Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, Santo Domingo
It is a space to feel, reflect, and connect with the soul of a vibrant people; the building itself is a work of art, a Baroque jewel that will envelop you in an atmosphere of peace and beauty.
The Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca is a space to feel, reflect, and connect with the soul of a vibrant people; the building itself is a work of art, a baroque jewel that will envelop you in an atmosphere of peace and beauty. From the ancient Zapotecs and Mixtecs, to the arrival of the Spanish and the formation of a new society. Let yourself be amazed by archaeological pieces that tell stories of kings, warriors, and gods, the famous treasure from Tomb 7 of Monte Albán, and a collection of gold and silver jewelry that will transport you to a time of splendor.
The Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca (formerly the Regional Museum of Oaxaca) is located in the former Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán: one of the country’s most important historical monuments due to its architecture and history, under the supervision of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). It was originally recognized as the Regional Museum of Oaxaca on December 20, 1972. Between 1994 and 1998, a comprehensive restoration project was carried out on the building, and it was given its current name.
The museum is composed of 14 permanent exhibition rooms and houses an important archaeological collection, the result of explorations conducted by INAH staff in the Oaxaca region, as well as historical and ethnographic collections. In addition, it features nine thematic rooms where visitors can gain a general overview of various traditional Oaxacan activities, such as pottery, goldsmithing, leatherworking, and gastronomy, among others.
Its exhibition rooms offer an archaeological, historical, and ethnographic panorama of Oaxacan cultures. They reveal the resistance of indigenous peoples against the Conquest, their identity, the determination to reactivate their economy, recover their demographic dynamics, incorporate new cultural patterns, and remain organized based on their traditions and wisdom. The archaeological rooms display collections of objects found in various explorations carried out by the National Institute of Anthropology and History.
This site is part of a cultural complex that includes the Temple of Santo Domingo de Guzmán (still active for worship), the Historic Ethnobotanical Garden, the Fray Francisco de Burgoa Library, and the "Néstor Sánchez" Public Newspaper Library of Oaxaca.
