The city of Oaxaca sprawls across a grand expanse of deep-set valley, 1600m above sea level. Its colour, folklore, numerous fiestas, indigenous markets and magnificent colonial centre make it one of the country’s most rewarding destinations once central to the Mixtec and Zapotec civilizations, the city had a limited role during the early years of the Spanish Conquest. Cortés, attracted by the area’s natural beauty, created the title of Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca, and until the Revolution his descendants held vast estates hereabouts. For practical purposes, though, Oaxaca was of little interest to the Spaniards, with no mineral wealth and, due to the rugged mountain terrain, no real agricultural value (though coffee was grown). This meant that the indigenous population was largely left to get on with life and did not have to deal with much outside influence beyond the interference of a proselytizing Church. Nevertheless, by 1796 it had become the third largest city in Nueva España, thanks to the export of cochineal and, later, textile manufacturing. Today Oaxaca is well on its way to becoming an industrial city the population is over 250,000. In the colonial centre, thanks to strict building regulations, the city’s provincial charm is hardly affected and just about everything can be reached on foot. Oaxaca is widely seen as the artistic centre of Mexico, with several state-run and private galleries, craft and jewellery masterclasses and regular exhibitions. You’ll also see the state’s most famous son, Benito Juárez, commemorated everywhere in Oaxaca, a privilege not shared by Porfirio Díaz, the second most famous Oaxaqueño, whose dictatorship most people have chosen to forget. Surrounding Oaxaca is some extraordinary topography, making an impressive backdrop to the city skyline at sunset. The Sierra Madre del Sur enters Oaxaca State from the west, while the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca runs down from Mexico’s central volcanic belt. The two ranges meet in the centre of the state and between them, converging in Oaxaca city, lie the three Valles Centrales. Simply being in Oaxaca, wandering through its streets and absorbing its life, is an experience, especially if you happen to catch the city during a fiesta (they happen all the time). Nonetheless, you should definitely take time out to visit the Museo de las Culturas and the Museo Tamayo, the markets (craft shopping in Oaxaca is among the best in the entire country), the churches of Santo Domingo and La Soledad, and to get out to Monte Albán and Mitla. While you could certainly cover the city’s highlights in a leisurely two days, it’s easy to stay for much longer. Plaza de la Constitución, closed to traffic and surrounded by portales (arcades) sheltering languid cafés, sees a steady stream of beggars, hawkers, business people, tourists and locals. It continues to be Oaxaca’s kaleidoscopic central reference point, and features some of the best free entertainment in the city especially displays of music, song and dance. On Sundays and many weekday evenings you’ll find a band playing in the centre, or else a performance or exhibition opposite the cathedral. On the south side of the square, the Neoclassical former Palacio de Gobierno has been transformed into the fancy Museo del Palacio (Tues–Sat 9.30am–7pm, Sun 9.30am–5pm), an ambitious project that symbolizes the earnest post-2006 efforts to rebuild the city. This is essentially an ethnographical museum, albeit presented in a very modern and interactive manner, with hands-on exhibits and all sorts of displays. Starting with the evolution of life on Earth, the museum covers the development of human society across the planet (with reference to Oaxaca). It’s worth wandering in to view the murals by Arturo García Bustos in any case; painted between 1985 and 1987 they smother the main staircases of the courtyard. The first mural depicts the country’s history: at the top are the revolutionary Ricardo Flores Magón (left), Benito Juárez and his wife Margarita Maza (centre) and José María Morelos (right). Porfirio Díaz appears below Juárez, with a sword. At the bottom right, Vincente Guerrero’s execution at Cuilapam is shown. The left wall shows ancient Mitla and is supposed to evoke the native roots of the country.

