It is believed that the Zapotecs first migrated to the Tlacolula Valley during the second century. A lake existed in the area that is now Tlacolula. The Zapotecs drained the lake and began to reside there. Eventually the Zapotecs would go on to dominate most of the central valley area. There are conflicting stories regarding the modern settlement of Tlacolula. Either story gives credit to the Spanish for settlement. Tlacolula became officially established in 1560 and soon became the economic and political center of the valley.  It remains today the political and economic hub of the Central Valley of Oaxaca. Tlacolula is the municipal seat of the Tlacolula valley. The cities’ population is around 16,000. About a quarter of that number are Zapotec speakers.
 

Tlacolula is an urban commercial center for this part of the central valley’s region of Oaxaca. Only a small percentage (23%) of the municipal population is engaged in agriculture as a primary means of support. Most of the population is dedicated to commerce serving the Tlacolula district (50%) and the production crafts, mezcal and other items (25%).

 

The Sunday market in Tlacolula is one of the oldest continuous markets in Mesoamerica. Today as many as 1,600 vendors can be found on any given Sunday. Many of the vendors are indigenous from outlying villages that bring their crops to sell. Blacksmiths offer machetes, chisels, sickles, and other handmade items. Cheap products from China are found throughout the market (a relatively new occurrence). The smell of street food is prevalent. Vendors of barbecued chicken are easily spotted from the clouds of smoke that surround their stands. Mezcal stands display a variety of their products and offer samples. Inside of the market entire sections are dedicated to bread, pork skins, dressed beef, chicken, and pork. Small barbeques in the isles allows customers to immediately cook their purchases. Indigenous women offer large handmade tortillas. Hawkers walk the streets selling scrub pads, matches, rat poison, socks, and wooden carved spoons. Wheelbarrows filled with candies, fruits, containers of local honey, or nuts are pushed up and down the streets. Tons of fruits and vegetables are beautifully displayed along the streets and inside of the market. Cups of watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, grapes, papaya, mango, and cucumber are sold for immediate consumption.  Goods transported from other states are often sold right off the truck. Gaskets for blenders, batteries, clothes, shoes, pots and pans, knives, a multitude of plastic kitchen items, dried fish and shrimp, pastries, Chapulin (roasted grasshoppers), along with pulque ( a drink extracted the maguey plant), can be purchased from the same locations every Sunday.. Specific streets are reserved for artesanias that offer wool products, jewelry, pottery, and ropas tipicas. These areas attract the tourists. European, American, and Mexican tourists frequently visit the Sunday market as it’s reputation has grown as an attraction throughout the world. Many residents of the Tlacolula very seldom make the trip to Oaxaca. They depend on the market in Tlacolula to furnish all their needs. To fully appreciate the magnitude of the market requires more than can be accomplished in a single day. The sights, smells, colors, and commerce that magically appear every Sunday can only be appreciated by several return visits.