Going on a trip with friends is certainly a fun way to plan a reunion. Especially if you have not seen them in years because they are from different parts of the country -thank god for WhatsApp that has managed to keep us connected-, but nothing like physical contact. So we began to plan this great reunion, preferably in a nice place, practical to get around in, easy to spend time together and with an excellent gastronomy, since we knew that we would spend long after-hours catching up. This is how we all voted for Oaxaca!
Oaxaca is a fashionable destination, especially for parties and friends’ trips, since in addition to being beautiful, it is very cheap. We concentrated on the city of Oaxaca and from there made excursions to nearby places hiring private transportation. What did we visit?
Historic Center
We stayed in the heart of the colorful historic center. There are very nice hotels of different price ranges and also the restaurants, bars and main tourist attractions of the city are concentrated here. It is the best option if you want to do everything by foot.
In a destination as famous for its gastronomy as Oaxaca, where part of the experience is precisely to taste its culinary specialties, as well as to drink its mezcal, it was expected that we would spend hours exploring its restaurants. Thus, we spend hours chatting (or as we say in Mexico “echando el chal”), eating and drinking in places like Casa Oaxaca, Zandunga, Los Danzantes and -my favorite- Pitiona, which has a terrace with an incredible view of the church of Santo Domingo.
And speaking of that architectural gem, if there is something you cannot miss in Oaxaca, it is definitely the church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, one of the most beautiful in the world, declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. It was built between the XVI and XVII centuries and is in a New Spanish Baroque style. From the moment you enter, it dazzles you with all the details in gold leaf on its walls, vaults and altarpiece. Just behind the church you can visit the Ethnobotanical Garden.
Although the most popular street is the beautiful Andador Turístico Macedonio Alcalá, you have to walk around the streets of the center, visit the shops because they sell beautiful crafts and -if you don’t stay there-, get to know the historic Quinta Real hotel, which was the Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena in the XVI century.
Among squares, churches, shops and colorful streets, you should not miss going to the markets and cooperatives, where you can find black clay handicrafts, alebrijes, jewelry, artisan bags, looms and a host of typical Oaxacan things. I found beautiful decoration items at La Casa de las Artesanías and at Mercado Benito Juárez. By the way, at the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, it is definitely worth visiting the “smoke aisle”, where you can try typical Oaxacan dishes (I am a big fan of tlayudas, cecina enchilada and grasshopers).
On the outskirts of Oaxaca
With all the wonders that this southern Mexican state has to offer, I recommend that you leave at least one day for excursions to nearby places. We hired private transportation to get to know several famous places on the “east route” that are relatively close to the city. As we already knew Monte Albán, we decided to skip it and include places that we had never gone to and that were on the route that had been recommended to us.
El Tule
The first stop was in Santa María del Tule, to see the most famous tree in Mexico, an ahuehuete over 2,000 years old. It has the largest trunk in the world, with a circumference of 44 meters and 42 meters high. There we met a very nice kid guide who helped us find different shapes of the tree.
Hierve el Agua
Very excited, we continued our adventure to Hierve el Agua to see the natural spa and the petrified waterfalls. The place is spectacular, sitting there next to the natural pools, admiring the waterfalls that are over 200 meters high and were formed millions of years ago.
We did not go swimming, nor did we go down to the bottom of the waterfall, but we dipped our feet into the natural pools and had a great time taking photos and admiring the landscape. Finally, we ended up in one of the stalls eating mangoes with chili.
Mitla Archaeological Zone
Although it is small, I recommend visiting it because it is very beautiful. In Nahuatl language, Mitla means “place of the dead” and its name in Zapotec is Lyobáa “place of rest”. It has five sets with patios and in the constructions, you can still see very well the carved frets that are considered unique in the country.
Here you can see the halls, the Hall of Columns that consists of several stone monoliths, you can cross the small doors to enter the courtyards and even enter the tombs. Of course, to access that part you have to overcome claustrophobia, since you have to go down a few steps, go through a small and narrow entrance and then enter a very closed space that is where the graves are located. We were lucky that it was empty, so we quickly went to see them.
Loom workshop
After having stopped to eat delicious food at a restaurant on the road called Rancho Zapata, they took us to see a workshop where they make the beautiful looms in Teotitlán del Valle. The visit is very interesting because they explain you in detail how wool is washed, how colors are obtained naturally to dye fabrics and how they use the pedal loom. The best thing is that if you buy their textile products, you are buying directly from the artisans.
Santiago Matatlán
We finished with the most anticipated of the day, the tasting of mezcal at El Rey de Matatlán, a family business that has been dedicated to the production of mezcal since 1950. Here, we were able to learn about the different types of maguey and see the artisanal elaboration process. In addition, they also produce organic mezcal.
The experience of drinking mezcal here is more attractive because they explain everything you are drinking and how to drink it. At the end, you end up trying much more than you should, this is why it is important to hire a transport service, so that you can easily enjoy all the mezcal that they offer you.
And so we ended a weekend of friendship, talks, laughter, learning, shopping and eating everything, while exploring one of the most beautiful places in our country. I am looking forward to the next reunion.
If you want us to organize your friends’ trip to Oaxaca or some other fun place through our travel agency Tripdreaming, contact me silvia.lucero@tripdreamig.com and we will gladly design it 100% customized.
For editorial questions, contact me at silvia.lucero@latrotamundos.com.
