Oaxaca to Zaachila Ruins and Convento de Cuilapan: Day trip

Explore Zaachila's remarkable royal tombs where Zapotec nobility were buried with elaborate grave goods, including gold jewelry, ceramic vessels, and jade ornaments, demonstrating sophisticated artistic traditions and beliefs about afterlife preparation. Descend into Tomb 1 and Tomb 2, featuring vivid murals, carved stone lintels, and architectural details preserved for over 500 years in underground burial chambers. Visit the site museum displaying recovered artifacts, including intricate metalwork, ceramic sculptures, and stone carvings, revealing Zapotec artistic sophistication and trade relationships with other Mesoamerican civilizations. Professional archaeologists explain Zapotec burial practices, social organization, and political structure, while ongoing excavations continue revealing new tombs and artifacts. The site's importance as the last Zapotec capital provides insights into indigenous resistance against Spanish colonization. The tombs are typically open 9:00 to 18:00 each day, but it's best to verify this locally.

Marvel at Ex Convento de Cuilapam's magnificent Dominican monastery featuring massive stone walls, elaborate Renaissance and Gothic architectural details, and peaceful courtyards representing Spanish colonial religious architecture at its finest in Mexico. Explore the impressive church ruins with soaring stone arches, intricate carved details, and a spacious nave designed to accommodate large indigenous congregations during early colonial evangelization efforts. Visit the monastery complex where Dominican friars established schools, workshops, and agricultural operations while adapting European architectural traditions to Mexican materials and construction techniques. Learn about the monastery's role in early colonial history, including its connection to Vicente Guerrero, Mexican independence hero executed here in 1831, and its significance in Mexican religious and political development. The monastery is open on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00, and entry costs 65 pesos (about 3.5 USD).