I’m a full-stack software engineer with a background in transportation and city planning.

We visited Oaxaca at the end of the Día de los Muertos festivities in 2019, and it was amazing! I would highly suggest planning far ahead and visiting during that time if you can. I found Bricia Lopez’s list of Oaxaca favorites useful as we were planning our trip. I went back to Oaxaca for two weeks in 2022 and loved it even more.

Activities

We enjoyed just exploring the Oaxaca city center on foot. Everything was beautifully decorated for Día de los Muertos. There was a courtyard we walked past that was turned into an impromptu arts marketplace with a DJ and mezcal tasting for the first two days we were there, as part of the Día de los Muertos celebrations.

  • Tlacolula Sunday Market 🛍️ (map) is a huge market on Sundays about 40 minutes away from Oaxaca city. We took a taxi to get there. There was lots of delicious food and so many vendors selling all kinds of things.
  • Vida Nueva Women’s Weaving Cooperative (map, site) was an unforgettable experience! I called ahead to let them know we wanted to come by, and they were expecting us. They gave us a tour, explained the cooperative’s work, and demonstrated how they create their natural dyes (magical!), and we bought a few stunning rugs from them. There are many beautiful rug vendors in Teotitlán del Valle, but I was especially excited to support their amazing work empowering women. Read more about them in the NYTimes and Slow Diaries. We took a taxi from Oaxaca city to get to Teotitlán del Valle. While there, we also sampled some local chocolate at El sabor ancestral de Oaxaca (map). I didn’t get to go yet, but my friend also was effusive with praise about visiting the Casa Viviana candle store (map, and read more about them in Vogue).
  • Markets 🛍️ abound in Oaxaca city as well! Mercado de la Merced and Mercado Benito Juárez are the two biggest markets, but there are a few other markets near Mercado Benito Juárez as well.
  • A cooking class 👩‍🍳 is a fantastic way to experience Oaxaca’s unique cuisine. We had a wonderful time learning how to make mole negro from Nora at Alma de mi Tierra. We visited the Mercado de la Merced to shop for and learn about ingredients, and then all got to work roasting the many ingredients that go into mole, learning a ton and having a great time with the other folks who signed up for the class.
  • Mezcaloteca 🥃 (site, map) offers guided mezcal tastings in Spanish or English. You must make a reservation on their website. This was a great introduction to mezcal!
  • Hierve el Agua 🏞️ (map) is the other experience we missed out on because I got sick, but it is a beautiful natural waterfall/rock formation that we were excited to visit and will have to visit next time. There were a lot of exciting tour options on Airbnb Experiences and TripAdvisor.

Food & Drink

  • Los Danzantes 🍽 (site, map) is a famous restaurant that also has a popular outpost in Mexico City. It was a beautiful space, incredible food, and amazing mezcals (which they are particularly famous for). Everything was so delicious. Reservations recommended, but sometimes it’s not possible… if so, show up early and put your name in with the host, and maybe grab a drink while you wait at…
  • La Selva 🥃 (site) is the beautiful upstairs bar at Los Danzantes, which had very good cocktails and a nice ambiance.
  • Casa Oaxaca El Restaurante 🍽 (site, map) was so stunning. Every dish we had surprised us. Soups, salsas, tacos, tortillas that you bite into and realize you’ve never tasted corn like that before… it was amazing. Make a reservation in advance (they’re on OpenTable)!
  • Zandunga 🍽 (site, map) focuses on istmeño cuisine (of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, home of the matriarchal Tehuana society whose dress Frida Kahlo adopted). The food was rich and delicious, and the mezcal selection was also amazing. We made a reservation by email.

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