Oaxaca founded in 1529 and recently named a UNESCO world heritage site, is a beautiful colonial city nestled in the Sierra Madre Mountains and ringed by indigenous villages. It is the historical and artistic center of modern Mexican civilization being the birthplace of both political leaders such as Benito Juarez as well as artistic giants such as the modern painter Rufino Tamayo. In Oaxaca you will find the richness of a grand civilization unfolding before your eyes.