A 19th-century wonder of marble and murals, the State Government Palace occupies the Zócalo's southern flank. The large, very detailed stairway mural (1980), by Arturo García Bustos, depicts famous Oaxacans and Oaxacan history, including Benito Juárez, his wife Margarita Maza, José María Morelos, Porfirio Díaz, Vicente Guerrero (being shot at Cuilapan) and the 17th-century nun and love poet Juana Inés de la Cruz.
Palacio de Gobierno
Oaxaca City
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca
0.46 MILES
Got two hours? You'll need it for the Museum of Oaxacan Cultures, housed in the beautiful monastery buildings adjoining the Templo de Santo Domingo. This…
2.8 MILES
The former capital of the Zapotec people is today an illustrious ruin, but for over a thousand years it served as the second-largest ceremonial site in…
0.44 MILES
Gorgeous Santo Domingo is the most splendid of Oaxaca’s churches, with a finely carved baroque facade and nearly every square centimeter inside decorated…
25.89 MILES
Second only to Monte Albán in their importance, though not as old, the ruins of ancient Mitla date from the final two or three centuries before the…
3.89 MILES
If you like your pre-Hispanic Mexican ruins suitably ‘ruined’ and crowd-free without compromising on authenticity or spectacular setting, opt for Atzompa…
Centro de las Artes de San Agustín
9.71 MILES
Pretty San Agustín's large, early-20th-century textile mill has been superbly restored as the Centro de las Artes de San Agustín (CaSa), a spectacular…
5.98 MILES
Visitors flock to the village of El Tule to behold El Árbol del Tule, which is, by some counts, the fattest tree in the world. California's General…
0.05 MILES
Traffic-free, shaded by tall trees and surrounded by elegant portales (arcades), the Zócalo is the perfect place to start soaking up the Oaxaca atmosphere…
Nearby Oaxaca City attractions
0.04 MILES
Finely carved facades adorn the colonial Iglesia de La Compañía on the opposite side of the Zócalo to the cathedral.
0.05 MILES
Traffic-free, shaded by tall trees and surrounded by elegant portales (arcades), the Zócalo is the perfect place to start soaking up the Oaxaca atmosphere…
3. Catedral de Nuestra Señora de La Asunción
0.11 MILES
Oaxaca’s cantera stone cathedral is suitably massive and old, but in a city as culturally rich as Oaxaca, it is arguably only the third most impressive…
4. Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños
0.16 MILES
Changing exhibitions by artists from Oaxaca and elsewhere – often provocative contemporary work.
0.18 MILES
This textile museum promotes Oaxaca’s traditional textile crafts through exhibitions, workshops, films, presentations and a library. Themed selections…
0.2 MILES
Housed in the restored Ex Convento de San Pablo (a 16th-century Dominican monastery), the impressive San Pablo Center stages concerts, films, exhibitions,…
0.21 MILES
The 18th-century baroque Templo de San Felipe Neri is where Benito Juárez and Margarita Maza were married in 1843; Margarita was the daughter of Antonio…
8. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Oaxaca
0.24 MILES
Exhibitions of first-rate contemporary Mexican and international art in a beautifully revamped colonial house.