If you’ve never been to Mexico and want an all-encompassing dose of the culture, Oaxaca is an ideal introductory option. The radiant city of 300,000 has a distinctive fusion of indigenous traditions, pre-Hispanic ruins, colonial architecture, a dynamic color palette, and a bursting food and drink scene, which is arguably one of the most succulent in the country. But, like with many cities in Mexico, what became our favorite activity was endlessly walking and roaming those idyllic streets to soak in the atmosphere and sights, as well as pause for multiple food breaks to experience some unique, and sometimes bizarre cuisine like chapulines (grasshoppers), a drink with cocoa flowers, fermented cacao, and piles of grilled, edible flowers.

A Taste of the Atmosphere

The streets of Oaxaca are flat, picturesque and colorful, which makes roaming a worthwhile treat, although as always in Mexico, you have to keep at least one eye peeled to the ground to avoid tripping on something random. Everything is bright and cheery and the people seem to match that vibrancy. We made many local friends through our interactions at our local markets and restaurants. Because we stayed on the outskirts, we think perhaps they were even more open to interacting and creating relationships than in the centro. One vendor would even give us “freebies” every time we came in…a few mangoes here, or a few tomatoes there. It was incredibly kind and considerate, as were his daughter and wife who ran the store with him.

We’re not really fans of cars. In fact, we’ve made the statement multiple times that we never want to own a car again. But what is it about these cars that just make us smile? The VW Beetle was made in Mexico from 1954 through 2019 and are one of the country’s most notable cars, praised for their affordability and reparability. Throughout the country, you’ll find them endearingly chugging down the charming thoroughfares often with a little old man hunched over inside, listening to Latin music and belting along at full volume.

Some of the many street scenes and buildings within Oaxaca.

Throughout the town, there was an abundance of explosions of Bougainvillea, as well as a summery show stopper…the fiery and flamboyant Royal Poinciana tree. Native to Madagascar, it is a favorite in many tropical and subtropical locations worldwide. 

And meeting friends, always a bonus. Yumi started as an Explorer Genes follower and became a fast friend when we finally crossed paths with her in the same place. One of the great things about our blog!

A Taste of Oaxacan Cuisine

Mercado 20 de Noviembre is typically a bustling market with dozens and dozens of street food stalls, fresh produce and baked goods. However, if you go between 2-4 pm during the week, it’s a whole lot emptier. Enjoying a mole snack one afternoon. We have to admit though, we went to this market a couple times and it wasn’t the best. 

In the same market, a typical juice stand where juices and licuados (fruit blended with milk) are sold. Cost is typically around $20 pesos ($1) and juices range from maracuya (passion fruit), coconut, guayabana, guava, mango, banana, strawberry, and quite a few more. 

One thing you’re sure to find on every street corner in Oaxaca are piles and piles of…chapulines! Aka grasshoppers. And score for us, these tasty jumping insects are collected only at certain times of year from their hatching in early May through the late summer/early autumn). They are then fried, and seasoned with garlic, chiles, lime juice and salt. They are eaten by themselves or frequently used as a taco topping. Because of this, they are actually quite yummy and taste a bit like salt and vinegar potato chips although they have a LOT more protein. Definitely more inviting to our palates to the ones we had in Cambodia. We would even eat them again. It was also fun to bring these back to the States to see which our friends and family members would be adventurous or gullible enough to be tricked (Mandy’s mom) into having a a nibble.

Doña Tina was right around the corner from our place and she cooked our favorite bean and cheese memelas. Memelas are thick fried cakes made of masa (flour dough) topped with different fresh ingredients. Kinda reminds you of a Mexican variation of pizza. They are a delicious and cost $10 pesos each ($.50).

Street or market food…the bread and butter of this country. Top left: flautas, rice/beans, top right: vegetarian memelas, bottom left: enmoladas (a cross between enchiladas and mole) and bottom right: enfrijoladas (enchiladas made with beans).

One of the many nut vendors. A giant bag of pecans was available for $100 pesos ($5) which we snacked on quite a bit. 

It’s not uncommon to walk down the street and be confronted with a waft of goodness. Yes, Oaxaca is also an absolute paradise for any PMS’ing woman, as they are known for some absolutely divine chocolate!!! You can go in basically any chocolate store and be offered multiple tastes. We especially loved the cold drinking chocolates made with milk. Mmmm. Apparently, the Maya and the Aztecs used this wonder not only as food and drink but for trading and even for currency. Yep, this makes sense. We’d definitely barter for chocolate.

