Oaxaca City

Oaxaca de Juárez, nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains in southern Mexico, is a colonial gem where 16 indigenous groups converge with living traditions. Its Historic Center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is filled with baroque temples, bustling markets, and contemporary art galleries. Oaxacan cuisine, considered Mexico's most complex, includes seven varieties of mole, tlayudas, chapulines, and artisanal mezcal. The Zapotec ruins of Monte Albán dominate the valley from above, while the Central Valleys villages keep alive traditions of weaving, black clay pottery, and alebrijes.