You can reach the Catedral de la Asunción at the northwest corner of the square by crossing to the Alameda de León, a more diminutive version of the plaza. Begun in 1553, the cathedral wasn’t completed until the eighteenth century, thanks to several earthquakes. Since then it’s been repeatedly pillaged and restored; as a result, despite a fine Baroque facade, it’s not the most enchanting Oaxaca church. It is impressively large, though, with a heavy coro (choir) blocking the aisle in the heart of the church and a ring of chapels dedicated to various saints surrounding the nave. These days, most of the services are held in the Capilla del Señor del Rayo, centred on a calvary embellished with gold votives, at the far end of the nave near the altar. Just across from the cathedral, the Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños (Tues–Sun 10am–8pm) at Independencia 107 shows mainly temporary exhibits of modern Oaxacan painters, and the quality is usually very high. Walk east along Independencia for a couple of blocks from the cathedral to arrive at the Teatro Macedonio de Alcalá, built in 1909 in the French style fashionable during the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. Still operating as a theatre and concert hall, it’s typical of the grandiose public buildings that sprang up across Mexico in the early twentieth century behind the belle époque exterior, the interior, is a magnificent swath of white marble and red plush. Just around the corner, the Museo Textil de Oaxaca (Wed–Mon 10am–8pm) at Hildalgo 917 is a showcase for the state’s high-quality textile traditions, though it also has temporary exhibitions of textiles from all over the world. Opened in 2008, the museum occupies an artfully renovated eighteenthcentury mansion. Heading north from the Plaza de la Constitución, Valdivieso crosses Independencia to become Macedonio Alcalá, the city’s pedestrianized shopping street, home to the best, and most expensive, Mexican and Oaxacan crafts. This is the place to come for exquisitely intricate silver designs and finely executed, imaginative textiles: check the quality of the goods here before venturing out to the villages where many of the crafts are made, and where the selection tends to include pieces of varying quality and lower prices. Strolling north from the plaza along Alcalá you’ll come to MACO, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (daily except Tues 10.30am–8pm), housed in a seventeenth-century building widely regarded as Cortés’s house although actually built after his death. Founded in 1992, the museum hosts temporary exhibits of national and regional contemporary art that can include anything from collections of Zapotec folk art and political caricatures to video installations focusing on the impact of Mexican immigration to the US. It should reopen at the end of 2010, after a comprehensive renovation. One block west of Alcalá at Bravo 116 you’ll find more art at the Centro Fotográfico Alvarez Bravo (daily except Tues 10am–8pm), established by painter Francisco Toledo, which has three exhibition rooms displaying historical and contemporary photographs, plus an excellent reference library.

Two blocks further up Alcalá from MACO stands one of the real highlights of Oaxaca, the church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán (daily 7am–1pm & 4–8pm), consecrated in 1611. One of the finest examples of Mexican Baroque, this extravaganza is elaborately carved and decorated both inside and out, the external walls (10m thick in some places) are solid and earthquake-proof, the interior extraordinarily rich. Parts were damaged during the Reform Wars and the Revolution especially the chapels, pressed into service as stables but most of the interior was restored during the 1950s. Notice especially the great gilded main altarpiece, and, on the underside of the raised choir above you as you enter, the family tree of Felix de Guzmán, father of St Dominic (the founder of the Dominican Order), in the form of a vine with leafy branches and tendrils, busts of leading Dominicans and a figure of the Virgin right at the top. Most striking of all, the church drips with white and gold leaf throughout, beautifully set off in the afternoon by the light that floods in through the window. Looking back from the altar you can appreciate the relief scenes high on the walls, the biblical events depicted in the barrel roof and the ceiling of the choir, a vision of the heavenly hierarchy with gilded angels swirling in rings around God. The adjoining Capilla de la Virgen del Rosario (completed in 1720) is also richly painted and carved: the Virgin takes pride of place in another stunning altarpiece, all the more startlingly intense in such a relatively small space. Next to the church, the old Convento de Santo Domingo has been restored to house the absorbing Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca (Tues–Sun 10am–7pm). If you don’t read Spanish, it’s worth renting the audio-guide at the entrance to make the most of your visit. Construction of the convento began in 1572, and the church held its first Mass in 1608; from then until 1812 it was occupied by Dominican friars. During the Revolution, the building served as barracks for the Mexican army. The damage inflicted during this period wasn’t restored until the 1990s, when the exhibits were installed. The museum traces the history of Oaxaca in an expansive and elaborately executed labyrinth of galleries that hold displays detailing the pre-Hispanic period through to the present day. The archeological finds defy hyperbole, especially the true highlight here: sala 3, dedicated to the magnificent Mixtec jewellery discovered in Tomb 7 at Monte Albán, including a couple of superb gold masks and breastplates. This lavish treasure trove constitutes a substantial proportion of all known pre-Hispanic gold, since anything the conquistadors found they melted down. The museum also owns smaller gold pieces, as well as objects in a wide variety of precious materials mother-of-pearl, obsidian, turquoise, amber and jet among them. The final galleries, in typically idealistic style, are dedicated to the pluralism of modern Mexico; an enlightening video shows members of each of the state’s fifteen indigenous peoples speaking their own language. Through the museum windows you’ll catch tantalizing views of the mountains, as well as another hidden artistic masterpiece the cactus garden.

