I was lucky enough to spend four full weeks in the beautiful city of Oaxaca, Mexico, and it is sincerely one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited. With cheerfully colorful buildings everywhere you look, beautiful mountains painting the sky in the distance, and the mouthwatering smell of tlayudas and tacos wafting through the air at every street corner, it’s no wonder I didn’t want to leave. Though three of my four weeks were consumed by four hours of Spanish classes per day, I had one free week to just live life as a happy little tourist too! Here’s how I spent it:
Day 1
Hierve el Agua and Teotitlán Excursion (12 hours)
Coyote Aventura's Hierve El Agua Tour genuinely made for one of my favorite days of my entire Mexico trip. Brace yourselves: it's an early morning, but it's more than worth it to enjoy the incredibly beautiful views and springs before the crowds start rolling in (and you can nap on the 1.5-hour van ride on the way to the first stop)! Our guide Armando was an absolute gem of a human, not to mention incredibly knowledgeable through every step of the tour. Breakfast was a delicious start to the day, followed by breathtaking views and the opportunity to swim in the springs at Hierve El Agua.
Next came the hike, which is enough to get your heart pumping, but still very manageable (I recommend shoes with good traction - it's all too easy to slip between the loose rocks + largely downhill route)! Just in time for you to work up a sweat, you reach your next body of water to bring you back to life a little bit (more beautiful views here too).
Afterwards, you finish the day at Teotitlán del Valle, where you’re greeted with a delicious multi-course lunch followed by an in-depth lesson from the lovely Doña Josefina and her equally lovely family in the artistry of textile work (i.e., how to create the yarn; how to combine different natural ingredients like insects, plants, and lime juice to create different dyes; and how the weaving process works with different designs, etc.). You are even invited to participate in certain steps of the process for some hands-on learning! After the lesson, you are welcome to explore their gallery and purchase a souvenir or two if you so choose before heading back to Oaxaca City. It was truly such a fun day! I can't recommend it highly enough.
Day 2
Cacao Tasting at Chimalapa (2 hours)
This experience was such a treat! My teacher Diego is very kind and knowledgeable, and I had the opportunity to learn about different cacao varieties and how each of them is processed. I also had the opportunity to try different cacaos, nibs, chocolate bars, and beverages (both hot and cold), and everything was delicious. I even got to participate in the processing and preparation of some of the cocoa we enjoyed! It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon, and I left with some great souvenirs for my mom, who loves hot chocolate. And on top of all of that, it was a great way for me to practice my Spanish - Diego was very patient with me throughout!
Oaxaca City Walking Tour (2 hours)
This tour with Gabriel was a really great way to begin getting to know the beautiful city of Oaxaca! He is incredibly knowledgeable about Oaxaca's history, which made for a wonderfully educational and engaging experience. I highly recommend taking this tour early on in your Oaxaca trip - it's the perfect introduction to the area, and you cover a lot of ground. Gabriel's love of history and of Oaxaca really shine through in the way he presents information. Also after the tour, he was thoughtful enough to share playlists of Oaxacan music, and a list of recommendations for things to do/see in the city. Not every tour guide does that!
Day 3
Food Tour in the Abastos Market with Lembranza Mexico (2 1/2 hours)
If you love food and want to experience some of the best that local Oaxacan markets have to offer, this tour is just for you! With juices, refrescos, mezcal, the best memelas you'll ever eat, and more, you get to taste a wide variety of treats, all of which are absolutely delicious. It's really great to experience the Abastos market with a knowledgeable tour guide because the place is absolutely huge - amazing, but easy to get lost in. Javier was very warm, friendly, and eager to share lots of food and information about Oaxaca with us. It was the perfect way to spend a morning. My only wish is that I had more room to enjoy all of the amazing things in the market, especially Doña Vale’s memelas. I was pretty darn full by the end!
Oaxaca Walking Tour with a Local Photographer Juan Pablo Barba of National Geographic (2 hours)
This walking/photography tour was not only incredibly helpful, but also fun! You start the experience off with a little treat from a local café, and it was lovely to chat with Juan Pablo and get to know more about his background. It's clear how passionate he is about photography and how eager he is to share his knowledge with you. I was admittedly a little nervous at first (who wouldn’t be learning from a National Geographic photographer?), but Juan Pablo was truly such a wonderful cheerleader - super kind, supportive, and enthusiastic every step of the way! He also shared a lot of really wonderful information about lighting, movement, storytelling, perspective, etc., and I feel like I learned a lot even in a short amount of time. It was such a unique experience, and I look forward to taking all of the concepts I learned and applying them in my photography moving forward! I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to meet with and learn from Juan Pablo. It was such a joy!
