Most of crafts made and sold here are textiles, including hand-woven and hand-embroidered traditional clothing, hammocks, sarapes, rugs, handbags, tablecloths and other items.

Necklaces and bracelets are braided from fibers and decorated with beads, seeds, small stones and/or ceramic figures.

The wall of the south atrium was originally part of a pre-Hispanic structure and still contains the mosaic fretwork which defines the Zapotec site.

[5] The interior of the church is notable for a large number of 16th-century and other colonial-era santos (statues of the saints), many of them done in well-preserved polychrome.

Most of the population participates in the procession as well as musical groups, and fantasy figures such as giant monkeys are made for the occasion.

The museum was inaugurated in 1950 and was sponsored by a civil association called the Junta Cultural Zapoteca de Mitla.

From 2001 Rufino Aguilar Quero and attorneys investigated, and found contracts that specified the conditions of the donations of the pieces by Frissell to UDLA.

[9] Frissell stipulated that upon his death, the Mexico City College (today UDLA) would have control of the collection and could not cede it to another institution.

He also denied selling the building to José Murat Casab, but did make it available to the government of the state of Oaxaca with the possibility of sale.

[10] The main attraction is the ruins of the pre-Hispanic city of Mitla, which is best known for its buildings decorated with mosaics of small flat stones that fit together to create designs, especially fretwork.

Most of the town's economy is based on tourism to the site, being filled with restaurants, small hotels and shops selling handcrafts and mezcal.

The higher elevations have pine forests, with plants such as mesquite, maguey and nopal cactus at the lower, drier areas.

The forested areas have small to medium-sized mammals such as wolves, coyotes, deer, wild boar, foxes etc.

These include traditional clothing made on hand-operated looms, as well as hammocks, sarapes, rugs, tablecloths and other items.

[1] To the south of the municipal seat is the Hacianda de Xaga, in which is a cross-shaped tomb decorated with fretwork and conserved its original painting.

[1] At a nearby hill called La Forteleza, anthropologists have found 21 skeletons of men, women and children that date back to 500 C.E.

Excavation of the site was done by Gary Feinman and Linda Nocholas of the Field Museum of Chicago, who consider it one of the most important recent finds of this area.

[2] Celebrations begin at midday on 31 October with church bells ringing to receive first the visiting deceased children.

This activity is known here as “togolear” from the Zapotec word “togool” which means “dead.” On 3 November, a costume party is held in the central park of Mitla.

On the night of the 3rd, “krewes,” like those that put on events for Carnival, recreate traditional activities, such as weddings, while costumed as skeletons.