Oaxaca

Oaxaca Travel Guide

With its magical concotion of sights, smells, and sounds both ancient and new, Oaxaca City, officially called Oaxaca de Juárez, embodies the bundle of contrasts that is modern Mexico. Here, in this mountain-ringed city of 260,000 people, you'll hear the singsong strains of Zapotec, Mixtec, and other native languages in the markets, Spanish rock in the bars and restaurants, and hip-hop in English blaring from passing cars. Affluent families sip tea or tequila in classy restaurants; out on the streets, men, women, and children of significantly more modest means sell pencils, sweets, and ears of delicious grilled elote (corn).