Activities
Best Things to Do in Oaxaca: Ten Essential City and Valley Experiences
Guide: Ancient Cities, Markets, Gardens & Valley Villages
Ten defining Oaxaca experiences connect an ancient hilltop capital, living markets, native plants, mineral landscapes, Zapotec weaving, monumental trees, neighborhood murals, and the historic walking core.
- Monte AlbánZapotec plazas, tombs, carved monuments, and broad valley views reveal the scale and political ambition of this ancient hilltop capital.
- Mercado Benito Juárez and Mercado 20 de NoviembreAdjacent markets compress Oaxaca's pantry into mole pastes, chocolate, breads, produce, crafts, prepared food, and the charcoal-filled Pasillo de Humo.
- Guided Visit at Jardín EtnobiológicoA guided walk decodes Oaxaca's biodiversity through columnar cacti, cycads, medicinal plants, food crops, and the garden's ingenious water system.
- Hierve el AguaMineral springs spill over petrified waterfall formations above a dramatic valley, rewarding an early journey over winding community-managed roads.
- Mitla Archaeological ZoneIntricate stone mosaics distinguish Mitla's palace courtyards, where Zapotec and Mixtec histories sit directly beside the colonial parish church.
- Árbol del TuleThe immense Montezuma cypress beside Santa María del Tule church turns botanical age and scale into an immediately legible spectacle.
- Teotitlán del Valle Weaving WorkshopsFamily workshops demonstrate carding, natural dyes, spinning, and pedal-loom weaving behind the Zapotec village's celebrated geometric wool rugs.
- Jalatlaco Mural WalkCobblestone lanes, low adobe houses, neighborhood chapels, and evolving street murals reward an unhurried walk east of the historic core.
- Santo Domingo Convent ComplexChurch, museum, garden, plaza, and mountain views converge in one extraordinary complex that rewards several hours rather than a photograph.
- Andador de Macedonio AlcaláThe pedestrian spine links Santo Domingo and the Zócalo through galleries, street vendors, carved-stone façades, cafés, and frequent public performances.
Reviewed by RGuide EditorialVenue details checked