Wrapping up Oaxaca – we visited two interesting sites – both of which connected to Santo Domingo.
The museum explains cultural aspects of pre-Hispanic Oaxaca starting with the earliest archaeological evidence from 10,000 BC up until the building of cities like Monte Álban. It shows the effect of the Spanish arrival on these cultures and how they incorporated with Spanish and continues up until present day.
The condition of the pottery artifacts is exemplary.
The museum is housed in the former convent.
The ethnobotanical gardens occupy 2.32 acres of land adjacent to the Church of Santo Domingo. The garden was originally part of the Santo Domingo monastery grounds until it was occupied by the Mexican army for over 120 years. When the garrison was relocated in 1994, the state government made a plan to develop the site as a luxury hotel and car park, but a Toledo-led group lobbied for the garden alternative and won. The garden was officially opened in 1998.
The purpose of the garden, and the definition of ‘ethnobotanical’, is the exploration of the relationship between plants and people. The garden tells a story about the cultural and artistic traditions of Oaxaca and its place in the natural history of Mexico.
Kapok 
Root that provided for first birth control pills in ‘60’s 
