CULTURE OF OAXACA

Oaxaca de Juarez, the capital city of the rich and fertile state of Oaxaca in Southern Mexico, is our home base for this tour.

This user-friendly Spanish Colonial city, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, offers an abundance of museums and markets, architectural and artistic wonders, an ethnobotanical garden of great renown, and some of the best food in all of Mexico.

To quote Travel & Leisure Magazine, “Whether you’re into art, architecture, food, history, spirits of the drinking kind, or handicrafts, Oaxaca has it in spades.”

On this tour we will explore the city’s excellent museums of art, history, and textiles; colorful bustling markets; and plethora of high quality shops…and venture out into the outlying valleys to see the vast variety of fantastic fine and folk art created here. We will visit villages where rugs are woven, ceramics both utilitarian and decorative are made, exquisite textiles are created and embroidered, and fantastical wooden creatures are carved.

Ancient Mixtec and Zapotec ruins in the area offer yet another fascinating area to explore, and our trip will include in-depth guided visits to the important sites of both Monte Albán and Mitla.

As if all that were not enough, Oaxaca is also renowned for its complex and delicious regional cuisine. Our culinary experiences—in cooking classes, casual eateries, humble homes, and fine dining establishments—will allow us to savor a wide array of these glorious Oaxacan culinary specialties.

Our home-away-from-home for this tour is Hotel Los Pilares, a small boutique hotel in the artsy Jalatlaco neighborhood of the city.