If Mexico City is Mexico's brain, Oaxaca is its soul. This southern state produces the country's best mezcal, most complex cuisine, most vibrant textiles, and most authentic Day of the Dead celebrations.
Why Oaxaca#
The food. Oaxacan cuisine is UNESCO-recognized. Seven moles, tlayudas, chapulines (grasshoppers), mezcal — the food here is deeper and more complex than anywhere else in Mexico.
The culture. Indigenous Zapotec and Mixtec cultures are alive, not museum exhibits. Markets, festivals, and daily life reflect traditions that predate the Spanish by millennia.
The mezcal. Oaxaca produces 90% of Mexico's mezcal. Small-batch palenques (distilleries) dot the surrounding valleys. Tasting artisanal mezcal in Oaxaca is like tasting wine in Bordeaux.
What to Eat#
- Tlayuda — Giant crispy tortilla with black beans, cheese, and meat. Oaxaca's pizza
- Mole negro — The king of moles. 30+ ingredients, days to prepare. Complex, chocolate-dark, unforgettable
- Chapulines — Crunchy grasshoppers with lime and chili. Better than they sound
- Tamales oaxaqueños — Wrapped in banana leaf, filled with mole. $1 each
- Mezcal — Not the worm-in-a-bottle stuff. Artisanal, smoky, nuanced. Start with espadín, graduate to tobalá
What to Do#
Monte Albán — Zapotec ruins overlooking the valley. 2,500 years old. Less crowded than Teotihuacán.
Hierve el Agua — Petrified waterfalls that look like frozen cascades. Natural infinity pools on a mountainside.
Mercado 20 de Noviembre — The food market. Smoke, meat, chocolate, chapulines. Eat here daily.
Mezcal route — Visit palenques in Santiago Matatlán and surrounding villages. Taste mezcal straight from the still.
Find a Local Friend on Roavi Experience Mexico's culinary and cultural capital with someone who knows every mole recipe.
Oaxaca is one of the best places in Mexico for Día de Muertos: the Day of the Dead guide has the dates and how to take part respectfully.
Coming for the biggest week of the year? Day of the Dead in Oaxaca 2026, night by night.