Tehuantepec, in full,Santo Domingo Tehuantepecis a city andmunicipalityin the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of theTehuantepec Districtin the west of theIstmo Region. The area was important in pre Hispanic period as part of a trade route that connectedCentral Americawith what is now the center of Mexico. Later it became a secondary capital of theZapotec dominion, before it was conquered by the Spanish in the early 16th century.
The city is still the center ofZapotec culturein the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and is the second largest in the region. The city is known for its women and their traditional dress, which was adopted byFrida Kahlo. Tehuantepec has a reputation for being a “matriarchal society.”