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LATIN 2010 took place in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Oaxaca is a city located in a valley surrounded by mountains, 500 km south of
Mexico City. Not far lay the beautiful beaches of Huatulco and the southern
Mexican tropical rain forest. The surrounding mountainous terrain gave raise
to a variety of indigenous cultures with their own language and tradition,
with the Mixtec and Zapotec culture being the better known. It has a very
pleasant climate, characteristic of high altitude tropical sites. The
historical center of Oaxaca has been declared by UNESCO to be a "World
Heritage Site" because of its colonial architecture. In the surrounding area
there are a large number of archaeological sites.
A few blocks north of the zócalo is the magnificent 16th-century monastery and church of Santo Domingo. It is without a doubt one of Mexico's most ornately decorated churches. The austerity of the façade contrasts with the exuberant Baroque of its interior. There are numerous attractions in the surrounding areas. No trip to Oaxaca is complete without a visit to Monte Albán, one of Mexico's great treasures. Built on a hilltop flattened by the Zapotec Indians over 2,500 years ago, Monte Alban was once a holy city of more than 25,000 inhabitants. The expansive ruins consist of a great central plaza surrounded by buildings, temples, an observatory, ball court and burial tombs. Magnificent stone carvings on vertical stone slabs date to 700b.c. The view from Monte Alban of Oaxaca Valley is spectacular, and the site is appealing to non-archaeological buffs as well. |
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