Oaxaca (pronounced Wa-HA-Ca) is one of the 31 Mexican states. The largest city in the state is also called Oaxaca.

Located in the southwestern part of the country, it is the fifth largest state. It has a population of over 3.5 million people, most of which follow the Catholic faith.

Home of the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples, this state contains more speakers of indigenous languages than any other state in México. Oaxaca is full of rugged terrain which caused many of the groups that settled there to develop in relative isolation from one another; this is an explanation for the diverse cultures and languages found there.

Tourism is the main industry in the state, which boasts hundreds of miles of beaches, archaeological sites, and native art museums. Considered the culinary capital of México., gastronomic tourism is also big business in Oaxaca.

© ProjectExplorer.org, 2010
Text by Annie Leroux
Image by Santo Domingo church in downtown Oaxaca by Jenny M Buccos.