Mexico Guide
Oaxaca
Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca
Opening time: Tues– Sun 10am–8pm
Price: M$47, free on Sun and holidays
The old Dominican monastery (the Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo) has been restored to house the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca. Construction of the convent began in 1572, and the church held its first Mass in 1608; from then until 1812 the convent was occupied by Dominican friars. During the Revolution, the building served as barracks for the Mexican army. The damage inflicted during this period wasn't restored until the 1990s, when the exhibits were installed. One of the city's highlights, the museum traces the history of Oaxaca in an expansive and elaborately executed labyrinth of galleries that hold displays detailing the pre-Hispanic period through to the present day. The archeological finds defy hyperbole, especially the magnificent Mixtec jewellery discovered in Tomb 7 at Monte Albán, including a couple of superb gold masks and breastplates. This lavish treasure trove constitutes a substantial proportion of all known pre-Hispanic gold, since anything the conquistadors found they melted down. The museum also owns smaller gold pieces, as well as objects in a wide variety of precious materials – mother-of-pearl, obsidian, turquoise, amber and jet among them. An interesting video shows members of each of the state's fifteen indigenous peoples speaking their own language.