Oaxaca
Oaxaca is the soul of southern Mexico, a colonial city of golden stone and jacaranda-shaded plazas that is also the country's culinary capital, famed for its complex moles, its street-food markets and the mezcal distilled in the surrounding agave hills. It is a place that rewards slow days, long lunches and unhurried evenings on the square.
On a hilltop above the city spreads Monte Alban, the ancient Zapotec capital, its great plaza, pyramids and ball court commanding sweeping views over three valleys. Leveled from the living rock more than two thousand years ago, it is one of the most dramatically sited ruins in all of Mexico, and we love having you up there in the cool of the morning before the heat builds.
Oaxaca is also the heart of Mexico's indigenous craft traditions, from the burnished black pottery and the vivid alebrije carvings to the handwoven textiles of the valley villages. And it is the most spectacular place in the country to witness the Day of the Dead, when the whole city blooms with marigolds, candles and celebration.