Jardín Etnobotánico (visits by signing up in advance for a guided tour only; English tours Tues, Thurs & Sat 11am–1pm; Spanish tours Mon–Sat 10am, noon & 5pm). Beyond the garden’s sensual appeal specifically an ornate collection of orchids and plumeria the tours are also extremely illuminating. The grounds preserve species native to Oaxaca and provide information on plants and insects, such as the cochinilla that dwells inside certain varieties of cactus and secretes a substance that is used to produce natural dyes for textiles. The entrance is at Reforma and Constitución. Oaxaca is also the proud mother of Mexico’s only stamp museum, the Museo de Filatelia, housed in a sober mansion near the garden entrance at Reforma 504 (Tues–Sun 10am–8pm). It has a respectable permanent exhibition of Mexican stamps, letters, philatelic instruments and seals. Across the road from the Museo de las Culturas at Alcalá 507, the Instituto de Artes Gráficas (daily except Sat–Fri 9.30am–8pm) is another one of many cultural centres in the state sponsored by painter Francisco Toledo. Established in 1988, it displays changing exhibits of works by nationally renowned artists including José Guadalupe Posada, Rodolfo Nieto, Vicente Rojo and Toledo himself. It’s worth popping in just to amble around the rooms of what was once a rather grand colonial house and to spend an hour in the excellent art library and idyllic reading room. There are also evening music recitals. The Museo Casa de Juárez (Tues–Sat 10am–7pm), a block to the west of the Museo de las Culturas at García Vigil 609 (and opposite the fortress-like Temple y Convento de Carmen Alto, now mostly government offices), is where Oaxaca’s most famous son, Benito Juárez, lived between 1818 and 1828. The house belonged to bookbinder Antonio Salanueva, who virtually adopted the young Benito after hiring him, providing him with a crucial leg-up in Mexican society. The renovated house contains a small collection of the young Zapotec’s possessions along with seminal historical documents. Wander through the kitchen, bedroom and dining area exhibits to get an idea of what life must have been like for the middle class in early nineteenth-century Oaxaca. Four blocks north, shadowing García Vigil beyond Cosijopí, the Arcos de Xochimilco are remnants of the eighteenth-century aqueduct of San Felipe. The surrounding streets are a pleasant place to stroll with multi-coloured, low-slung, colonial-style houses surrounded by crumbling walls draped in bougainvillea, hole-in-the-wall taco joints, snoozing dogs, street lanterns and giant cacti. On Fridays and Saturdays, check out the small organic market (9.30am–4pm) at Santo Tomas Xochimilco church, north of Niños Héroes or beneath the arches in the Parque el Pochote at García Vigil 817/819 (check with the tourist desk for the latest location). Northwest of the plaza at Morelos 503 (three blocks west of Alcalá), lies the Museo Rufino Tamayo (Mon & Wed–Sat 10am–2pm & 4–7pm, Sun 10am–3pm), a private collection of pre-Hispanic artefacts gathered by the Oaxaqueño abstract artist Rufino Tamayo (1899–1991), set in an attractive house that dates from 1902. Rather than try to explain the archeological significance of its contents, the collection is deliberately laid out as an art museum, with the focus on aesthetic form, and includes some truly beautiful items from all over Mexico, with pottery and carvings from pre-Classic civilizations. Aztec, Maya and western indigenous cultures all feature strongly, though there’s surprisingly little that is Mixtec or Zapotec.

