Oaxaca, in full, Oaxaca de Juaréz, capital city of the state of Oaxaca in the highlands of the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains in southern Mexico. Oaxaca is a center of Native American culture and heritage in Mexico and is located near some of the country's most important archaeological sites. Situated in a large valley at an elevation of more than 1500 m (5000 ft), the city enjoys a subtropical climate.
The state of Oaxaca is home to one of the largest Native American populations in Mexico. The state has more people who speak an indigenous language than any of the 31 Mexican states. Zapotec and Mixtec peoples make up a large proportion of the people of both the city and the state, and many speak both Spanish and a Native American language. The city grew considerably in the 1970s and 1980s as migration from rural areas boosted its population to 212,818 in 1990. Growth continued in the 1990s, with the city's population estimated at more than 300,000 in 1995.
