Oaxaca shows off Mexico's diverse landscape

Travel

One of the largest states in Mexico, Oaxaca has sky-high mountains, arid valleys, lush tropical forests, cloud forests and beaches next to steep rocky hillsides that clash into the ocean.

A vendor sorts chiles at the post in Tlacolula market in Tlacolula, Oaxaca. One of the largest states in Mexico, the state features sky-high mountains, arid valleys, lush tropical forests, cloud forests and beaches next to steep rocky hillsides that clash into the ocean.

Two dancers circle each other while performing a traditional Mexican dance in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca.

Travelers Lauren Enteen, 29, of San Francisco, left, and Sarah Evans, 41, of Vancouver, Canada, sunbathe after swimming at Playa Rinconito in Mazunte, Oaxaca.

A vendor at the Benito Juarez Market in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca shows off three different types of mole. Mole, made of chili peppers and chocolate, is a staple dressing in Oaxaca.

Victor Manuel Reyes Escamilla looks on as a crocodile displays its teeth in a lagoon in La Ventanilla, Oaxaca, following a tour. Reyes, a guide for the cooperative "Sociedad Cooperativa Lagarto Real, " estimates that about 140 crocodiles, some as long as 15 feet, live in the lagoon.

A Canadian tourist photographs the ruins at Monte Alban. Monte Alban, which features pyramids and plazas among other structures, was the center for the Zapotec civilization in Oaxaca in pre-colonial times. It is situated on top of one of the many hills surrounding the valley of Oaxaca City.

An 11-year-old boy named Diego plays soccer at the beach in La Ventanilla. Behind the boy is a turtle hatchery. La Ventanilla, a small enclave of about 100 people, is located on Oaxaca's Pacific Coast and is home to two cooperatives that offer eco-tours of nearby lagoon with crocodiles, as well as release parties for young turtle hatchlings.

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A vendor sorts chiles at the post in Tlacolula market in Tlacolula, Oaxaca. One of the largest states in Mexico, the state features sky-high mountains, arid valleys, lush tropical forests, cloud forests and beaches next to steep rocky hillsides that clash into the ocean.

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