Friday, August 11, 2023, By Jessica Hernández, Real estate advisor and marketing analyst in SILMÉXICO
Located just behind the church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the ethnobotanical garden, a space dedicated to the safeguarding and study of endemic flora of the state of Oaxaca, it is one of the favorite places of nationals and foreigners who visit the City.
How did this sanctuary come about?
The Garden is part of the Santo Domingo Cultural Center, which occupies the old convent that was built in the 16th and 17th centuries for Dominican friars. The land of the Garden was part of the old orchard of the convent.
This space served as a barracks from the mid-19th century until 1994, and was used as dormitories, parking lots, sports fields, and other military facilities. In colonial times it had other uses linked to the life of the convent, as can be seen in the remains that have been restored inside the Garden: irrigation and drainage channels, ponds, lime kilns, laundry rooms, a ceramic oven, and a paved road for the carts that supplied food and fuel.
The hundreds of plants that can be seen in the garden began to be planted in July 1998, and since then, the arduous task of collecting, planting, propagating, and caring for them, etc, has been carried out.
Why was it called Ethnobotanical?
In addition to exhibiting the plant species that inhabit the state, this garden was founded to show the close relationship between plants and culture, since a large part of them, both in ancient times and today, are used as food, medicine, condiments, dyes, and have been a source of inspiration in art.
In addition to a nursery, the garden has a seed bank, a herbarium, and a specialized library where visitors can consult information on flora, ecology, and botany.
Do not forget to visit this site on your next visit to the City, and let yourself be surprised by the beautiful flora of the different regions that make up our state. Besides that, it is a place where you will be happy to take more than 1 photo.
