The Atlas Obscura Guide To Oaxaca

9 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Oaxaca, Mexico

Updated May 1, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Oaxaca

Memelas!

Oaxaca, Mexico

Itanoní

In a quiet residential neighborhood, one restaurant fights to preserve heirloom corn, one tortilla at a time.

Pozontle paired with another market stand's garnachas.

Oaxaca, Mexico

La Pozontlería

One of the city's few vendors selling the Sierra Norte's ancestral beverage lies within a hidden farmers market.

Santo Domingo Monastery.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca (Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca)

A 16th-century monastery boasts a lush array of plants native to Mexico’s most biodiverse region.

Post Mortem Chapel.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Post Mortem Chapel

The ruins of an abandoned church mingle with the graves at Oaxaca’s General Cemetery.

Tiny radish people dancing

Oaxaca, Mexico

Night of the Radishes

At this Oaxaca contest, artists turn purple produce into stunning depictions of saints, buildings, and La Pietà.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Casilda Aguas Regionales

In a busy Oaxaca market, a nearly century-old drinks stand still serves family recipes from giant clay pots.

Two foam-green crypts with planters.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Panteón General (General Cemetery)

This graveyard boasts a medley of diverse and imaginative funeral architecture.

Huastec votive offerings depicting fertility goddesses.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art

An incredible collection of Mesoamerican art assembled by one of Mexico's great artists.

See All 9 Things To Do in Oaxaca

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Oaxaca

Memelas!

Oaxaca, Mexico

Itanoní

In a quiet residential neighborhood, one restaurant fights to preserve heirloom corn, one tortilla at a time.

Pozontle paired with another market stand's garnachas.

Oaxaca, Mexico

La Pozontlería

One of the city's few vendors selling the Sierra Norte's ancestral beverage lies within a hidden farmers market.

Tiny radish people dancing

Oaxaca, Mexico

Night of the Radishes

At this Oaxaca contest, artists turn purple produce into stunning depictions of saints, buildings, and La Pietà.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Casilda Aguas Regionales

In a busy Oaxaca market, a nearly century-old drinks stand still serves family recipes from giant clay pots.

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Museums 2

Graveyards 2

Collections 2

Art 2

Markets 2

Burial Places 2

Corn 2

Drinks 2

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Oaxaca is famous for its crafts, including alebrijes, colorful wood-carved animals.

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The structure of these ancient ballcourts varies a bit, but at each site there's a consistent pattern: a playfield framed by two embankments.

An Ancient Ballcourt in Oaxaca Expands a Sport’s Footprint

3,000 years before the Aztecs, Mesoamericans were already playing ball.

by Isaac Schultz

Julián Isidro's father, Robustiano Isidro Dominguez, rotates pasillas above a heat source.

Saving the Prized Chile That Grows Only in Oaxaca’s Mountains

Farmers growing the smoky pepper had no idea chefs were paying top dollar for it.

by Isabel Torrealba

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