Beneath its beautifully bright facade, Oaxaca City harbors a rather spooky soul. It is the epicenter of Mexico’s annual Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) celebrations and was the inspiration for the delightfully dark Pixar movie Coco. But things to do in Oaxaca aren’t just limited to admiring ofrendas (altars) and painting your face skull-style—the state capital is a culinary hot spot that serves up local delicacies against a backdrop of pastel-painted walls, wood-paneled mezcal bars, cactus-lined gardens, and an open-air museum of street art. Plus, it’s within day-tripping distance of the otherworldly Hierve el Agua nature reserve, home to a petrified waterfall and both natural and artificial pools.
To fully immerse yourself in Oaxaca City’s greatest claim to fame—the Day of the Dead celebrations—visit at the end of October. The festival generally runs from October 31 until November 6, and the town comes to life with parades, music performances, and candlelit vigils in its graveyards. Just bear in mind that this is (understandably) the busiest tourist season, so accommodations fill up months in advance. You’ll find fewer crowds and still relatively mild temperatures from December through April before the wet season begins in May.
Oaxaca is a very walkable city—particularly the rainbow-hued neighborhoods of Jalatlaco and Xochimilco. It has a relatively low crime rate that is ideal for relaxed wanders, provided you take the usual precautions. It’s home to an international airport that welcomes flights from across South America and the United States, plus a bus station that connects you to Mexico City and cities and towns throughout Oaxaca state, such as the popular surf spot of Puerto Escondido.
You’ll be hard-pushed to find a list of Mexico’s culinary hot spots that doesn’t include Oaxaca, so come hungry. The state is most famous for its mole (a rich sauce that generally combines chillis, chocolate, and nuts, but has endless variations) and tlayudas (open, crispy tortillas layered with beans and meat). Other must-tries include chapulines (deep-fried grasshoppers tossed with chili and salt) and, of course, mezcal, a fiery spirit made from agave harvested from the fields of Oaxaca state. You can find them all in the bustling 20 de Noviembre Market (Mercado 20 de Noviembre).
