Near the capital, Oaxaca City, stands the oldest tree in the world: the Arbol del Tule, a sabino that measures 42 meters in diameter and exceeds 2. 000 years old. The tree has witnessed much of the history of Oaxaca. West was just beginning for the Christian era in Monte Alban and stood a leading cultural emporium, a city inhabited by sages, warriors, farmers and astronomers who ruled the destinies of the people of the clouds, later known in Nahuatl as Zapotec. The Zapotecs believed the world was ruled by a supreme force without beginning or end, unknown and powerful. The highest divinity, man and nature formed an indissoluble unity and relations should be based on mutual respect, balance and gratitude. A 365-day solar calendar marked the passage of years and seasons, while another calendar, ritual, of 260 days, coded keys of life and the periods in which the world was destroyed and renewed, as if shaken by a fire cosmic purifier. • Benito Juarez This population is located northeast of the city of Oaxaca, in mountainous terrain, rugged and steep, and offers visitors a beautiful natural landscape. From a place called El Mirador you can admire the Central Valley and the Pico de Orizaba. In the same district is Guelatao, the hometown of Benito Juarez.