Oaxaca City, the capital of Oaxaca, is one of the most picturesque Mexican destinations, and one that has been slowly making its way up on travel bucket lists, but what is Oaxaca known for?
In this post, we will showcase a few of the things that make Oaxaca one of the most unique Mexican destinations to visit and why you should absolutely add this charming city to your future travel plans.
Reasons to visit Oaxaca: What is Oaxaca known for
Oaxaca’s rich culture
Oaxaca is the state with the biggest number of ethnic groups in the country, with over 500 municipalities and over 400 individual cultures, which translates to an incredibly culturally rich area, full of different traditions, cuisines, crafts, and languages.
This creates a unique Mexican enriching experience that you would not get anywhere else in the whole country.
Oaxaca City’s colorful personality
If you are wondering what is Oaxaca known for? One of the top answers that come to mind is Oaxaca’s charming colorful streets.
Oaxaca City particularly looks like the perfect Mexican postcard, colorful colonial houses line the cobblestone stress, bright papel picado dangles from the lamposts, there are balloon sellers in the little plaza, the hills around the city are lush and green.
Oaxaca City has that quaint Mexican town vibe without having to share it with a business downtown area like other popular Mexican destinations, charming Mexican town is what makes the DNA of this city.
Oaxaca’s characteristic textiles and craftsmanship
Mexico’s unique vibrant culture takes a physical shape in Oaxaca’s artisans’ hands, from colorful hand-crafted wooden alebrijes, to eye-catching ceramic pieces to the intricately hand-woven Oaxacan woolen rugs, Oaxaca is home to an incredibly artistic community.
Besides being able to find stunning authentic Mexican souvenirs, visiting Oaxaca City will also allow you to dive deeper into this artisan world and learn more about different crafts, so you can have a better appreciation for the products and the hands that made them.
World-renowned Oaxacan cuisine
One of the top answers to what is Oaxaca known for has to be its incredible food.
Oaxacan cuisine has had a strong influence on the country’s culinary development, a great number of delicious dishes that we enjoy all across Mexico—and around the world— were born in Oaxaca.
So a visit to Oaxaca guarantees that you will be spoiled for choice by the sheer amount of incredible Mexican food all around you and at incredibly affordable as well.
From the street corner memelas stand to a contemporary Oaxacan restaurant, doesn’t matter where you eat, you cannot have a bad meal when visiting Oaxaca.
Oaxaca’s uniquely diverse flora
Oaxaca state is home to a wide variety of ecosystems, from sand dunes to forests to mangroves and grasslands, creating biodiversity that is very distinctive to the state.
This biodiversity is also reflected in the kind of flora that you can find even inside Oaxaca City, with a combination of lush green hills all around the city, colorful orange blooms on the flamboyant trees, bright pink bougainvillea climbing up the walls, and the iconic two-meter tall cacti in Oaxaca City’s botanical garden, Oaxaca has it all.
Oaxaca’s iconic liquor; mezcal
Tequila’s smokier cousin—kind of—Mezcal, is another main product that Oaxaca is known for, with most of the Mezcal production in the country coming from here, a trip to Oaxaca is the perfect opportunity to try this popular Mexican liquor.
While exploring Oaxaca City you will find no shortage of mezcal tasting rooms, however, if you want to take it a step further, you can always book a tour to visit a variety of distilleries outside the city, from the bigger local brands to the artisan distilleries run by families.
Zapotec Culture and History
One of the most interesting elements about Oaxaca, if compared to somewhere like Mexico City, is how prevalent its indigenous roots still are, and even with its hundreds of different cultures and many dialects, there was one group whose influence can be seen around the state and in Oaxaca City, the Zapotecs.
The Zapotecs conquered the state back in 1400 BC, which is why its heritage can still be found in Oaxacan cuisine, crafts, and ancient architecture, making Oaxaca a destination full of ancient history and rich in culture.
Oaxaca’s world-class natural wonders
Oaxaca’s biodiversity can be experienced within Oaxaca City, but just a short drive out of the capital you will find a spectacular natural wonder, that attracts tourists and locals alike, a group of petrified waterfalls, Hierve el Agua, which is believed to be millions of years old and is one of only two existing in the world.
Oaxaca’s strong coffee culture
If you love coffee as much as we do then Oaxaca City is the Mexican destination of dreams.
Oaxaca’s lush and mountainous landscape, complemented by the rainy seasons in Oaxaca creates the perfect conditions for coffee beans to grow, making Oaxaca one of the biggest coffee producers in the country.
This is why good coffee is an intrinsic part of the culture here, and why you will have no trouble finding numerous coffee shops in Oaxaca City offering high-quality locally produced coffee.
Oaxaca remains one of the cheapest Mexican vacation spots
Regardless of being a destination that is quickly escalating the travel lists, Oaxaca still remains a very authentic Mexican destination, that has not been greatly affected by mass tourism, which has allowed it to stay incredibly affordable for tourists and very fair for its local residents.
So you can be sure that if a cheap vacation in Mexico is what you are after, Oaxaca City is most definitely one of the top Mexican destinations to visit.
We really hope you found this post useful and that it helps answer the question, of what is Oaxaca known for, as well as give you enough reasons to add this charming Mexican destination to your travel bucket list.
Let us know in the comments if you have any burning questions about this destination, or if you think there is something that we missed.
¡Buen viaje!
