The hook
Mexico's culinary and cultural heart, a graceful colonial city where the food is a religion, mezcal flows, indigenous traditions run deep, and a hilltop of ancient Zapotec ruins overlooks it all.
01Why it's worth it
Oaxaca is, for many, the soul of Mexico. Its handsome colonial centre of carved stone churches and shaded plazas is the base for one of the world's great food cultures: this is the land of mole (its complex, chocolate-tinged sauces), tlayudas, chapulines (grasshoppers), fresh-ground chocolate, and, above all, mezcal, the smoky agave spirit distilled in the surrounding villages, which you can tour and taste. The state is also Mexico's most indigenous, with a living tapestry of Zapotec, Mixtec, and other cultures reflected in its markets, textiles, black pottery, and the vivid painted wooden alebrije figures. Above the city, the ancient Zapotec capital of Monte Albán spreads across a flattened mountaintop, its pyramids and plazas commanding huge valley views. And Oaxaca stages perhaps the most famous and heartfelt Day of the Dead celebrations in the country, when cemeteries glow with candles and marigolds and the streets fill with processions. Between food, craft, ruins, and ritual, it richly rewards several days.
02How to experience it
Eat and drink your way through the markets, mole, and mezcal, ideally with a food tour and a distillery visit, and shop the craft villages for textiles, pottery, and alebrijes. Climb Monte Albán for the ruins and views. If you can handle the crowds, Day of the Dead here is unforgettable; otherwise the dry season is calmer.