Mexico, Central America & Southwest USA Travel
Oaxaca city, coast, culture and travel
Oaxaca has accommodation at every budget level, from 200-peso dorm beds to restored colonial mansions charging 5,000 pesos a night. The best area to stay is the historic center — close to the Zocalo, Santo Domingo, the markets and the restaurant scene. Anything within a 10-minute walk of the Zocalo puts you in the middle … Read more
The mountains and valleys around Oaxaca offer some of the best hiking, mountain biking and adventure travel in southern Mexico. The Sierra Norte communities have built an ecotourism network that gives you access to cloud forests, mountain trails and indigenous villages without the resort-hotel treatment. Pueblos Mancomunados The Pueblos Mancomunados (roughly: Commonwealth Villages) are a … Read more
Getting around Oaxaca city is mostly on foot — the historic center is compact and walkable. For reaching the villages, markets and coast you need buses, colectivos or the occasional taxi. City Transport The centro historico from the Zocalo to Santo Domingo is a 10-minute walk. Most restaurants, museums and shops are within this area. … Read more
Cemetery vigils, comparsas, ofrendas and marigolds — what Day of the Dead in Oaxaca actually looks like, and how to experience it respectfully.
Oaxaca is a market city. The Mercado Benito Juarez and Mercado 20 de Noviembre sit side by side near the Zocalo and between them they cover everything from fresh produce to handwoven textiles to grilled meat so smoky you can smell it a block away. But the real treasure is the rotating village market days … Read more
Oaxaca punches well above its weight for museums. The old Santo Domingo monastery alone would make the trip worthwhile, but the city has a handful of other collections that fill in the picture of Zapotec, Mixtec and colonial history. Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca (Santo Domingo) This is the big one. Housed in the … Read more
The villages around Oaxaca city each specialize in a different craft, and they have been doing it for generations. Black pottery in San Bartolo Coyotepec, woven rugs in Teotitlan del Valle, carved wooden alebrijes in San Martin Tilcajete and Arrazola. You can visit the workshops, watch the process, and buy directly from the makers. Teotitlan … Read more
Food, markets, mezcal, Monte Alban and the Pacific coast — a guide to Oaxaca from years of visits.