![Main cathedral of Oaxaca. The Cathedral de Oaxaca, also referred to as The Cathedral of the Virgin of the Assumption, is the third to be built as the first two were destroyed by large earthquakes in the 16th and 18th centuries.[4] Construction of this third church began in 1702 and it was consecrated in 1733.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110825132018im_/http://cdn0.wn.com/pd/95/b8/4ea8b5ab459514fe9e1cd4d82a32_grande.jpg "Main cathedral of Oaxaca. The Cathedral de Oaxaca, also referred to as The Cathedral of the Virgin of the Assumption, is the third to be built as the first two were destroyed by large earthquakes in the 16th and 18th centuries.[4] Construction of this third church began in 1702 and it was consecrated in 1733.")
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| Name | Oaxaca |
|---|---|
| Native name | Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca |
| Settlement type | State |
| Flag size | 160px |
| Seal size | 70px |
| Motto | El Respeto al Derecho Ajeno es la Paz(Respect for the rights of others is peace) |
| Anthem | Dios Nunca Muere (De facto) |
| Map caption | State of Oaxaca within Mexico |
| Coordinates display | inline,title |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision name | Mexico |
| Subdivision type1 | Capital |
| Subdivision name1 | Oaxaca de Juárez |
| Subdivision type2 | Largest City |
| Subdivision name2 | Oaxaca de Juárez |
| Subdivision type3 | Municipalities |
| Subdivision name3 | 571 |
| Established title | Admission |
| Established date | December 21, 1823 |
| Established title2 | Order |
| Established date2 | 3rd |
| Leader title | Governor |
| Leader name | Gabino Cué |
| Leader title1 | Senators |
| Leader name1 | Ericel Gómez Salomón Jara Cruz Adolfo Toledo |
| Leader title2 | Deputies |
| Leader name2 | |
| Unit pref | Metric |
| Area footnotes | |
| Area total km2 | 93793 |
| Area note | Ranked 5th |
| Elevation max footnotes | |
| Elevation max m | 3720 |
| Population total | 3801962 |
| Population as of | 2010 |
| Population density km2 | auto |
| Population density rank | 22nd |
| Population demonym | Oaxacan (Spanish; Oaxaqueño -a) |
| Population rank | 10th |
| Timezone1 | CST, (UTC-6) |
| Timezone1 dst | CDT |
| Utc offset1 dst | -5 |
| Postal code type | Postal code |
| Postal code | 68–71 |
| Area code type | Area code |
| Area code | |
| Iso code | MX-OAX |
| Blank name sec1 | HDI |
| Blank info sec1 | 0.756 mediumRanked 30th |
| Blank name sec2 | GDP |
| Blank info sec2 | US$ 10,076,445.9 mil |
| Website |
Oaxaca (; ), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca () is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 (almost three quarters) are governed by the system of customs and traditions. Its capital city is Oaxaca de Juárez.
It is located in Southwestern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Guerrero to the west, Puebla to the northwest, Veracruz to the north, Chiapas to the east. To the south, Oaxaca has a significant share of coastline on the Pacific Ocean.
The state is best known for its indigenous peoples and cultures. The most numerous and best known are the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs, but there are sixteen that are officially recognized. These cultures have survived better to the present than most others in Mexico due to the state’s rugged and isolating terrain. Most live in the Central Valleys region, which is also an important area for tourism, attracting people for its archeological sites such as Monte Albán, native culture and crafts. Another important tourist area is the coast, which has the major resort of Huatulco. The state also has some of the greatest biodiversity in Mexico.
In the 1940s and 1950s, new infrastructure projects were begun. These included the Izúcar-Tehuantepec section of the Panamerican Highway and the construction of the Miguel Alemán Dam. Development of tourism has been strongest in the Central Valleys area surrounding the capital, with secondary developments in Huatulco and other locations along the coast. This development was threatened by the violence associated with the 2006 uprising, which severely curtailed the number of incoming tourists for several years.
