Oaxaca

Woman selling terracotta clay pots in the market at Oaxaca, Mexico. Oaxaca has a high population of Zapotec and Mixtec Indians. The market sells pottery, tooled leather, blankets, weaving, and other traditional handicrafts.

Tule tree, Oaxaca, Mexico. These massive trees can live up to 2,000 years. Of the eight tule trees in this locality, the one known as El Arbol del Tule (pictured) is the oldest and largest, with a circumference of about 54 m/177 ft. The tule trees are a unique natural monument; however, the lack of subterranean water and the increasing urbanization of the area seriously threatens their future.

Capital of a state of the same name in the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range, central Mexico; population (2005) 504,200.

Industries include food processing, textiles, and handicrafts.

Oaxaca

State of southern Mexico, on the Pacific; area 95,364 sq km/36,820 sq mi; population (2000 est) 3,432,200. Its capital is Oaxaca de Juárez. The main occupation is farming, producing cereals, rice, coffee, sugar-cane, cotton, tobacco, and fruit. There are rubber plantations and large mineral deposits, which include gold, silver, uranium, and diamonds. Manufacturing industries include cigarettes and soap, as well as the craft of blanket production

The state includes the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and part of the Sierra Madre del Sur and has the largest Indian community in the country. There are pre-Columbian remains at Mitla and Monte Albán.