**7. Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca**

Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca is deemed one of the world's most original public botanic gardens, it is an ethnobotanical garden on the grounds of the San Domingo monastery in Oaxaca Mexico. Mexico is one of the most biologically rich countries globally, and out of the 31 states in Mexico, Oaxaca is the most biodiverse. Oaxaca has a unique botanical history as it contains evidence of plant domestication of squash and corn in the Americas dating back to the beginning of the new world. The ethnobotanical garden has been designed to reflect and celebrate this unique diversity. Each section of the garden displays a different ecology. The northeast section of the garden is dedicated to the tropical forest. Species that have been included in this section are balsa, ceiba and huaie. The east section of the garden reflects the wet regions of Oaxaca, including species of cacao, vanilla and achiote. The west of the garden is dedicated to the dry lands and includes plant varieties; cacti and agaves [43]. A planter bed planted with squash has been raised above the rest of the garden and faces towards Guilá Naquitz [43].

The garden tells a strong narrative of the natural history of Mexico, as well as exploring the cultural and artistic traditions of Oaxaca. During the site excavation, structures more than 400 years old were discovered and incorporated into the final design. A number of other artists, scientists, anthropologists and horticulturalists collaborated on the design of the planting, hardscape and water systems [43]. The use of materials and hardscaping is unique to the garden and emphasises the narrative of Oaxaca's history (**Figure 8**). A distinct feature of the garden is the green-hued pathway that mimics the formation of a step-fret zigzag. This pattern is common in many pieces of pre-Columbian carving and art. Another distinct feature of the garden is a large water fountain that seeps a distinct red water. The fountain is made from the wood of the Montezuma cypress tree and the water has been dyed red from ground up cochineal coating the wood [43].

The designers and director of the garden choose to include minimal signage around the garden to allow for a more seamless aesthetic. Visitors who want to get a richer experience of the garden and learn about the specific varieties of plant

**Figure 8.** *Use of softscape and hardscape materials typical to Oaxaca.*

*Therapeutic Landscapes: A Natural Weaving of Culture, Health and Land DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99272*

**Figure 9.** *Horticultural practices at the site.*

species are encouraged to take a 2-hour tour. During this tour, they are taken through the medicinal and ceremonial plants, including mesquite, copal used in incense, alebriies for carving, and agave plants traditionally used to make mezcal. Visitors are also taken through a section of the garden that is dedicated solely to traditional food crops. The crops include hierba de conejo, corn, beans, chepil (the herb used in tamal de chepil), jicama, amaranth, tomatoes, and chia. Many of these plants were domesticated in Oaxaca. Although, there are around 1000 different varieties of plants in the garden, they are all wild except for the traditional food crops (**Figure 9**) [44].

What makes this space a successful therapeutic environment is the strong sense of place that is created by place attachment and narratives. There are many repetitive and empowering cultural and historical motifs that feature in the garden and speak to Oaxaca's history as one of the more important sites of archaeological history for the Americas, showing the first signs of plant domestication [43]. In the 1970s, seeds of squash, bottle gourd, beans, agave, and chilli peppers were all excavated and included in the ethnobotanical garden design [44]. Visitors to the garden and locals can learn about the ancient history of Oaxaca and the rest of the Americas to understand the role the area played in the development of the new world, creating a strong sense of place identity. But what is also successful about this place is that it began as a passion project from the many locals in the community who wanted to see the preservation of art, culture and the environment. This developed into the current ethnobotanical garden that allows the community to explore the relationship between plants and people and work in harmony with the Cultural Centre. Local designers, artists, scientists, horticulturists, and anthropologists all worked together on the design, construction and infrastructure within the garden. As such, this 'community' garden provides unique opportunities to participate in communal activity and interaction.
