Why Oaxaca Stands Apart

Oaxaca de Juárez — to use its full name — is the capital of Oaxaca State in southern Mexico. It regularly appears on lists of the world's great cultural cities, and for good reason. Here, Indigenous Zapotec and Mixtec civilisations predate the Aztec empire; Spanish colonial architecture fills the historic centre; and a thriving contemporary art and food scene has made the city a creative hub for the entire Americas. The layers run deep.

The Indigenous Heritage

Oaxaca State is home to sixteen officially recognised Indigenous groups, the largest of which is the Zapotec. Their civilisation built Monte Albán, a pre-Columbian city on a levelled mountaintop overlooking the Oaxaca valley, around 500 BCE. At its peak, Monte Albán was one of the most powerful cities in Mesoamerica. Today it's an extraordinary archaeological site that can be visited in a half-day from the city.

The region's Indigenous traditions remain very much alive. Languages including Zapotec and Mixtec are still spoken, traditional huipil garments are worn in daily life (not for tourists), and markets like the Tlacolula Sunday market operate as they have for centuries.

The Food Culture

Oaxacan cuisine is among the most celebrated in Mexico — itself a country with a UNESCO-recognised culinary tradition. Key elements include:

  • Mole — Oaxaca is known as "the land of seven moles"; the complex sauces range from black (negro) to red, green, yellow, and beyond
  • Tlayudas — large crisped tortillas topped with beans, Oaxacan cheese, and your choice of ingredients
  • Chapulines — toasted grasshoppers, seasoned with chilli and lime, eaten as snacks or toppings
  • Mezcal — the ancestral spirit distilled from agave; Oaxaca produces some of the world's most complex and varied expressions
  • Chocolate — Oaxacan hot chocolate, ground fresh in the city's markets, is thick, rich, and unlike anything you'll find elsewhere

Art and Craft Traditions

The villages surrounding Oaxaca City each specialise in distinct artisan traditions that have been passed down through generations:

  • Teotitlán del Valle — hand-woven wool rugs using natural dyes
  • San Bartolo Coyotepec — black clay pottery (barro negro), a distinctive technique unique to this village
  • Arrazola — alebrijes, the brightly painted fantastical wooden animals that have become one of Mexico's most recognisable folk art forms

Día de los Muertos

If your travel dates allow, Oaxaca is one of the finest places in Mexico to witness Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on November 1st and 2nd. This is not a Halloween imitation — it is an Indigenous observance, blended with Catholic tradition, in which families return to cemeteries to spend the night with their deceased relatives. The cemetery of Xoxocotlán, filled with marigolds, candles, and photographs, is a moving and deeply human spectacle.

Approaching the City Respectfully

Oaxaca has seen increasing tourism in recent years, and the associated pressures on housing and local culture are a genuine concern for residents. Travel thoughtfully: buy directly from artisans rather than intermediaries, eat in locally owned restaurants, learn a few words of Spanish, and ask before photographing people. The city's extraordinary culture has survived for millennia — it deserves visitors who treat it as more than a backdrop.