Oaxaca

Oaxaca's magic is in the air. Known for its indigenous culture, you can explore textiles, ceramics, printmaking and any number of vibrant arts. Colorful festivals, a uniquely savory cuisine, natural wonders and interesting activities will round out your trip to this Mexican state.

Wandering Oaxaca

Special Experiences

Going Deep with Indigo

Dye Workshop and Indigo Textile Treasure Hunt.  Start in a dye studio located in the Historic Center of Oaxaca. Learn recipes for an indigo dye bath that can be used with wool, silk and cotton. We demonstrate both the warm and cold dye bath techniques. We discuss the properties of indigo, the preparation of using native Oaxaca indigo, along with the history of indigo in Mexico. Using samples of undyed wool and cotton skeins, we dye the fibers and you take away recipes and samples of the dyed yarns. After lunch, go on an indigo textile treasure hunt, walking to galleries and shops that offer some of the best indigo-dyed textiles in the Oaxaca historic district. This is an immersion experience designed to take you deep into indigo blue!

1 day
Along the Pottery and Mezcal Trail

Tucked into the foothills on either side of the Pan American Highway lie artisan villages known for creating pottery and the distilled beverage mezcal. Meet the women who dig clay from the earth found near their pueblo and form it into ceramics that are durable and beautiful. Visit two mezcal palenques in Santiago Matatlan.  Enjoy a tasting to learn how mezcal is more artisanal and complex than tequila. Visit an archeological site where Zapotec warriors kept watch over the trade route connecting points north and south. 

1 day
Oaxaca Artisan Village Experience

Delve deeply into the artisan experience in one of the most iconic villages in the Tlacolula Valley. Start in the village market to get flavor for the organic produce and meats of the region. Adorn yourself in a handmade, embroidered apron for the traditional cooking class. Learn to prepare your own lunch of  some of the foods Oaxaca is best known for.  Afterwards,  visit a famous candlemaker who works in beeswax, a weaver who works in natural dyes, and a grower of silkworms that transforms threads into superb garments. 

1 day
Mangrove Exploration

Explore the Manialtepec mangrove-lined coastal lagoon via boat or kayak to see the myriad species of birds, luminescent plankton and exotic fauna.

3 nights
Archeological tour to Monte Albán

Monte Albán, which served as the capital city of the ancient Zapotec people, was built in Oaxaca's central valley and was deeply linked to Teotihuacán, as evidenced by the style of its buildings, ceramic, and murals.

1 day
Texiles of Oaxaca

Enjoy an exclusive textile collectors tour with a renowned expert, a former director of the Oaxaca Textile Museum.

2 days
Private Food Market Tour

Tour the Mercado 20 de Noviembre (November 20 Market), where you will stroll through the aisles tol awaken all of your senses, with vibrant colors, textures, and scents that will whet your appetite.

1 day

Traditional Stops

Oaxaca de Juárez

Oaxaca de Juárez is one of the most important destinations in Mexico, owing to its cultural, artistic, and culinary legacies.

Hierve el Agua

The petrified waterfalls of Hierve el Agua, nestled between the mountains of the Sierra Mixe and the Oaxacan Sierra Norte is a spectacular national wonder. 

Covid Status: Oaxaca is currently open to travelers with minimal limitations.

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