One block north, at Matamoros 307, the Museo Belber Jiménez (Mon–Fri 10am–2pm & 4–6pm, Sat 10am–2pm) is Oaxaca’s newest museum and a worthy introduction to the region’s artistic heritage. Set around a small courtyard, the galleries here display the private collection of renowned jeweller Francisco Jiménez and wife Ellen Belber, a treasure trove that includes some magnificent gold Mixtec jewellery, colonial chains and necklaces and a fine collection of twentieth-century silver work by some of Mexico’s great masters, including American expats Frederick Davis and William Spratling. There’s also a selection of Oaxacan folk art, from rugs and traditional clothing to pottery and lacquer chests. Pride of place goes to the necklace given to Frida Kahlo by Diego Rivera in 1937, engraved with the words “Amor”, and a woollen Mexican flag, presented to President Díaz on a visit to Oaxaca. Around the corner at J.P. García and Independencia, the church of San Felipe Neri is mostly Baroque, with a richly decorated proliferation of statues on the plateresque facade. It’s the interior decor, though, that really makes it interesting. The church was completed in 1773 and later used as barracks during the Revolution. By the 1920s it badly needed to be repainted, which it was in an incongruous Art Nouveau style. The building’s other claim to fame is that it’s the church in which Benito Juárez and Margarita Maza were married in 1843. Not far to the west of San Felipe Neri along Independencia, the Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, built between 1682 and 1690, is one of Mexico’s most important religious sites. It contains a statue of the Virgen de la Soledad, Oaxaca’s patron saint since 1909, one of the most revered images of Mary in the country. The story goes that in the early colonial period, a statue of the Virgin was mysteriously found in the backpack of a mule en route to Guatemala; some versions claim that the Virgin herself miraculously appeared. The basilica was consequently constructed in her honour. The diamond-encrusted crown that adorns the statue of the Virgin inside the basilica is a replica of the original, which was stolen during the 1980s. The sumptuously decorated church, built in the late seventeenth century but with a more recent facade, is set on a small plaza surrounded by other buildings associated with the Virgin’s cult. It’s a peaceful spot to watch Oaxaqueño life unfold over an ice cream or sorbet, both of which are sold in a beguiling variety of flavours at a cluster of stands try tuna (cactus) and mescal in combination. The adjoining Plaza de la Danza is the setting of outdoor concerts, folklórico performances and specialist craft markets. Ramshackle stalls behind the ice-cream vendors sell brightly coloured religious icons. Just at the back of the church courtyard there’s the small Museo Religioso de la Soledad (daily except Wed 10am–2pm & 4–6pm, Wed 10am–2pm only) devoted to the cult. It’s a bizarre jumble of weird stuff and treasure native costumes displayed on permed blonde 1950s mannequins; ex-voto paintings giving thanks for miracles and cures among which the weird stuff is generally far more interesting.

The markets are the main reason most travellers venture south of the plaza. Traditionally, Saturday is market day, and although nowadays the markets operate daily, it’s still the day to come if you want to see the old-style tianguis (markets) at their best. Indígenas flood in from the villages in a bewildering variety of costumes, and Mixtec and Zapotec dialects replace Spanish as the lingua franca. The majority of the activity, as well as the serious business of buying and selling everyday goods, happens at the sprawling Mercado de Abastos, by the second-class bus station. This is the place to go for fruit, vegetables, meat, herbs, spices and all manner of household goods, from traditional cooking pots to wooden utensils and furniture you could spend a couple of hours lost in here. Just one block south of the plaza, the Mercado Benito Juárez Maza makes for an easier target, where raw meat, fruit, clothes and bag stalls blend with some of the best budget eateries in town. There are also plenty of stalls more obviously focused on tourists: mescal, local cheese and mole are the products of choice. South of the market, on 20 de Noviembre at Aldama, the 1890 church of San Juan de Dios (replacing a far earlier church) attracts villagers and market traders who’ve come to town for the day and want to pay their respects, but the real highlight sits just behind it. The Mercado 20 de Noviembre is essentially a giant food court, a cacophony of sights, smells and tastes. Indigenous women wander labyrinthine corridors amidst plumes of incense, inviting you to try curious Oaxacan dishes such as chapulines (crunchy baked grasshoppers) and chicharrones (crispy pork fat). An excellent place to eat, the market is lined with comedores serving inexpensive food, such as chiles rellenos and tamales. You’ll also find the best mescal and chocolate stores around here. Finally, the Mercado Artesanías, two blocks southwest on 20 de Noviembre between Mina and Zaragoza, is the site for village handicrafts such as rebozas (shawls), rag dolls and green china; plenty of fresh produce and flowers; and the infamous chapulines (fried grasshoppers). While many of the goods here can be much cheaper than in the smaller markets, be warned that it’s very touristy. There are numerous shops around the plaza and on Alcalá that will give you a good idea of the potential quality of items you can buy in the market, or try the Mujeres Artesanias de los Regionales de Oaxaca at 5 de Mayo 204 (daily 9am–8pm). The food in Oaxaca is sensational. The cheapest places to eat are in the markets, either in the section of the Mercado de 20 de Noviembre around 20 de Noviembre and Aldama, or in the market by the second-class bus station, where you’ll find excellent tamales. You’ll also find a medley of stalls dotted around the plaza and along its peripheral streets that serve filling staples such as elote (corn on the cob) and flautas (deep-fried, rolled tortillas filled with mozzarella-like string cheese or meat). Other happy hunting grounds include the stalls on García Vigil near the Carmen Alto, and the organic market near the aqueduct. In addition to stalls, the plaza is ringed by cafés and restaurants where you can sit outside irresistible as ever and not as expensive as their position might lead you to expect and there are plenty of simple places for everyday meals in the streets round about. On the pricier end, there are some colonial-style and contemporary upscale restaurants that offer nouvelle Mexican dishes that use local herbs and produce to create imaginative, and usually healthier dishes. Oaxaca also provides welcome relief for vegetarians, especially those who have been restricted to endless huevos and quesadillas in other parts of the country.