From the Mexican Revolution until the 2000s, the ruling PRI party held control of almost all of Oaxacan politics from the local to the state level. Challenges to the rule were sporadic and included the student movements of the 1970s, which did bring down the state government. Teachers’ strikes had been frequent since then, culminating in the 2006 uprising in Oaxaca city, which brought in groups protesting the heavy marginalization of the poor. Here several mountain chains come together, with the elevation varying from sea level to asl,
The main reason that indigenous languages and cultures have been able to survive here is the rugged terrain, which isolate communities. who maintain their individual languages, customs and traditions well into the colonial period and to some extend to the present day. As of 2005, a total of 1,091,502 people were counted as speaking an indigenous language. They inhabit the Chinantla region of north central Oaxaca near the border of Veracruz. The Chinanteco language has as many as 14 different dialects and is part of the Oto-Manguean linguistic group. The Chinantecos presently inhabit an area in which archaeologists have located temples that were apparently used as ceremonial centers, and where prisoners were supposedly sacrificed during the most important celebrations of the year. Historians believe that those living in this region struggled to maintain their independence against sudden and numerous attacks by the Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Mixes and Aztecs. The latter, led by Moctezuma I, finally conquered the Chinantla region during the 15th century.
The ancient religious practices have been dated by archaeological findings (over a 15 years period of excavations by two Archaeologists of Michigan University) to be more than 7000 years old. Initially, 7000 years ago, the people were “hunters and gatherers with no fixed abode.” 47% of whom attend church services weekly, one of the lowest of the developing world. In absolute terms, Mexico has the world's second largest number of Catholics after Brazil. While most indigenous Mexicans are at least nominally Catholic, some combine or syncretize Catholic practices with native traditions.
Conservation efforts in the state are hampered by high marginalization, lack of economic alternatives, agricultural conflicts, change of land use (agricultural activities, fires), over exploitation and pollution of natural water sources, inadequate forest management and illegal tree felling, unsustainable coastal tourist developments, climate change, limited local capacity, and limited local knowledge and valuation of natural resources. There are various smaller lagoons that are connected by narrow channels. The rest of the park consists of dry land. The park covers , including the high "Cerro de San Felipe" (San Felipe Mountain), part of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca which has metamorphic rock formations. It has a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. There are pine and oak forests in the upper reaches of the mountain, while the lower reaches have scrub oaks, and tropical deciduous forest in the canyons. Most of the forest is secondary growth, having been previously forested. Located in the Santa Maria Huatulco town, to the west of Cruz Huatulco, it extends to an area of . In the low lands of the park, there 9,000 species of plant (about 50% of the species are reported throughout the country) in the forest and mangroves in the coastal belt. Fauna species have been identified as 264, which includes armadillos and white-tailed deer. Bird species are counted at 701, which include hummingbirds, pelicans and hawks. The reptile species are counted to be 470, which include Black Iguana, salamanders and snakes. Dolphins, whales and turtles are sighted species off the coast line, out of the identified 100 amphibian species. Vegetation is dominated by the low forest growth of caducifolia in 80% area with the unusual feature of high trees.
The state was created by a federal decree in 1824, and is the fifth largest state in Mexico.
The area of Oaxaca has been divided into small entities since far back into the pre-Hispanic period. Much of the reason for this is the highly mountainous geography, although the occupation of the area by numerous ethnicities is a factor as well. The area resisted large scale Spanish domination through the colonial era, and maintained local traditions and customs better than other areas of Mexico. Even today, the state has far more municipalities and semi autonomous local authorities than any other state in the nation. There is also a system of thirty districts to group municipalities.
The state has traditionally been divided into seven regions, which took into account variables such as ethnic makeup, economics and geography. Today, the state is divided into eight regions called Valles Centrales, La Cañada, La Mixteca, Sierra Madre del Sur, Sierra Norte, el Istmo, La Costa and El Golfo. These still take into account the traditional variables, but geography plays a larger role.
