Description:

Cuilapam de Guerrero was a bustling trade center when the Spanish arrived in the Valles

Centrales in 1523. Dominican monks followed shortly after and embarked on building a grand

monastery there. Work commenced in 1555 but was interrupted several times by various

epidemics. The project was abandoned in 1596, perhaps because by then the city of Oaxaca

(then called Antequra) had eclipsed Cuilapam, and the church and monastery of Santo

Domingo had taken preference. The site sat unused until a roof was put on the church in 1905

and it became a parish center. Today the site is a tourist attraction.

The archeological site in Zaachila lay buried until it was partially excavated in the

mid-1960’s. Most of the site is still buried beneath centuries of dirt. However, the tomb of Lord

Nine Flower is open to the public and is one of the finest examples in the region. A small

museum has photos of the many extraordinary artifacts found in Zaachila.

Lunch:

We will dine in the mercado gastronomico on the west side of Zaachila. There are a number of food vendors there eager

to serve you. Barbacoa (either goat or lamb) is a favorite dish. Probable cost of lunch will be about 150 pesos.

Additional Costs:

There is a 65 peso fee to enter the cloister in Cuilapam There is another 65 peso fee to enter the archeological site

in Zaachila..

Time Frame:

9:00 leave OLL

9:45 arrive in Cuilapam / bathroom break

10:00 visit monastery ruins

10:45 board van for trip to Zaachila

11:05 arrive in Zaachila town center

11:10 visit archeological site

12:00 leave archeological zone

12:10 arrive mercado gastronomico

1:30 leave restaurant

2:15 return Oaxaca