Oaxaca de Juárez

The capital of Oaxaca is Oaxaca de Juárez, named in honor of Benito Juárez, the Zapotec president born in the state. Its colonial historic center, together with the nearby Zapotec ruins of Monte Albán, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city is celebrated for its cuisine — moles, tlayudas, chapulines — and for the Guelaguetza, the great festival of Oaxacan indigenous cultures held every July.