Oaxaca City

Windows of Oaxaca

Getting to Oaxaca is great fun in one of the smaller passenger vans that runs between Puerto Escondido’s to Oaxaca City. The ride is pleasant, not too long (about 6 hours) and the views of mountains and valleys are quite spectacular. The vans are an inexpensive and convenient way of getting there as the bigger buses take much longer to get to Oaxaca as they don’t bob and weave their way along the narrow mountain roads as the vans can. A lunch stop about half way breaks things up nicely and the road side eatery frequented by the vans serves good food cooked outside over a wood fire.

Oaxaca is magical; markets, museums, and plenty of colonial architecture surrounded by beautiful countryside. Five days in Oaxaca flew by and there was so much to do each day and of course we didn’t get to all the places we hoped to. Between visiting museums wandering the streets and people watching in the Zocalo and various coffee bars and restaurants, we fell in love with Oaxaca and I hope to return for a longer period of time. Nevertheless we squeezed in the main sights starting with the museums.

Museo de Las Culturas de Oaxaca

This is by far the best museum in Oaxaca and takes you right through the history and cultures of Oaxaca state from pre-Hispanic times. The museum itself is housed in an old monastery attached to the Templo de Santo Domingo.

Model of the Monastery and the Templo

Botanical Gardens

Pre-Hispanic Artifacts

The Streets of Oaxaca

Traditional Needle Work Meets Contemporary Stylin

Alena and I

Dancing in the Zocalo Every Wednesday

Textile Museum

Although this museum has a sparse collection what it does have showcases the famous weaving and patterns that Oaxaca is noted for.

Markets Abound

There are many outdoor markets in Oaxaca that sell everything from artisanal crafts, to locally grown produce and natural medicines. Sadly the markets that I remember from the 1970’s are gone and the locally made goods have been replaced by made in China type daily wares and household good, but the markets are still fun to visit and spend time people watching and sampling local cuisine from the food stalls.

Zocalo and Cathedral

De Los Pintores Oaxaquenos

A small collection of contemporary paintings is housed in the museum of The Oaxacan Painters. Not a spectacular museum but there were a few amusing paintings that I couldn’t help capturing.

Author: scbates

I love to travel, solo or together with friends. I’m writing this blog in part to remind myself of where I’ve been and what I’ve enjoyed about this wonderful world of ours, and in part I hope to help other travellers by sharing my experiences. I’m happy to be contacted for further information and appreciate your following my blog. View all posts by scbates