We spent a month exploring the city of Oaxaca and its surrounding areas. It soon became one of our favorite places in Mexico and this post describes 7 attributes that we especially liked.

1 – Colors. Oaxaca is a city filled with bright colors. Local shops feature outdoor and indoor displays of beautiful handwoven rugs made by regional artists. Colorful houses line the streets in the historical center. Raul, our walking tour guide, told us that the city council selects color schemes for the neighborhoods and owners must select one of the designated colors when painting the exterior of their home or shop.

We photographed just a few of the many street murals on buildings and brick walls. The city often pays local artists for their creations that enhance the public spaces. 

2 – Food. We expanded our food experiences by eating several foods unique to the city and region. Tlayuda, called Oaxacan pizza, consists of a partially toasted flour tortilla smeared with refried beans, covered with cheese and then various toppings. We opted for vegetables as the final layer. 

Susan took a vegetarian Oaxacan cooking class, which included making memelas. This very popular breakfast and/or snack food starts with a small, thick handmade corn tortilla. Next is a thin bean paste topped with queso fresco or quesillo cheese, salsa and maybe a garnish for looks and taste. Susan’s class made the tortillas, bean paste, and salsa from scratch. In addition, she and her fellow students topped the memelas with mushrooms and cooked huitlacoche, an edible corn fungus. Street vendors sell memelas with many topping or salsa options. 

Quesillo reminded us of string cheese (mozzarella), but a bit saltier.  It can be purchased by the kilo at most local markets.

Since we love ice cream we made sure to eat nieve at one of the colorful cafes frequented by many of the locals. Popular throughout Mexico, this traditional Oaxacan frozen treat dates back to the Aztec empire. Flavors are milk or water based and we sampled three varieties: lime, water based, plus blackberry and strawberry, both milk based. 

3 – Monte Alban. This partially excavated archeological site of ancient Zapotec and Mixtec kingdoms dates back to about 100 BC. We travelled from the city for about 30 minutes to reach Monte Alban in the Oaxaca Valley. For several hours we explored the temples, pyramid-like platforms, palaces, tombs, and ball court.

4 – Black Clay Pottery. We watched a demonstration of this very popular artisan craft, which features the unique and naturally dark clay of the Oaxaca region. Before the clay is completely dry many of the creations are polished with a curved quartz stone and artists add decorative markings. The final step of firing the pieces occurs in kilns or underground pits. 

5 – Alebrijes. Originating in Oaxaca in the 1940s, the artisan craft of alebrijes continues to be popular with locals and tourists. The folk art pieces are usually fantasy or mythical animals created by several members of an artisan family. The men hand carve the wood from copal trees, youngsters then sand the pieces, and the women add the bright colors and designs. In addition, family stores now often sell brightly painted metal and cloth items, such as magnets, serviette holders, and shoes. 

6 – Churches. We especially liked two of the churches in the city’s historical center. 

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antequera, Oaxaca. Construction began in 1535 and the cathedral was consecrated on July 12, 1733. Due to earthquakes in the 16th and 18th centuries, the building was rebuilt several times, with the most recent reconstruction from 1702 to 1733.

A bit of interesting trivia from themusicstamps.com: “The Oaxacan cathedral organ is on a 2013 stamp from Mexico. . .(It) is one of a set of six honoring historic organs from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico from 2013. The set actually is a tribute to the work of the IOHIO (Institute of Historic Organs in Oaxaca). This organization restores and preserves historic instruments in Oaxaca. Of particular interest to stamp collectors, the organization is housed in the Oaxaca Philatelic Museum (MUFI). . . One special thing about organ stamps is that they feature a specific instrument. Other instrument stamps are usually generic, e.g. a violin, a drum, a piano. However, pipe organs are large and expensive and typically custom built to a specific location. They are the pride of a congregation, community, region, or country. This is why they are commonly on postage stamps.”

If you are curious about other postage stamps of pipe organs across the globe, check out Michael R. Barker’s blog entitled “Pipe Organs of the World on Postage Stamps.”

The Church of Santa Domingo de Guzman stands at the center of a large, popular plaza. Founded and designed by Dominican friars, the church’s construction began in 1570 by native workers and ended about 200 years later. During Mexico’s revolutionary wars, the building was taken over by the government for military use, and from 1866 to 1902 it served as a cavalry depot. The badly damaged church was restored and religious services resumed in 1938. 

7 – Wedding Parades. Oaxacan weddings are festive, fancy events! And on a Saturday afternoon we enjoyed watching the comings and goings of several wedding parties and guests at the Church of Santa Domingo de Guzman. After each ceremony the bride and groom, ten-foot tall paper-mâché puppets depicting the newlyweds, dancers in colorful costumes, and a band led the celebrants in an energetic parade along one of the main pedestrian streets.