San Pedro y San Pablo Teposcolula is a brilliant Mixtec town 2.5 hours northwest of Oaxaca City. It\\\'s a town of cobblestone streets, ancient history and deep roots in the land and the surrounding mountains. The Nahuatl name was Teposcolollan, meaning "next to the copper twist." This was a reference to the copper axe currency used from here all the way to the south during the Mesoamerican period. The Mixtec name for the town was Yucundaa, meaning "straigh hill."
Teposcolula was famous as home to the Casa de la Cacica, the palace of the last queen of the Mixtec culture. Then known as the Casa del bijarro, it also served as a storehouse of furs, feathers, diamonds, gold, silk and other treasures. It was reconstructed in the 20th century and today serves as a children\\\'s library.
The giant religious complexes in the center of the town date from the 16th century. The Open Chapel, the Temple of Saints Peter and Paul and the Dominican Monastery make up the great middle of the second millennia. It\\\'s among the most impressive colonial constructions in the state, and perhaps in the country. People still marvel that this small town could have been the center of so much religious activity during those many years.
People visit the Hospital de Indios de la Santa Veracruz, the houses and small squares Odriozola and Arvea, Tandaa, the Alarcón, the corn mills, the Dolores portal, and the Municipal Palace, too. The aqueduct of some eight kilometers stretches from Yucundaa all the way to Alcantarrilla. During the colonial period, Teposcolula maintained a complex system of water conduction, culminating in a network of ponds strategically located to supply the entire population. Prominent families in the San Bartolo neighborhood got direct access.
- Passengers arriving by bus nearly all originate from Oaxaca City.
- It\\\'s important to change buses in Asunción Nochixtlán.
- The entire trip by bus takes about 3.5 hours, a little bit longer than the 2.5 hour taxi ride.
- Although it\\\'s very small, Teposcolula does offer a variety of very respectable lodging options.
