Mixteca

The Mixteca, a rugged region northwest of Oaxaca City, has some of the state's most dramatic scenery. Driving up you'll see more pine-covered hills than people. The area makes a great day-trip from Oaxaca City, but the region attracts very few tourists. However, the region's enormous, ornate Dominican monasteries are a sight to behold and are all the more striking here—out in the middle of nowhere—dwarfing the tiny villages that sustain them.