There is a railroad line connecting the city of Oaxaca with Mexico City for cargo. The state’s major port is Salina Cruz which primarily services ships belonging to PEMEX, bringing crude oil and refined petroleum products along the Mexican coast as well as the United States and Japan. Many of today’s artists from Oaxaca have been inspired by past indigenous paintings as well as the colonial era works of Miguel Cabrera.
The state has not produced as many writers as painters but some important names include Adalberto Carriedo, Jacobo Dalevuelta, Andrés Henestrosa and Natalia Toledo.
Music and dance are almost inextricably linked to the state’s folkloric heritage. Even more modern composers such as Macedonio Alcalá, Samuel, Mondragón Noriega and José López Alavés are strongly influenced by traditional melodies. Traditional music and dance has its roots in the indigenous traditions that existed long before the Spanish arrived. To these traditions were added elements from European culture and Catholicism. The three main traditions to be found in the state are those of the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs, with a small but distinct community of Afro-Mexicans. Some of the best known dances include Los Diablos, La Tortuga, Las Mascaritas and Los Tejorones. In the Afro-Mexican Costa Chica region, a dance called Las Chilenas stands out. La Sandunga is a song that typifies the musical style of the Tehuantepec region and a musical style called “son bioxho” is an endemic form of the son style played with drums, an empty tortoise shell and a reed flute.
The town of Santiago Matatlán calls itself the world capital of mezcal. The best known producer here is Rancho Zapata, which also has a restaurant. It is owned by a man that goes only by the name of Tío (uncle) Pablo, who won first prize for his mescal in Chicago in 2003. In many parts of the Central Valleys area, one can find small stands and stores selling locally made mezcal on roadsides. Many of the attractions in the city proper are located between the main square or Zocalo and along Andador Macedonio Alcalà Street, known as the Andador Turístico or Tourist Walkway. These include the Cathedral, the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, Museum of Contemporary Art (MACO), Rufino Tamayo Museum and the Mercado 20 de Noviembre Market, known for its food stands.
The largest and most important archeological site is Monte Albán, which was capital of the Zapotec empire. The fortified complex is laid out in three zones; the central part approached through a series of steps is a built-up platform that leads to the temples and palaces. It has the largest ball court in the valley and stated to be the largest in the Mesoamerican region. The palace of the rulers is an enormous monolith with six porticos and several entrances, built in stone and clay and covered with stucco. The main tomb has a stone façade, which is beautified with carved human heads and features hieroglyphic motifs on the door slab on both sides. To the south of the Palace of the Six Porticos, there is a narrow street that is paved with stone mosaics extracted from the nearby mountain. The street terminates in to a long, narrow room called the 'Sala de Consejo' (Council Chamber).
Both precious and non-precious metals are worked in the state. Many gold and silver jewelry items are made with filigree (fine metal thread) which is weaved and wrapped into shapes. This technique is Arab in origin and was introduced by the Spanish. The municipalities of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, Juchitán de Zaragoza and Huajuapan de León are known for this work. Other metals, especially iron, are forged into utilitarian and decorative items in places such as Santiago Jamiltepec and Tlacolula de Matamoros. Items produced include mirrors, frames, figures, knives, machetes and more.
Concerning the general population, most of those aged 15 years or older have finished primary school, but completion of secondary school is well below the national average. Just over 21% of the population is illiterate, above the national average of 12.4%. 45% of those over 15 years of age have not finished primary school. Only a small minority of the population has professional aspirations with 6.7% attaining studies at the bacchelaurate level or above. Founded in 1827 as the Oaxacan Institute for Arts and Sciences, today UABJO offers the widest range of curricula in the state. In addition standard undergraduate studies, specialized schools such as the UABJO School of Medicine and UABJO School of Law offer advanced academic degrees (i.e. Juris Doctorate, M.D., PhD) in their respective fields. Other universities the Instituto Tecnológico de Oaxaca, which offers several undergraduate and graduate level programs, and the Universidad de la Sierra Juárez, which was opened in 2005 to help provide higher education to underserved rural areas in the Sierra Juarez mountains.
