Overview
Set in a highland valley ringed by mountains, Oaxaca kept a strong indigenous character, and Zapotec and Mixtec traditions still shape its markets, crafts and kitchens. The colonial centre of green stone, with its shaded squares and baroque churches, is a World Heritage site, and the surrounding villages are known for weaving, black pottery and mezcal. It is a city to eat and wander in, at its most vivid during the Day of the Dead each late October and early November.
Highlights
The zócalo and the golden church of Santo Domingo anchor the colonial centre, with markets selling mole, chocolate and grasshoppers nearby. The ruined Zapotec capital of Monte Albán crowns a hilltop above the valley, one of Mexico’s great archaeological sites. Mezcal palenques, weaving villages like Teotitlán and the craft markets fill day trips around the city.