The prettiest paletas we’ve seen yet at our favorite dessert shop, Pastelería Quemen Centro. $35 pesos a pop. ($1.70) 

A delicious and colorful ice cream shop.

We have found Menu del Dias to be a terrific value when eating out throughout Oaxaca. This was one lunch at Casa Teviche, a three course menu del dia for $120 pesos/each. ($6) It included jamaica (hibiscus juice), mushroom soup, basil chicken, which was superbly cooked and a mango dessert which kind of had the consistency of a creme brûlée. Absolutely yummy!

More things you must try in Oaxaca/Mexico….Top left: Cafe de Olla, which literally means “pot coffee,” as it is made in a tradition earthenware clay pot which gives it a unique flavor. Made with ground coffee, cinnamon, and piloncillo (unrefined whole cane sugar). You definitely do not need milk or creamer in this coffee!

Top & bottom right: Tejate, which is a non-alcoholic maize and cocoa drink made in Oaxaca, originating from pre-Hispanics times. The ingredients consist of toasted maize (corn), fermented cacao beans, toasted mamey pits and flor de cacao (flowers of cacao) which are all grinded into a paste and mixed with water. The flor de cacao floats to the top to form a pasty foam. Served cold. It’s kinda one of those things that make you say, WTF? at first, but after your second sip, you start saying. Hmmm…this is actually pretty tasty, and even refreshing.

Bottom left: one of the most popular tejate shops in Oaxaca in Mercado de Benito Juarez.

The fruit was also worth mentioning in Oaxaca. We saw the cutest avocados we ever have seen! Surprisingly with these avocados, you are even able to eat the skin, which to us was still a bit bitter.

Also, we delighted in the mangoes, which because it was mango season, were selling for $30 pesos ($1.50) for 2 kilos (4 lbs.)

La Cosecha Organic Market was another one of our favorite places in Oaxaca. It had the vibe of a trendy food cart pod in the States, but despite having the buzz word “organic” in its name, it was incredibly inexpensive just like everywhere else! Our entrees were between $40-$80 pesos ($2-$4).

Mmmm. Welcome to Oaxaca. Mole heaven!!!

In the previous post, we mentioned the amazing mezcal and mole experience we did. If you don’t wanna splurge on that, there’s actually a restaurant called Siete Moles, where you can try all of them. 

One of the many creameries that sell that stringy Oaxacan cheese, mezcal and other tourist delights. 

One of the more notable restaurants we visited was La Cevecheria Oaxaca. Dios Mio. It was hands down the most delicious ceviche of our lives and an insane value for what we received, the service and the presentation. Two entrees, an appetizer, agua del dia, chips/dip and tip came to $270 pesos ($13.) 

Mandy ordered the mango/ceviche tostada which was an absolute flavor and texture explosion. The fish used was tuna and it couldn’t have tasted fresher than if it had been caught that morning. 

The fried shrimp heads were an unexpected surprise and complimentary appetizer with our meal. The sauce to dip them in was mayonnaise-based and absolutely divine. So fresh.

We also received the best agua del dia yet at La Cevecheria. Guava with strawberries. And what lovely presentation! ($20 pesos/$1)

Another place we ended up in more than once was a gem called Casa Armadillo Negro in the Jalatlaco neighborhood, one of our favorites. Here we got to indulge in some very authentic Oaxacan cuisine, which meant chapulines dropped on top of Greg’s tacos de camarones (shrimp). When eaten alone, they are actually super salty and not surprisingly, quite crunchy. When eaten on a taco, other than the crunch, you really don’t even realize that’s what you’re eating. And yes, they’re packed with protein.

At bottom, Mandy’s Tlayueda Vegetariana complete with squash flowers and gobs of Oaxacan stringy cheese. Absolutely beautiful, unusual and quite tasty!

A Taste of the Sights

Oaxaca is kind of an interesting Mexican city because it’s not bursting with “must-see” sights. As we’ve exhibited, it’s more about the experiences. That said, there are still plenty of beautiful things to witness. Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán is probably the most iconic and extravagant church in Oaxaca. It is on the Andador Turistico (pedestrian friendly shopping zone) and also holds the museum of Oaxacan culture (unfortunately closed.)

