Early Formative Pottery of the 

Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico

The Valley of Oaxaca lies in the southern highlands 

of Mexico between 16°40′-17°20′ N and 96°15′-96°

55′ W. It is drained by two rivers—the upper Río Atoyac, 

which flows from north to south, and its tributary the 

Río Salado or Tlacolula, which flows westward to join 

the Atoyac near the modem city of Oaxaca. The valley 

is shaped like a “Y,” or three-pointed star, whose center 

is Oaxaca City and whose southern limit is defined by 

the Ayoquesco gorge, where the Atoyac River leaves 

the valley on its way to the Pacific Ocean. The climate 

is semiarid, with 500 to...

internal code:  0071676-77

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