Villa de Zaachila
| Villa de Zaachila | ||
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Coordinates: 16 ° 57 ′ N , 96 ° 45 ′ W Villa de Zaachila on the map of Oaxaca
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| Basic data | ||
| Country | Mexico | |
| State | Oaxaca | |
| Municipio | Villa de Zaachila | |
| Residents | 13,959 (2010) | |
| Detailed data | ||
| surface | 7.6 km 2 | |
| Population density | 1,837 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| height | 1515 m | |
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Villa de Zaachila is a city with about 15,000 inhabitants and the administrative seat of the municipality of the same name ( municipio ) with a total of about 37,000 inhabitants in the center of the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico .
Location and climate
The place Villa de Zaachila is located in the valley of Oaxaca approx. 15 km (driving distance) south of the city Oaxaca de Juárez at an altitude of approx. 1515 m . The climate is dry and warm; Rain (approx. 675 mm / year) falls mainly during the summer half-year.
Population development
| year | 2000 | 2010 |
| Residents | 11,610 | 13,959 |
The local residents, some of whom have immigrated from the surrounding area, usually speak Zapotec or Nahuatl dialects.
economy
Even in pre- Hispanic times, the area was an important economic and trading center for the Zapotec Indians; The most important commodity was the cochineal dye obtained in the region . The people of the region still live largely self-sufficient from the yields of their fields (corn, wheat) and gardens (potatoes, beans, tomatoes, chilli, etc.). Cattle was and is only farmed to a small extent (chickens and turkeys). Small traders, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds have settled in the village.
history
After the end of Monte Albán , several smaller principalities emerged in the Oaxaca Valley, to which - in addition to Mitla and Yagul - Zaachila also belonged.
Attractions
- The most important tourist event is the street market on Thursdays.
- The Iglesia de Santa María Natividad is a single-nave, multi- domed church from the colonial era. The masonry consists in parts of locally fired bricks and precisely hewn natural stones that come from an older building, probably from a pre-Hispanic sanctuary.
- A multi-storey clock tower was built at the beginning of the 20th century.
- The pre-Hispanic archaeological site of Zaachila is located on a hill approx. 400 m south of the town center.
