MONEY top
The Peso is legal tender in Mexico. Peso bills come in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000. Coins come in denominations of 50 cents (centavos) and 1, 2, 5, and 10 pesos.

TAXES top
There is a 15% tax (IVA) on goods and services in Mexico, and it is included in posted prices. Purchases made in the markets and from street vendors do not include this tax. All Casa Arnel rates include this tax.

ELECTRICITY top
The electrical system in Mexico is 110 volts, 60 cycles, as in the United States and Canada. Normally, the electrical outlets are designed to accept two prongs plugs, so you´ll need an adaptor for using any modern electrical apparatus that has an enlarged end on one prong or plugs with 3 prongs. You can find the three-holed outlets in some places but it´s always better to carry your own adaptor.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARTIFACTS top
If someone tries to sell you an "authentic" archaeological relic, turn him down. Most of them are recently manufactured and have been buried in the earth or painted with tar to achieve a weathered look. Besides, it´s against the law to export archaeological relics. Good copies are available in stores and museum shops, or simple copies are available at the entrance to archaeological sites.

CULTURAL HERITAGE top
Since 1987, the Historic Center of Oaxaca City and the ruins of Monte Alban have been recognized as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.- a rare distinction shared by only a few cities throughout the world.

CLIMATE top
The climate of Oaxaca City is temperate with an average temperature of between 66º - 75º F (20º - 25º C). The rainy season begins at the end of June, continuing to the beginning of November. The hottest months are April, May and June. The climate is also temperate during winter days, skies are clear but temperatures can dip to 43º - 48º F (6º - 9º C) during the night and early mornings.

TOURIST-AID POLICE top
The police department of Oaxaca City has created a new section to aid tourists in need. They can help you to find your way around the city.

DINING OUT top
The Casa Arnel recommends that you dine at "Restaurante Las Quince Letras", considered by many visitors to be among the city´s finest small restaurants. Here you can sample the exquisite Oaxacan cuisine as well as national or international dishes. Prices are competitive and you will receive unequalled attention from Mrs. Celia Mendez, the owner, who has made this spot the gastronomic tradition it has become. It is located on Abasolo #300 Centro. Phone: (951)514-3769

Throughout the calendar year a large number of traditional events are celebrated in Oaxaca City which reflect a long and complex historical and cultural legacy. To help you appreciate our rich historical past we present you with a short description of the most important events. We hope that you will come to Oaxaca to experience the fiestas with us first-hand.

SEMANA SANTA (HOLY WEEK) top
Celebrations for Holy Week begin on Palm Sunday with processions of the faithful carrying palm fronds to the city´s various churches. The high celebrations begin on Holy Thursday when tourists and Oaxacans visit seven churches of their choosing. Inside visitors will find monuments constructed especially for Easter. They represent the passion of Christ. On Holy Friday the faithful of Oaxaca City and of towns throughout the valley re-enact the way of the cross or the encounter. As Casa Arnel is located beside the church of San Matias Jalatlaco, you will have the opportunity to witness and participate in the annual celebration during which the church and adjacents streets are converted into a center of pilgrimmage attracting people from all over. In the evening a procession, known as the Procession of Silence, departs from the Sangre de Cristo church and winds its way through the downtown streets. Members of the procession of silence carry beautiful religious images from a variety of the city´s churches together with their individual church flags. "Chirimia" (prehispanic music), accompanies the procession making it a solemn event for Oaxaca´s Catholics.

LUNES DEL CERRO "GUELAGUETZA" top
The Fiestas of Lunes del Cerro, are perhaps the greatest contemporary expression of Oaxaca´s folkloric heritage. On the Mondays following the last two weekends in July you can witness the Guelaguetza or Lunes del Cerro (Feast of Monday of the Hill), a centuries-old Indian happening. Accordingly, Oaxaca City is transformed by music, color and gaiety during this two weeks. In the villages, a guelaguetza is held by a family needing to acquire the means of holding a wedding or other obligatory community celebration. Gifts are catalogued and will be repaid in kind at other guelaguetzas. In Oaxaca City it has become a civic celebration and regional dances are performed in the "Guelaguetza amphitheatre" on the Cerro del Fortín. It´s a marvelous spectacle of color, costumes, music, and dance. The regional dances and costumes are fascinating, especially since the state of Oaxaca is home to 500 regional districts, 7 different regions, and 16 languages of which nearly 200 dialects are still in use today.