Day 4
Traditional Oaxacan Embroidery Class (2 hours)
I was totally new to embroidery, and Xitlalic was truly the perfect teacher! She was incredibly patient with me, my limited embroidery skills, and my Spanish (which is a work in progress)! It was such a lovely and calm afternoon at an adorable café that has a lovely outdoor area and a delicious menu of drinks + breakfast items. There are several designs you can choose from, and Xitlalic guides you throughout each step of the process and gives you all the tools you need to complete your project, even if you don't finish during the class itself. She was also kind and thoughtful enough to offer additional help beyond the class, which I will definitely take her up on as I continue learning! She's so sweet, and embroidery is a really fun and relaxing activity. I still have a lot to learn, but Xitlalic's class was the perfect introduction!
Monte Alban (3 hours)
Just 25-30 minutes outside of the zócalo is an amazing archeological site that was home to the Zapotec people, one of the many indigenous communities native to Oaxaca, Mexico. Make sure to wear sunscreen and a hat because there is nowhere to hide from the sun, but it is absolutely worth a visit! Whether you wander around yourselves or book a tour online, it’s a really special way to engage with Zapotec culture and history. The wide open green space, unique architecture, and incredible mountain views create such a beautiful atmosphere, and there are signs throughout the site with descriptions in Zapotec, English, and Spanish for you to learn more about the pre-Columbian civilization’s rich history. Learn about the Zapotec people’s ritual ballgame, visit their tombs, and climb their amazing pyramids. It’s easy to spend 2-3 hours there reading about the site and enjoying the scenery.
Day 5
Traditional Oaxacan Cooking Class (5 1/2 hours)
If you do one thing in Oaxaca City, take this cooking class! Mimí is an absolute gem - so warm, friendly, and funny, and she makes an effort to get to know each and every person and learn their names, which is not easy to do with a large class of people. You start the class off making your own salsa to enjoy with a breakfast of memelas and agua con chocolate. Once you're properly fueled up, the class begins! Everyone has a role in the class: chopping plantains and apples, roasting peppers, grinding all of the ingredients into mole, making your own tortillas, etc. It's such a fun setting to get to know Mimí, her lovely son Charlie, and the other people in your class. You also learn a lot about how mole is made - it's very much a labor of love, but vale la pena. At the end of class, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor, and everything is absolutely delicious - truly one of my favorite meals during my trip to Oaxaca, which is saying something given all of the amazing food here. Again, take this cooking class - you won't regret it for a second!
Day 6
Hike in the Forest of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca (8 hours)
If you enjoy hiking, this experience is just for you! My guide Luis was so lovely, and I honestly felt like I was going on a hike with a friend. He's really interested in the world of mushrooms and is eager to share his knowledge with you, answer any questions you might have, etc. After a delicious breakfast of memelas, quesadillas, coffee, hot chocolate, tea, etc., you head out and begin the hike, which is super adaptable to your skill level - you can make the trip as short or as long as you'd like! I recommend bringing layers because it definitely gets a little chilly at higher elevations, but it's really refreshing too. Sierra Norte is absolutely beautiful and reminded me a lot of the Pacific Northwest with how lush and green everything was. If you're lucky, you might come across some mushrooms on your hike that you can harvest and bring with you. Then for lunch, you'll go to a really delicious spot where they will prepare you an meal with the fruits of your labor. It was such a great day!
Day 7
Traditional Mexican Medicine Class (1 1/2 hours)
Shadi was an absolute delight! She is incredibly kind, gentle, and knowledgeable about traditional Mexican medicine. She was also very patient and understanding in helping me reschedule my reservation when a last-minute conflict came up. She shares a lot of wonderful information about the history of traditional medicine in Mexico; different ways to maintain equilibrium in your body; herbs and other remedies for certain physical, mental, and/or spiritual problems; and more. The class is also interactive in that she will demonstrate a type of massage to relieve toxins from your body, and perform an egg cleansing for you if you wish. It was such a unique and educational experience, and I look forward to learning more about all of the natural remedies that have existed in Mexican culture for centuries.
Souvenir Shopping
Between all of the street vendors, markets, shops, and mezcalerías, there is no shortage of places to find amazing souvenirs for your family, your friends, and yourself—not to mention support local Oaxacan artists and businesses!
For Next Time…
Despite Oaxaca City’s smaller size, there is so much to do, see, and eat, so I have plenty of reasons to come back! It's such a special place that I’m already itching to visit again. Activities I wasn’t able to hit but will be sure to the next time I’m there include:
A mezcal tour/tasting
Museo de Culturas
Museo Textil de Oaxaca
Tree of Tule - the widest tree in the world!
The pueblo of Mitla
And the list goes on…
But if you only have a week, I can’t recommend the above activities enough, especially for those interested in hiking, cuisine, and/or creative activities like embroidery. ¡Buen viaje!