Oaxaca’s signature quarry stone cantera verde has been officially recognized as a “Heritage Stone” by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), revealing the stone’s fundamental role in shaping the city’s architectural identity. 

“Its unique color remains a defining characteristic of the city of Oaxaca,” IUGS said. 

The recognition places the Mexican stone, known in English as green tuff, in a highly select group of historic stones of universal value alongside Italy’s Carrara marble, Norwegian larvikite, Alpedrete granite from Spain and cantera Tezoantla, also from Mexico. 

“This international designation celebrates a stone, but also the memory of a city, the work of generations of stonemasons and artisans and the strength of a living heritage,” Culture Minister Claudia Curiel Icaza said.

Oaxaca’s cantera verde has been used since at least the 16th century in temples, convents, civic buildings, houses, fountains, sidewalks and ornamental elements of Oaxaca’s Historic Center, and stands out for its distinctive grayish-green hues. 

Notable examples include the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, the Government Palace of Oaxaca, the Macedonio Alcalá Theater, the Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art and the Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude.

Of volcanic origin, Oaxaca’s original quarries are now closed due to the city’s continuous growth. Nowadays, the stone is primarily extracted from the mines of Magdalena Apasco Etla in the same state, with artisans using it as a material in the conservation and maintenance of historic buildings.

The designation was the result of an initiative developed by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) — through its Faculty of Architecture and Institute of Geophysics — and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). 

With it, Mexico seeks to “strengthen efforts regarding the research, conservation and dissemination of cultural heritage, and to reaffirm the close relationship between geology, architecture, heritage and identity,” INAH said. 

With reports from Architectural Digest and The Art Newspaper