The markets are the best place to indulge in two of Oaxaca’s favourite treats. Mescal, the Oaxaqueño drink of choice, is sold everywhere in bottles that usually have a dead gusano worm in the bottom. Legend has it that the creature lives on the cactus-like maguey plant (it’s actually a type of caterpillar) and is there to prove that the ingredients are genuine. You don’t have to eat the worm, though few people are in any state to notice what they’re ingesting by the time they reach the bottom of the bottle. Mescal and tequila are similar drinks tequila is simply a speciality type of the more varied mescal. True tequila is made only from the prized blue agave species, while mescal may be a combination of a number of types of maguey. Both alcohols are made from the sugary heart of the plant, which is baked, pulverized and then distilled. These liquors were developed around the same time, when the Spaniards introduced distillation after the Conquest. Surrounding the Mercado 20 de Noviembre are clusters of mescal stores where you can, taste before you commit to buying; good brands include Monte Albán, Rey Zapoteco, Beneva and Oro de Oaxaca. Most shops are open daily 9am–9pm, and sell small bottles. Several towns produce mescal, but the original is Santiago Matatlán, 45km from Oaxaca City. You’ll see mescal tours advertised everywhere. On the south side of the market, your nose will lead you to Calle Mina, which is lined with spice vendors selling plump bags of the chile-and-chocolate powder that makes up most Oaxacan moles. Cinnamon-flavoured chocolate powder is also available, for cooking or making into drinking chocolate. One of the best places in this area to try a mug of hot chocolate laced with almond, cinnamon, sugar or chile is Mayordomo, the Willy Wonka of Oaxaca. The main branch is at the corner of Mina and 20 de Noviembre; luscious hot chocolate served with bread, malts, and you can buy pure cacao served by the kilo and all sorts of boxes of chocolates. Nearby La Soledad at Mina 212 has a row of old bean-crushing machines and is drenched in the overpowering aroma of sweet cacao choc addicts beware. Oaxaca is a wonderful city for gourmands, while the state is known as the “land of the seven moles” after its most famous sauces: negro or mole Oaxaqueño (the most popular, made with chocolate giving a distinct roasted flavour), amarillo, coloradito, mancha manteles, chichilo, rojo and verde. Moles are typically served with chicken or enchiladas, but you don’t have to go to one of the smart restaurants serving contemporary Oaxacan cuisine to sample them: mole negro is often better from street or market vendors. Other specialties include tamales, worth trying in any form, and chapulines, crunchy seasoned grasshoppers. Tlayudas, giant crisp tortillas dressed with beans and a mild Oaxacan string cheese called quesillo, are staples of cafés and street stands after dark. The place to go for exceptional home-made ice cream is the plaza in front of the church of La Soledad, where you can sit and gorge yourself while watching the world go by. Flavours are innumerable and often bizarre, including elote (corn), queso, leche quemada (burnt milk), sorbete (cinnamon-flavoured sherbet) and exotic fruits like mamey, guanabana and tuna (prickly pear; a virulent purple that tastes wonderful). There are also more ordinary varieties like chocolate, peanut and coconut. You can buy local organic coffee at Café de Oaxaca Orgánica (Mon–Thurs 9am–10pm, Fri & Sat 9am–11pm) opposite Casa de las Bugambilias at Reforma 401, and drink it next door at Café La Antigua.