DAY OF THE DEAD top
The Day of the Dead Fiesta goes back to pre-columbian times when the fiesta was celebrated as a cult of the dead. With the arrival of the Spanish these celebrations fused with Christian beliefs. They are celebrated today with much passion and color. There are three days of high celebration which take place in the cemetaries, the houses and streets. In the cemetaries people come to visit the graves of their departed loved ones bearing flowers, candles, food and playing music; thus the cemetary is converted into a center of pilgrimmage. In the houses, altars are constructed and adorned with fruit, bread, chocolate and other offerings in honor of the dead. It is in the streets that "the comparsas" are celebrated. Here, young people dress up in costumes and dance through the streets accompanied by the music provided by live bands.

For twelve years Casa Arnel has offered the best excursions, focusing in particular on the celebrations of the town of Xoxo where the most traditional of these celebrations occur.

CELEBRATIONS OF DECEMBER AND CHRISTMAS top
December is a month full of religions celebrations. These begin on the eleventh when children are presented to the Virgen of Guadalupe at the church of the Virgen which is located four blocks from the Casa Arnel in "the llano" park. Here children come dressed as Indians to recall the revelations of the humble Indian Juan Diego. On the 12th, the fiesta of the Virgen of Guadalupe is celebrated throughout Mexico and much of Latin America.

The 16th of December is the day of the procession of the Soledad church as the procession winds its way through city, it passes at one point in front Casa Arnel. On this same day the traditional posadas also begin nine days before Christmas Eve. Casa Arnel has celebrated the posadas for 35 years.

December 17 and 18 are the Feast Days of the Virgin of Soledad who is considered the Queen of Oaxaca. The celebration, known as "the night of the radishes", takes place in the Zócalo. Here vegetables grown throughout the valley compete in an annual contest where they present sculptured scenes contracted from especially cultivated radishes that celebrate Oaxacan themes. This celebration is unique in Mexico. The contest is complemented by another in which human beings are made from the corn husks and "flor inmortal".

Finally Christmas Eve arrives, when the "calendas" are celebrated. These are little cars decorated with Biblical scenes. Each church in Oaxaca makes it is own and on Christmas Eve they are wheeled around the Zócalo twice before being returned to their church for the Christmas mass.

TRANSPORTATION FROM THE AIRPORT top
If you are arriving in Oaxaca by airplane, you should know that the only authorized airport transportation service to Oaxaca City is provided by "Transportación Terrestre". Their vans can be identified by the black airplane logo painted on the sides of the van. Casa Arnel offer transportation from the airport, for groups only.

TAXIS top
Taxi service in the city is run by private companies. Taxis are painted white with another contrasting color, the contrasing color is unique for each of the city´s taxi companies. The price quoted is per trip and is the same for all trips within the downtown area. Because taxis are not metered, you should ask the price of the trip before getting into the taxi. For your security, the Casa Arnel regularly makes use of specific taxi companies. If you should require taxi service from the Casa Arnel, just ask us to call you one.

CITY BUSES top
Oaxaca City has three urban bus companies; Tusug, Choferes del Sur, and Urbanos de Oaxaca Buses. City buses are identified by their route destinations and pass by at least every ten minutes. No route enters the Zócalo; buses will leave you off at the nearest stop, usually a convenient three or four blocks away. The cost per trip is $3.50 pesos you pay your fare to the driver upon entering the bus. There is an additional service in the city that services specific routes in Express fashion and is, thus much quicker, this is Tusug Express and Sertexa. Use of Tusug Express service requires the exact change as tickets are purchased from dispensing machines aboard the bus.

INTER-URBAN BUSES IN THE VALLEY OF OAXACA top
For those who wish to visit some of the valley´s towns, bus service originates from the Abastos market and the adjacent second class bus station. For those wishing to go to Mitla, you only have to walk 5 blocks from the Casa Arnel to the baseball stadium, as this stop is en route to Mitla.

INTER-URBAN TAXIS IN THE VALLEY OF OAXACA top
These taxis offer collective service only. That is, they pick up and let off passengers along the routes they service to Oaxaca´s surrounding towns. The taxis depart from specific points located around the periphery of the Abastos Market on Prolongación de Nuño del Mercado and Prolongación de Trujano streets. All inter-urban taxis are painted a deep red color and white. Simply ask where the taxis depart for the town you wish to visit. The price is for the town you wish to visit. The price is per one way trip and varies in accordance with the distance of your destination. If you want to take one of these taxis to Mitla, they also pass by the baseball stadium.