Things to Do in Oaxaca: 12 Experiences You Can’t Miss

Oaxaca is Mexico at its most vibrant, complex, and delicious. This southern highland city at 1,550 metres combines pre-Hispanic Zapotec roots, colonial architecture painted in terracotta and jade, and a culinary tradition so rich that UNESCO recognised it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The mezcal flows freely, the markets overflow with mole ingredients and handwoven textiles, and the surrounding valleys hide ancient ruins, petrified waterfalls, and indigenous villages where traditions stretch back centuries. Oaxaca has a way of making every visitor feel like they have discovered something deeply personal.

1. Explore the Ruins of Monte Alban

The Zapotec capital perched on a flattened mountaintop above Oaxaca is one of Mesoamerica’s most spectacular archaeological sites. The grand plaza, ball court, observatory, and carved stone danzante figures span 2,500 years of history. The views over the surrounding valleys are stunning. Go early morning for cooler temperatures and fewer crowds. Entry is 90 pesos and colectivos run from the centre for 70 pesos return.

2. Eat Through Mercado 20 de Noviembre

This covered market is Oaxaca’s most thrilling food experience. The Pasillo de Humo (Smoke Alley) features open grills where vendors cook tasajo (dried beef), chorizo, and cecina over blazing coals. Point at what you want, grab a seat at the communal tables, and pair it with mezcal from the vendors circling with trays. Add tortillas, salsa, and chapulines (grasshoppers) for the full experience.

3. Take a Mezcal Tasting and Distillery Tour

Oaxaca is the heartland of mezcal, and tasting it here is a different universe from the bar stuff abroad. Visit a palenque (artisanal distillery) in Santiago Matatlan where agave is pit-roasted, stone-crushed, and naturally fermented. In town, In Situ and Mezcalogia offer guided tastings of single-village expressions. Expect to pay 150-400 pesos for a proper flight of four to six mezcals.

4. Wander the Santo Domingo Cultural Complex

The Templo de Santo Domingo is one of Mexico’s most ornate baroque churches, its interior encrusted with gilded stucco and polychrome reliefs. The adjacent Ex-Convento houses the Museum of Oaxacan Cultures with the Mixtec gold treasures from Tomb 7 at Monte Alban. The botanical garden behind requires a guided tour and is full of regional plants used in traditional medicine.

5. Day Trip to Hierve el Agua

These petrified mineral waterfalls cascade down a cliff face overlooking a vast green valley, and the natural infinity pools at the top are filled with mineral-rich water for swimming. The site is about 70 kilometres from the city through winding mountain roads passing Zapotec weaving villages. Join a tour or take a colectivo from the second-class bus station. Entry is 50 pesos.

6. Learn to Make Mole in a Cooking Class

Oaxaca has seven signature moles, and a cooking class here reveals the staggering complexity behind each one. Casa de los Sabores and Seasons of My Heart run classes starting at the market, then hands-on grinding chiles, toasting spices, and building sauces over hours. Full-day classes run around 1,500-2,000 pesos and include a feast of everything you cook.

7. Browse the Textile Markets of Teotitlan del Valle

This Zapotec village 30 kilometres from Oaxaca has been weaving textiles for over 2,000 years. Families use traditional backstrap and pedal looms with natural dyes from cochineal insects, indigo plants, and local minerals. Visit workshops to watch the process and buy directly from weavers at fair prices. Rugs range from 500 pesos for small pieces to thousands for master works.

8. Dance at a Mezcaleria After Midnight

Oaxaca’s nightlife centres on mezcalerias that turn into dance floors as the night deepens. Los Amantes on Alcala Street has a candlelit courtyard perfect for sipping, while Txalaparta below the zocalo goes late with DJs and dancing. The mezcal here costs 40-80 pesos per pour and the quality is extraordinary. Thursday through Saturday are the biggest nights.

9. Walk the Andador de Macedonia Alcala

Oaxaca’s pedestrian street runs from the zocalo to Santo Domingo, lined with galleries, mezcalerias, shops, and street performers. The colonial architecture glows in warm afternoon light and the evening promenade is a social ritual. Stop at Cafe Brujula for excellent Oaxacan coffee and duck into the printmaking workshop IAGO (free gallery, world-class graphic art).

10. Visit the Zapotec Site of Mitla

While Monte Alban gets the crowds, Mitla’s geometric stone mosaics are in a league of their own. The fretwork patterns carved into the Hall of Columns are among the most intricate pre-Hispanic stonework in the Americas. Combine with a stop at the Tule Tree, a 2,000-year-old Montezuma cypress with the widest trunk of any tree in the world. Entry is 85 pesos.

11. Catch the Guelaguetza Festival

If you visit in late July, the Guelaguetza is Oaxaca’s most important cultural celebration. Indigenous communities from across the state perform traditional dances in elaborate costumes at the amphitheatre on Cerro del Fortin. The free Monday performances fill up before dawn. The surrounding weeks bring parades, fireworks, and mezcal-fuelled street parties.

12. Eat Tlayudas at a Street Stall

Oaxaca’s signature street food is a massive crispy tortilla topped with black bean paste, asiento (unrefined pork lard), Oaxacan string cheese, meat, and salsa. Tlayudas Libres near the baseball stadium serves the definitive version for 60-80 pesos. They are grilled over coals until the edges char and the cheese melts. Best eaten standing at 10 PM alongside everyone else in the neighbourhood.

Practical Tips for Oaxaca

Check our full Oaxaca travel guide for detailed tips on transport, safety, money, and the best time to visit. For food recommendations beyond this list, see our Oaxaca food guide.

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