Oaxaca
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Oaxaca - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Iglesia de Santo Domingo
Centro HistoricoWith a 17th-century facade framed by two domed bell towers and an interior that's an energetic profusion of white and real gold leaf (typical of the Mexican baroque style), Santo Domingo is Oaxaca's most brilliantly decorated church. The interior of the dome is adorned with more than 100 medallions depicting various martyrs. Saturdays are usually wedding days. Pass by to see the wedding in process and the traditional dancing afterwards. Look up at the ceiling just inside the front door to see a gilded rendering of the family tree of Santo Domingo. If you stop by as the sun sets in the afternoon, the light playing on the ceiling is the best show in town.
Macedonio Alcalá at Adolfo Gurrión, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-516–3720Sight Details
Rate Includes: Mon.–Sat. 7–1 and 4–7:30, Sun. 7–1 and 4–7 -
2. Museo de las Culturas
Centro HistoricoThis gorgeous museum is laid out in a series of galleries around the cloister of the labyrinthine Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo. On the ground floor are temporary exhibits and a collection of antique books. On the second floor you'll find rooms dedicated to Oaxacan music, medicine, indigenous languages, and pottery. More than a dozen other salons have been organized chronologically. Here you'll find such Monte Albán treasures as the stunning gold jewelry from Tomb 7. Signage is in Spanish only, but English-language audio tours are available. Several lovely second-floor balconies have views of the botanical garden. The on-site shop has a wonderful collection of books, including coffee-table volumes on the art and architecture of Oaxaca. There are also plenty of maps and travel guides.
Macedonio Alcalá at Adolfo Gurrión, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-516–2991Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$59, Tues.–Sun. 10–8, last entrance at 6:15 -
3. Alameda de León
Centro HistoricoThis shady square, a bit smaller than the zócalo, is bordered by the massive cathedral on one side and the post office on the other. Locals gossip on wrought-iron benches or read the newspaper while their children chase pigeons and blow bubbles. Throughout the day, street artists perform alongside the cathedral.
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico -
4. Arquitos de Xochimilco
Centro HistoricoThese stone arches were part of the 18th-century aqueducts that carried water into the city. Through many of the arches you'll find twisting streets or secluded plazas. It's a pretty section of the city for a stroll, far from the crowds in the Centro Histórico. The arches are a 5- to 10-minute walk north of Santo Domingo church. Follow Calle Garcia Vigil north; the arches are north of Calle Cosijopi.
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico -
5. Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad
Centro HistoricoThis baroque basilica houses the statue of the Virgin of Solitude, Oaxaca's patron saint. According to legend, a mule that had mysteriously joined a mule train bound for Guatemala perished at the site of the church; the statue was discovered in its pack, and the event was construed as a miracle—one commemorated by this church, which was built in 1682. Many Oaxaqueños are devoted to the Virgin, who is believed to have more than the usual facility for healing and miracle working. In the 1980s thieves removed her jewel-studded crown; she now has a replica of the original and a glass-covered shrine. Take a look at the chandeliers inside; they're held aloft by angels.
Av. Independencia 107, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-516–5076Sight Details
Rate Includes: Daily 7–2 and 4–7 -
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6. Catedral Metropolitana de Oaxaca
Centro HistoricoBegun in 1544, the cathedral was destroyed by earthquakes and fire and not finished until 1733. It honors the Virgin of the Assumption, whose statue can be seen on the facade above the door. The chapel at the back of the church and to the left of the altar houses the revered crucifix of El Señor del Rayo (Our Lord of the Lightning Bolt), the only piece to survive a fire that started when lightning struck the thatch roof of the original structure. There's no clapper in the bell, supposedly because it started to ring on its own accord back in the 18th century. A recent scrubbing has made this a contender for the city's most gorgeous church. On festival days, the cathedral is filled with flowers.
Av. Independencia 700, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-516–4401Sight Details
Rate Includes: Daily 7–7 -
7. Centro Academico y Cultural San Pablo
Centro HistoricoThe Ex-Convento San Pablo has been turned from dereliction into a stunning new cultural and academic center for the city of Oaxaca. Visitors can enjoy the ongoing program of artistic and musical events, as well as the café, the children’s library, archaeological exhibition, restored chapel, and the interesting Moroccan-Oaxacan restaurant with roof terrace. San Pablo really is a triumph of sensitive restoration creating a truly public space.
Independencia 907, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, MexicoNo phoneSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily 10–8 -
8. Centro Fotográfico Álvarez Bravo
Centro HistoricoThis small gallery and study center is named for the self-taught Mexico City photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo (he won his first photographic competition here in Oaxaca). Exhibitions change every month or two. The building is beautiful, and sitting around the pond watching the hummingbirds is a wonderful experience.
Calle M. Bravo 116, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-516–9800Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Wed.–Mon. 9:30–8 -
9. Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca
Centro HistoricoThis small but interesting gallery has constantly changing exhibits of graphic art and design, including some extremely big names in the national and international communities. It is also an art library, featuring some exquisite copies of very unusual and historic art books. There is also a café.
