Cool and cultural, Oaxaca rivals the best of Latin America’s cities. With its blend of elegant colonial-era architecture, a vibrant indigenous culture, and one of the richest culinary scenes in Mexico, it’s easy to fall in love with this colourful city. Here are the 9 best things to do in Oaxaca.
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View BookSavour local specialities
Perhaps the number one reason to visit Oaxaca is the food. The culinary capital of Mexico, Oaxaca is full of tempting local specialities, many of which are best experienced at street stalls and food markets. Chocolate-based mole sauce, tamales wrapped in banana leaves, charred tlayudas, and locally roasted coffee straight from the nearby mountains are just a handful of the delights to be savoured.
Explore Oaxaca’s street art
Oaxaca's flourishing street art movement can be traced back to 2006, when a series of mass protests broke out after a teacher’s strike in the state capital turned violent. Local artists, like the revered collective Lapiztola, began to express their anger on the city’s walls. 15 years later, Oaxaca is full of poignant and defiant murals highlighting Mexico’s social and political struggles.
Marvel the gorgeous architecture
From Baroque cathedrals to colourful colonial-era buildings, Oaxaca is full of architectural treasures. Don’t be fooled by the simple façade of Iglesia de Santo Domingo. With an interior that dazzles with gilded plaster and coloured stucco, this church blends Romanesque, Baroque, Gothic, and Moorish styles in a combination likely to steal your breath away.
Get into the spirit
Oaxaca is the capital of mezcal, a potent distilled spirit made from the agave plant. There is no better place to try tequila’s cooler, smokier sibling than Oaxaca’s bohemian bars, where you can opt for either a casual drink or more formal tasting session. If you prefer cocktails to straight liquor, try a mezcal old fashioned or a mezcal margarita.
Shop the markets
Wandering around Oaxaca’s markets is one of the best ways to experience the city. Vibrant Mercado de Abastos hums with the chatter of haggling as ceramics, jewellery, and painted wooden animals are bought and sold. Once the city’s main market, the vast Mercado Benito Juárez is filled with the wafting scent of fresh produce, mole powder, and chilli peppers, while Mercado de Artesanias is the best place for Zapotec handicrafts.
Celebrate the Day of the Dead
A truly supernatural event where the dead are believed to return to earth to commune with their living relatives, Mexico’s Day of the Dead is celebrated from 31 October to 2 November. This reunion is both joyful and poignant, and in Oaxaca and its surrounding indigenous villages, where ancient beliefs thrive, the celebrations are at their most vivid.
Take a trip to Monte Albán
The greatest of the Zapotec cities and one of the most important archaeological sites in Latin America, Monte Albán makes a fantastic day trip from Oaxaca. In a triumph of engineering, the mountain top was levelled to allow the creation of the ceremonial site. Its long history began around 500 BC and the city came to dominate the cultural, religious and economic life of the region for nearly a thousand years.
Visit the museums
Oaxaca is bursting with culture and one of the best ways to absorb it is the city’s museums. The Museo de la Culturas is dedicated to pre-Hispanic artifacts from the ancient cities of Oaxaca state. The Museo Textil de Oaxaca chronicles the history of textile making, with lots of colourful examples from the state’s indigenous communities on display. The Museo de Arte Contemporaneo displays works of note painted by local and international modern artists, while the Museo de Ruffimo Tamayo contains a wondrous collection of pre-Hispanic art.
Discover a cactus paradise
Behind the Museo de las Culturas is a beautiful cactus garden, the Jardin Ethnobotanico. This hidden gem is a tranquil oasis containing orchids, frangipani, and other native species, open to visitors by guided tour only.