in full Oaxaca de Juárez
City (pop., 2000: 251,846), capital of Oaxaca state, southern Mexico.
It lies in the fertile Oaxaca Valley, about 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level. Founded in 1486 as an Aztec garrison and conquered by the Spanish in 1521, it had an important role in Mexican history and was the home of Benito Juárez and Porfirio Díaz . It is noted for its 16th-century architecture and its handicrafts.