Calle Macedonio Alcalá 507, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-516–6980Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Wed.–Mon. 9:30–8 -
10. Jardín Etnobotánico
Centro HistoricoThis sprawling botanical garden inside the massive walls of the Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo was the first of its kind in the Americas. Many plants that are now known throughout the region were first cultivated here. Species found only in Oaxaca are on display, including many varieties of cactus. Two-hour-long English-language tours are conducted on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 11 am. There are daily Spanish-language tours. You must take a tour to gain admission, and tours fill up quickly, so sign up as early as you can. Afterward you can roam the grounds.
Calle Gurrión Adolfo and Calle Reforma, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-516–5325Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$100 with English tour, MX$50 with Spanish tour, Daily 10–5 -
11. Museo Casa de Juárez
Centro HistoricoAfter he was orphaned, 12-year-old Benito Juárez, the future Mexican president and the first indigenous one, walked to Oaxaca from his village in the mountains. He was taken in by a bookbinder named Antonio Salanueva, whose colonial-era home is now a small museum honoring the president. A carefully restored workshop and gallery space, as well as a kitchen, dining room, and bedroom give you a peek at 19th-century Oaxacan life.
Calle García Vigil 609, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-516–1860Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$43, Weekdays 10–6, weekends 10–5 -
12. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Oaxaca
Centro HistoricoAlthough it's in a lovely colonial residence, MACO houses changing exhibitions of contemporary art. Inaugurated by graphic artist Francisco Toledo, the museum has in its collection quite a few of his etchings, though they're not always on display. Be sure to check out the front gallery on the second floor, which displays fragments of frescoes that once decorated the walls of this old mansion. Signs are in Spanish only.
Calle Macedonio Alcalá 202, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-514–1055Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$20; free Sun., Wed.–Mon. 10:30–8 -
13. Museo de Arte Prehispánico Rufino Tamayo
Centro HistoricoYou'll find a wonderfully displayed collection of pre-Hispanic pottery and sculpture at this carefully restored colonial mansion. The courtyard, dominated by a fountain guarded by a quartet of stone lions, is shaded with pink and white oleanders. Originally this was the private collection of the painter Rufino Tamayo. Especially interesting are the tiny figurines of women with children from Guerrero, some perhaps dating from more than 3,000 years ago, and the smiling ceramic figures from Veracruz.
Av. Morelos 503, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-516–7617Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$40, Mon. and Wed.–Sat. 10–2 and 4–7, Sun. 10–3 -
14. Museo de Filatelia
Centro HistoricoThe Stamp Museum in Oaxaca is located on a quiet street alongside the botanical garden. It is a small, free museum that celebrates all that is good about letter writing. The collection of Asian mailboxes in the entrance sets the scene for a world tour of miscellany about our communication. Highlights of the museum include its collection of Frida Kahlo’s letters, its ever-changing exhibitions, and its wonderful children’s programs—all offered free.
Reforma 504, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-514–2375Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Mon.–Sat. 10–8, Sun. 10–7:30 -
15. Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños
Centro HistoricoEven though it occupies a colonial-era building, the Museum of Oaxacan Painters isn't interested in simply reveling in the city's glorious past. Instead, this small gallery finds connections between the past and present, subtly linking Miguel Cabrera's 18th-century religious paintings, which incorporated a few dark-skinned cherubs, to 20th-century portrayals of indigenous people in works by Rodolfo Morales.
Av. Independencia 607, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-516–5645Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$20; free Sun., Tues.–Sun. 10–8 -
16. Museo de Textil Oaxaca
Centro HistoricoThe Museo de Textil contains a notable array of traditional textiles from the state of Oaxaca and, on selected days, visitors can see textiles being made, using historic techniques, by indigenous people from across the state working in the museum's sunlit central patio. The museum has an impressive restoration and conservation facility where visitors can see the care taken to restore antique textiles to their former glory. There is a constantly changing program of exhibitions at the museum—check ahead to see what’s on.
Hidalgo 917, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-501–1104Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Mon.–Sat. 10–8, Sun. 10–6 -
17. Palacio de Gobierno
Centro HistoricoThe 19th-century neoclassical state capitol is on the zócalo's south side. It hosts a Oaxacan history museum where you can see a variety of weird and wonderful objects relating to Oaxaca's past. A 1988 fresco by Arturo García Bustos wraps around the stairwell. In it, altars to the dead, painters of codices, fruit sellers, gods, and musicians crowd together to catalog the customs and legends of Oaxaca's indigenous people. At the top, on the left side of the mural, note the apoala tree, which, according to Mixtec legend, bore the flowers from which life sprang. If there's a protest in front of the building—and there occasionally is—it will be closed to visitors.
Portal del Palacio, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico951-501–1662Sight Details
Rate Includes: MX$25, Tues.–Sat. 9:30–7, Sun. 9:30–5 -
18. Zócalo
Centro HistoricoDuring the day it seems as if everyone passes through Oaxaca's shady main plaza, with its wrought-iron benches and matching bandstand. At night mariachi and marimba bands play under colonial archways or in the bandstand. It's a historic and truly beloved spot: when McDonald's tried to open a branch on its east side in late 2002, grassroots opposition led by painter Francisco Toledo brought the project to a halt. There's marimba music almost every night on the west side of the square (in front of Del Jardín restaurant). On Sunday, a free classical music concert is held in the corner of the Zócalo.
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico
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