Cactus columns
Against pink walls.
El Ágora — Public domain · AlejandroLinaresGarcia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · AlejandroLinaresGarcia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · AlejandroLinaresGarcia — CC BY-SA 4.0
A unique garden in the heart of Oaxaca, showing the state's plants and its indigenous peoples' relationship with them: towering cacti of every form, agaves, maize, beans and squash, and the medicinal and dye plants used by the Zapotec and Mixtec for thousands of years. It was proposed in 1993 by the Oaxacan artist Francisco Toledo with a society for protecting the state's heritage, to preserve the traditional knowledge of the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples, keeping the old convent grounds for public use. The garden lies on the grounds of the old convent, and you can see remains of its channels and walls. Its best-known scene is the rows of tall columnar cacti against pink-stone walls and the old complex's dome, with a pond reflecting the plants. Each corner represents one of Oaxaca's ecological zones, from desert to forest. Free wandering is not allowed: entry is by guided tour only at set times, in Spanish several times a day and in English on certain days. Book your place or arrive a little before the tour.
Against pink walls.
Maize, agave, dyes.
The garden reflected.
Behind the Santo Domingo complex, Oaxaca's historic centre
No, entry is by guided tour only at set times. Spanish tours run most days and English tours three days a week.