Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca

Housed in the vast former Dominican convent beside Santo Domingo church, this museum presents the cultural history of the state through its many indigenous peoples. Its most celebrated holding is the trove of gold, turquoise and carved bone recovered from a Mixtec tomb at nearby Monte Albán, among the richest ever found in the Americas. Galleries arranged around cloistered courtyards trace craft traditions, dress and daily life from ancient times to the present. The building's scale and stonework are themselves a highlight of any visit.