A Spectacular Drive

I understand now why Oaxaca is so isolated from much of the rest of Mexico, during Aztec rule to today. It still has the largest proportion of indigenous population of all states. The Sierra Madre del Sur is a major obstacle to travel. The road was a major feat of construction. Beautiful mountains. The road rose to 8,000 ft and then descended to a plateau of about 7,000 ft, where numerous pine plantations could be found. Descending to the Valle de Oaxaca you pass through oak grasslands that look like California, and oak-pine forests. Beautiful. Arrived in Oaxaca city about 4 pm and found a nice place to park near where we stayed in the past