In Oaxaca, we were finally able to do our first free walking tour in Mexico, which was absolutely terrific. They meet at 10 am and 5 pm daily at this building, the Teatro Macedonio Alcalá, named after a Oaxacan composer. Look for the guy with the yellow umbrella. This stunning renaissance theatre was built in 1903 and was once also a casino. Evidently it’s even more stunning on the inside, but alas, closed for COVID! 

One of the monastery entrances to Templo de Santo Domingo. Our walking tour guide shared that if a black cloth is hung over the door of a home, or in the case, a church, it means that someone has died of COVID-19. In this case, it was devastatingly the priest. At least he knows where he’s going.

Rows and rows of agave plants in front of the church. 

The former home of Benito Juarez who lived in Oaxaca during his childhood from 1818-1828, and is why the full name of the city is actually Oaxaca de Juárez. He was the first indigenous president of Mexico from 1861-1872 and is considered a national hero. His domestic progressive reforms set the stage for Mexico’s remarkable modernization in the last quarter of the 19th century and freed Mexico from the most-flagrant remnants of neocolonialism and a potential takeover by France. (Britanica).

Our guide pointed out a black Jesus tucked within the aqueduct, which was surprising to see in this part of the world.

The tour ironically ended in Barrio de Jalatlaco, at Casa Armadillo Negro, which is how we ended up in this neighborhood more times than we ever thought we would. It seemed fitting though because, we loved it. Definitely our favorite part of the city. Templo de San Matías Jalatlaco is one of the main focal points for this up and coming neighborhood. 

A Taste of the Street Art

We loved street art throughout our time in Mexico. In Oaxaca, it is copious, eccentric and often loaded with cultural, political or historical significance. It was difficult to unload the meaning of many of them, but thanks to our walking tour guide, we were able to understand some of the recent editions made in the past year of COVID-19.

Wonder what kind of mezcal this dog and human spirit are sipping? The perspective of death in Mexican culture is one unlike any other we’ve seen in the world and is a view we would happily adopt. They mourn death, but also celebrate it with humor, color and joy. They do this predominantly on Day of the Dead, but also seemingly throughout the year. It’s a constant presence and reminder of our circle of life.

After all, we all came from this guy.

This is Maria Sabina, a Mexican woman known for her knowledge of magic mushrooms, which have a long spiritual history. She was from a Oaxacan community called Huautla de Jimenez and became famous when she supplied them to the Beatles. However, she later said she regretted it because they became commercialised as result.

Above her head is a xoloitzcuintli, (Xolo) a hairless Mexican dog believed to be highly spiritual. They come in three varieties: grande, mediano and chico and are possibly the first dogs to set paw on the North American continent.

This is a COVID mural and has been considerately applied with a sticker. We found it interesting how many murals were temporary like this. Anyhow, the man is holding a bar of Mexican brand soap called Zote. Our guide said when the pandemic started this was the soap of choice throughout all hospitals, etc. in the country as the best choice for eliminating Coronavirus. Apparently it can be used on your hands, face, body and…clothing. Maybe a little disconcerting…? 

Another pandemic related mural. The words underneath said,“ “Larga espera, eterna soledad, encierro perpetuity”. Or, “Long wait. Eternal Loneliness. Perpetual confinement.” The artist is unknown and has not revealed why there are alligators on their heads. 

Not really sure exactly what is going on here. We do have an opinion who the guy on the left kind of resembles. 

More images of death.

Entire buildings are often covered with masterpieces. Or, are simply bizarre renditions. Like these colorful yammering bulls all over Casa Arnel Hotel.

In the Jalatlac neighborhood, one of our favorites. Seems like quite a fiesta. 

Open canvases everywhere.

Those Mexicans.  So many possible interpretations of this one. Created by one of the more popular street artists in Oaxaca.

The outside of a pizza shop.

Accommodation

Throughout our time in Mexico, we have almost exclusively stayed in our own private apartments and were easily able to stay within our maximum accommodation budget of $25/night. Staying within our combined $40/day budget was also attained without a lot of effort throughout the country (other than San Miguel de Allende).

In Oaxaca, this was our home for the month, an Airbnb about a 25-minute walk southeast of el centro. It was one bedroom and two bath with a full kitchen and living room. We had a wonderful hostess! Cost: $559 ($19/night). 

We couldn’t have asked for a better place to wrap-up our time in this incredible country.