Oaxaca
Oaxaca City:
Oaxaca was once the center of the Mixtec and Zapotec civilizations. After the Spanish conquest, the city quickly took on a Spanish flavor, with ornate buildings and charming plazas. Yet despite its colonial heritage, the city remains Indian at heart.
Monte Alban:
Spectacularly situated on a levelled mountain top above the Oaxaca Valley is Monte Alban, the greatest of the Zapotec cities.
Oaxaca for foodies:
Oaxacan cuisine is famous for its refinement and complexity, and the city offers famous restaurants, amazing street food, and delicious cooking courses.
Craft villages:
South of Oaxaca is a string of craft villages, including San Bartolo Coyotepec with its gorgeous black pottery, Ocotlan with its whimsical figurines fashioned from red clay by the Aguilar family, San Martin Tilcajete with its animal woodcarvings called "alebrijes”, and Teotitlan del Valle with its weaving tradition since Aztec times.
Hiking Pueblos Mancomunados:
Perched high atop the Sierra Norte mountains, the Pueblos Mancomunados (“united villages”) are a cooperative of eight Zapotec Indian villages. Hiking paths meander between the villages, and local guides take visitors through the beautiful wilderness, along canyons and waterfalls. This unique project helps develop schools, roads and health posts in the region.
Oaxaca Pacific beaches:
Oaxaca’s Pacific coastline – from Huatulco to Puerto Escondido – is home to near-empty golden beaches, beautiful hotels, and lagoons full of wildlife. There are turtles (this is a major global sea-turtle nesting area), dolphins and whales, plus diving, snorkeling, and some of the best surfing swells.