Oaxaca

This article is about the state. For other uses, see Oaxaca (disambiguation).

Oaxaca
State
Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca
Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca (Spanish)
Huāxyacac (Nahuatl)
The Benito Juárez National Park
The Benito Juárez National Park
Coat of arms of Oaxaca
Coat of arms
Motto: 
El Respeto al Derecho Ajeno es la Paz
(Respect for the rights of others is peace)
Anthem: Dios Nunca Muere (De facto)
(God Never Dies)
State of Oaxaca within Mexico
State of Oaxaca within Mexico
CountryMexico
Capital
and largest city		Oaxaca de Juárez
Municipalities570
AdmissionDecember 21, 1823[1]
Order3rd
Government
 • BodyCongress of Oaxaca
 • GovernorSalomón Jara Cruz (MORENA)
 • Senators[2]Susana Harp Iturribarría Morena
Adolfo Gómez Hernández Morena
Raúl Bolaños-Cacho Cué PVEM
 • Deputies[3]
Area
[4]
 • Total
93,757 km2 (36,200 sq mi)
 Ranked 5th
Highest elevation
[5]
3,720 m (12,200 ft)
Population
 (2020)[6]
 • Total
4,132,148
 • Rank10th
 • Density44/km2 (110/sq mi)
  • Rank22nd
Demonym(s)Oaxacan (Spanish: Oaxaqueño, -a)
GDP
[7]
 • TotalMXN 480 billion
(US$23.9 billion) (2022)
 • Per capita(US$5,657) (2022)
Time zoneUTC−06:00 (CST)
Postal code
68–71
Area code
Area codes 1 and 2
ISO 3166 codeMX-OAX
HDIIncrease 0.709 high
Ranked 31st of 32
WebsiteOfficial Web Site

Oaxaca (/wəˈhækə/ wə-HAK-ə, also US: /wɑːˈhɑːkɑː/ wah-HAH-kah; Spanish: [waˈxaka] ⓘ, from Classical Nahuatl: Huāxyacac [waːʃˈjakak] ⓘ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca (Spanish: Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the Federative Entities of the United Mexican States. It is divided into 570 municipalities, of which 418 (almost three quarters) are governed by the system of usos y costumbres (customs and traditions)[8] with recognized local forms of self-governance. Its capital city is Oaxaca de Juárez.

Oaxaca is in southern Mexico.[9] It is bordered by the states of Guerrero to the west, Puebla to the northwest, Veracruz to the north, and Chiapas to the east. To the south, Oaxaca has a significant coastline on the Pacific Ocean.

The state is best known for its indigenous peoples and cultures. The most numerous and best known are the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs, but 16 are officially recognized. These cultures have survived better than most others in Mexico due to the state's rugged and isolating terrain. Most live in the Central Valleys region, which is also an economically important area for tourism, with people attracted for its archeological sites such as Monte Albán, and Mitla,[10] and its various native cultures and crafts. Another important tourist area is the coast, which has the major resort of Huatulco and sandy beaches of Puerto Escondido, Puerto Ángel, Zipolite, Bahia de Tembo, and Mazunte.[11] Oaxaca is also one of Mexico's most biologically diverse states, ranking in the top three, along with Chiapas and Veracruz, for numbers of reptiles, amphibians, mammals and plants.[12]

  1. ^ Nettie Lee Benson (1994). La diputación provincial y el federalismo mexicano. UNAM. p. 227. ISBN 978-968-12-0586-7.
  2. ^ "Senadores por Oaxaca LXI Legislatura". Senado de la Republica. Archived from the original on October 16, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  3. ^ "Listado de Diputados por Grupo Parlamentario del Estado de Oaxaca". Camara de Diputados. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  4. ^ "Superficie". Cuentame INEGI. Archived from the original on February 28, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  5. ^ "Relieve". Cuentame INEGI. Archived from the original on November 2, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  6. ^ "México en cifras". Inegi.org.mx. January 2016.
  7. ^ Citibanamex (June 13, 2023). "Indicadores Regionales de Actividad Económica 2023" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "Historia". May 20, 2012. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "Oaxaca". Explorando Mexico. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  10. ^ Hansen, Mogens H., ed. " A comparative Study of Six City- State Cultures", An Investigation Conducted by the Copenhagen Polis Centre, Copenhagen 2002.
  11. ^ "al el corredor Huatulco-Chacahua". Publimar.mx. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  12. ^ "Semarnat, El ambiente en números" (PDF). CONABIO. 2010. Archived from the original on May 24, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)