In addition there is the SUNEO university system. Two of the largest institutions of this system are the Universidad Tecnológica de la Mixteca (UTM) and the Universidad del Mar (UMAR). The first offers bachelor's, master's and postgraduate courses in the areas of computing, electronics, design and business studies, while the second offers undergraduate and master's degrees in the areas of social sciences and marine sciences.
One particular health problem the state has is outbreaks of dengue fever during the rainy season, which occurs from June to October. Some of these cases are hemorrhagic. The problem is more severe in the tropical lowlands of the state, near the ocean.
Despite the health services that exist, there are serious problems and deficiencies. As of 1997, life expectancy in the state was 71.5 years, 9 years higher than in 1990. The death rate has decreased from 5.79 deaths per thousand to 5.14. Forty four percent of pregnant women receive pre-natal care from people who are not medically qualified. 70 women each year die from complications from pregnancy and childbirth, and most of these are avoidable, due to bleeding and eclampsia. For every 100,000 live births in Oaxaca, there are 95.1 maternal deaths, over the national average of 63.3, putting the state in the top five.
The state lacks sufficient numbers of health care workers and lacks specialized hospital and other facilities. Other problems include obsolete medical equipment, lack of medicines. Many of these problems have persisted for decades. Health care providers offer an average of 20,000 consults each day, covering a population of 800,000 people. In 2000, there was only one doctor for every 180 people. The Oaxacan Academy of Baseball is located in the municipality of San Bartolo Coyotepec. It was created in 2009 by Alfredo Harp Helú, owner of the Diablos Rojos and Guerreros de Oaxaca teams. The goal of the academy is to reach youth people through sports and education, especially those who show talent for the sport of baseball. Vinicio Castilla is the most notable player hailing from Oaxaca, having played third base in Major League Baseball for the Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres. He became the owner of the Oaxaca Guerreros in 1995 and three years later they won the championship. Basketball is practiced in all of Oaxaca, mostly played during local festivals, especially in the Sierra Norte. The area also has a tournament with the Copa Juárez as the prize.
The best known beach in Puerto Escondido is Playa Zicatela, due to its fame as a surfing attraction. The “tubes” produced by the waves that come ashore here attract advanced and professional surfers from all over Mexico and internationally. The Torneo Internacional de Surf (International Surfing Tournament) is held here each year in November and is a world class event. It has attracted names such as Nathaniel Curran from the U.S., Cris Davison from Australia and Marco Polo from Brazil, with its 50,000 USD first prize. Snorkeling and scuba diving take place in Puerto Escondido, principally in Playa Carrizalillo and Playa Manzanillo, Playa Marinero and Puerto Angelito and at Huatulco. Sport fishing is common in Puerto Escondido and in Huatulco with tournaments held in November and May respectively. Anglers, catch sailfish, dorado, marlin and others. In Huajuapan de Leon there is a fishing tournament at the Yosocuta Dam in July; it is noted for its black bass (lobina). Kayaking also takes places along the Copalita River in Huatulco.
Category:States of Mexico Category:Physiographic sections Category:States and territories established in 1824
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![Main cathedral of Oaxaca. The Cathedral de Oaxaca, also referred to as The Cathedral of the Virgin of the Assumption, is the third to be built as the first two were destroyed by large earthquakes in the 16th and 18th centuries.[4] Construction of this third church began in 1702 and it was consecrated in 1733.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110825132018im_/http://cdn9.wn.com/pd/95/b8/4ea8b5ab459514fe9e1cd4d82a32_thumb.jpg "Main cathedral of Oaxaca. The Cathedral de Oaxaca, also referred to as The Cathedral of the Virgin of the Assumption, is the third to be built as the first two were destroyed by large earthquakes in the 16th and 18th centuries.[4] Construction of this third church began in 1702 and it was consecrated in 1733.")
