The last time I was in Oaxaca, Mexico was 25 years ago. At the time, I was a correspondent with the Financial Times of London, based in Mexico City, and I flew down to the southern state with some friends to sample the famous mole and dabble in my favourite pastime—wandering through markets and discovering talented artisans.
The trip did not disappoint. As a journalist, I had visited 29 of Mexico’s 31 states, all of which are fascinating in their own right. But Oaxaca stood out for the depth and richness of its Indigenous-infused art and cuisine. I bought two beautiful hand-woven rugs, coloured with natural dyes made from indigo, marigold flowers and cochineal, a reddish parasite that grows on cacti, which I have to this day.
So when it came time to choose a new destination for my small-group travel company, karibu adventures, offering a tour in Oaxaca seemed like a natural fit. It had so much of what I look for: a vibrant local culture, great food and natural, wild beauty.
But what would it be like all these years later? I decided to visit, and what I found left me even more captivated than the first time. This Oaxaca travel guide explores the Indigenous traditions, thriving art scene, and mountain landscapes that make Oaxacan culture one of the region’s most fascinating discoveries.
Discover Oaxaca’s Indigenous Culture and Traditions
To begin with, there are two elements that play a formative role in understanding Oaxaca’s richly textured identity and way of life. The most foundational is the importance of Indigenous self-governance. Many Zapotec, Mixtec and other Indigenous communities maintain traditions known as usos y costumbres—customary laws and practices that shape local decision-making and community life.
This is significant for Mexico, which, since its Revolution of 1910, has tried to carve its national identity around the concept of mestizaje, or racial and cultural blending. Formally recognized in Oaxaca’s electoral framework in the 1990s, usos y costumbres has served as a bulwark against assimilation, strengthening Indigenous pride, sense of identity and self-reliance.
The second element, which in many ways is an outgrowth of the first, is an embrace of the arts and the honing of artisanal practices, from textiles, pottery and woodworking to contemporary lithographs and street art infused with magic realism and ancient Indigenous symbolism.
Explore Oaxaca’s Art Scene and Francisco Toledo’s Legacy
The most recognized face of the art movement known as the “Oaxaca School” is Francisco Toledo, who left his imprint on the capital city, from helping shape its famed ethnobotanical garden to restoring and converting historic colonial sites into museums and art institutes.
Considered one of the most prolific master printmakers in the Americas, Toledo helped establish Oaxaca as a centre for etching and lithography, with galleries and print shops peppering the city. He also was a crusader against mass-market globalization, famously leading a campaign to stop McDonald’s from opening in the city’s colonial centre, arguing that Oaxaca’s food was a form of “intangible cultural heritage” worth protecting.
But Oaxaca’s artistic traditions aren’t confined to galleries and museums. In villages outside the capital, generations of artisans continue to practice traditional weaving, pottery and woodcarving techniques. Visiting their workshops offers a chance to see these crafts firsthand and meet the artisans keeping these traditions alive.
Experience Oaxaca’s Art, Food and Cultural Revival
Toledo died in 2019, but his legacy, along with decades of Indigenous self-government, has invigorated the Oaxaca I remembered. Returning all these years later, I was struck by the dynamism of the food and art scene: young Indigenous chefs transforming ancient ingredients into eclectic dishes; once-humble workshops employing whole communities and producing world-class pieces that sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
And while the state is still one of the poorest and largest sources of migrants to the U.S., relying heavily on remittances, I met several young Oaxacans who had chosen to return home from Los Angeles, eager to embrace their Zapotec heritage, return to their land and build businesses.
Go Hiking in Oaxaca’s Sierra Norte Mountains
I spent four days hiking with one of them, Celestino, through the Sierra Norte Mountains. He had spent years documenting, for the first time, its flora and fauna, in an effort to raise awareness among Zapotec communities of the value of protecting one of Mexico’s most biodiverse regions.
We walked through an ever-changing landscape of cloud forests draped in moss and bromeliads, towering Mexican pine trees, giant spiked agaves and dozens of orchid species. We passed farmers working their milpas (plots of maize, beans and squash), lunched with local home cooks and overnighted in villages that, while modest, were meticulously clean.
Hiking the Sierra Norte offers an entirely different perspective on the region, where local communities maintain close relationships with the land and demonstrate a clear sense of pride and ownership that is impressive to see. It’s an experience so meaningful that I built it into our small-group Oaxaca hiking and cultural adventure, where we spend two days hiking the mountains with our own Zapotec guide, sampling pulque and tepache from a local maker and truly taking in the magic of the land.
Experience Oaxaca’s Culture and Hiking With karibu adventures
From meeting local artisans and tasting traditional Oaxacan cuisine to hiking through the Sierra Norte with local guides, our small-group Oaxaca adventure brings together the experiences that make this region so extraordinary.
Join us March 13-20, 2027, as we explore Oaxaca’s culture, connecting with the people and communities who keep its traditions alive.