Parque Ciudad de las Canteras (Quarry City Park) in Oaxaca, Mexico

The nickname "Green Antequera" for the Mexican city of Oaxaca de Juárez might seem strange at first: is it related to the vegetation of the valley it sits in and the mountains that surround it during the wet season? Walking in its historical center, though, the "green" part becomes clearer as this is the color of the rock that forms many of the buildings here, and even the sidewalks. This rock is known as "cantera", which is also the Spanish word for "quarry". The Antequera part comes from a city in Spain that was named Antikaria by the Romans and with time became the modern name. What is less clear, however, is where its connection to Oaxaca comes from, although some believe that one of the first rulers of the city during colonial times was from Antequera and thus named this new city in honor of his homeland. The green cantera stone that defines most of the city's colonial architecture came from nearby quarries, with this having been one of the main ones. In 1988, the long-abandoned quarry was opened up to the public as a park. The pits that had been dug out to mine the stone are now ponds that reflect the impressive green rock walls, some with holds for climbing. Since then, the park has continued to grow and become more accessible, with other features like a stage and seats set into the rock.

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