeological ruins of Mitla, a well-preserved Mesoamerican site in the Oaxaca Valley. Gaze at the elaborate design of the mosaics, made with finely cut and polished stone pieces. Gorgeous fretwork decorates panels, friezes, tombs, and entire walls. Learn about the Zapotecs who used the city as a religious center, relatively isolated until Spanish conquest in the early 1500s, and view the colonial Church of San Pablo, built by the Spanish in the 16th century.
Make a final stop in the Zapotec community of Teotitlan of the Valley. Here, artisan weavers build wool rugs on domestic looms, using natural dyes to color their pictorial designs. You might even see reproductions of Picasso and Matisse! Visit a local weaver’s home for a look before heading back to Oaxaca with drop-off at your hotel.
