Oaxaca City packs an extraordinary density of things to do into a compact, walkable colonial centre. You can visit a 2,500-year-old Zapotec capital in the morning, eat mole negro in a courtyard restaurant at lunch, tour a family-run mezcal distillery in the afternoon, and watch a comparsa parade through the zocalo at night, all without leaving a 10km radius. This things to do guide covers archaeological sites, museums, markets, food experiences, and day trips. For festival timing, see the [Oaxaca City events and festivals] guide.
Things to Do in Oaxaca City: Archaeological Sites
Monte Alban
Monte Alban is the crown jewel of Oaxaca’s archaeological heritage and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This Zapotec capital was founded around 500 BC atop a flattened mountain 400 metres above the valley floor, with panoramic views of the surrounding Sierra Madre mountains. The Grand Plaza stretches 300 metres and is flanked by pyramids, temples, an I-shaped ball court, and the Observatory (Building J) aligned with astronomical events. Over 170 tombs have been excavated, including Tomb 7 which yielded one of the richest troves of pre-Columbian gold and jewellery ever found in Mesoamerica (the treasure is now at the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca). Entry costs MXN 90 (about US$5), open daily 8am to 5pm. Buses leave from the corner of Avenida Independencia and Calle Galeana every 30 minutes starting at 8:30am; the ride takes 20 minutes and costs MXN 70 round trip. Arrive by 9am to beat the heat and the tour groups. Bring water, sunscreen, and a hat as there is zero shade on the plaza.
Mitla
Mitla, 44km southeast of Oaxaca City, was the religious centre of the Zapotec civilisation and features the most intricate stone mosaic fretwork in Mesoamerica. Unlike the monumental pyramids of Monte Alban, Mitla is known for its geometric greca patterns carved directly into stone walls in 14 distinct designs, each believed to represent cosmological concepts. The site has five main palace groups (only two are open), with the Columns Group and Church Group being the most impressive. The Spanish built the Church of San Pablo directly atop one of the Zapotec platforms in the 16th century. Entry is MXN 90, open daily 8am to 5pm. Colectivo taxis to Mitla depart from the Central de Abastos and take about 50 minutes. Combine Mitla with a visit to Hierve el Agua on the same day trip for maximum efficiency.
Hierve el Agua
Hierve el Agua (‘the water boils’) is a set of petrified waterfall formations created by calcium carbonate-rich springs cascading over a cliff edge over thousands of years. The result is a 50-metre-tall white rock formation that looks exactly like a frozen waterfall. There are two natural infinity pools perched at the cliff edge where you can swim with an epic view of the valley below. The water is cold, not hot as the name suggests. The site is 70km east of Oaxaca City, about a 90-minute drive. Entry costs MXN 50. Colectivo taxis and tours depart from Oaxaca daily; most tours combine Hierve el Agua with Mitla and a mezcal distillery for MXN 300-400 per person. Go early to have the pools nearly to yourself before the tour buses arrive around 11am.
Things to Do in Oaxaca City: Museums and Culture
Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca
Housed in the former Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzman, this is Oaxaca’s must-visit museum. The building itself is a 16th-century Dominican convent with restored colonial frescoes and a stunning baroque chapel. The permanent collection spans Oaxaca’s history from pre-Hispanic civilisations through the colonial era to the present, with the undisputed highlight being the treasures from Monte Alban’s Tomb 7: Mixtec gold jewellery, turquoise masks, carved jaguar bones, and a gold pectoral depicting the god of death. Entry is MXN 90, open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm. Give yourself at least 2 hours. The adjacent Jardin Etnobotanico de Oaxaca (ethnobotanical garden) is accessed via guided tour only (MXN 100, English tours Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday at 11am) and showcases Oaxaca’s extraordinary plant biodiversity across 2.3 hectares.
Museo Textil de Oaxaca
This free museum in a restored 18th-century mansion on Calle Hidalgo documents Oaxaca’s rich textile traditions across its 16 indigenous groups. Exhibits rotate every few months covering weaving techniques, natural dyes (cochineal red, indigo blue, marigold yellow), and regional costume variations. There are often live weaving demonstrations in the courtyard. The museum shop sells high-quality textiles directly from artisan cooperatives at fair prices. Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 4pm. Free entry.
Things to Do in Oaxaca City: Markets and Food
Mercado Benito Juarez and Mercado 20 de Noviembre
The Mercado Benito Juarez is Oaxaca’s main public market, occupying an entire city block one block south of the Zocalo. The market divides roughly into two zones: the northern half is produce, meat, flowers, and household goods; the southern half is handicrafts, textiles, alebrijes (painted wooden creatures), and black pottery from San Bartolo Coyotepec. Prices for crafts are negotiable but generally fair. The market opens daily around 7am and winds down by 8pm. Connected by a narrow passage, the adjacent Mercado 20 de Noviembre is Oaxaca’s dedicated food market. Its claim to fame is the ‘pasillo de humo’ (smoke corridor), a row of charcoal grills where vendors cook tasajo (thin-cut beef), cecina (chili-rubbed pork), and chorizo to order. You buy meat by weight from one stall and sides (tortillas, guacamole, nopales, grilled onions) from another, then assemble your meal at communal tables.
Mezcal Tasting and Distillery Tours
Oaxaca is the global capital of mezcal production, and visiting a palenque (traditional distillery) is one of the most rewarding things to do in Oaxaca City. Unlike tequila, which can only be made from blue agave in Jalisco, mezcal can be produced from over 30 agave species across Oaxaca, each with distinct flavour profiles: espadin (balanced, classic), tobala (floral, complex), tepeztate (herbal, takes 25 years to mature), and madrecuixe (earthy, smoky). Several palenques in the villages of Santiago Matatlan and Santa Catarina Minas offer free tours and tastings with the expectation you’ll buy a bottle (MXN 300-600). Mezcaloteca on Calle Reforma offers guided educational tastings (MXN 250-400) in English without a hard sell. Mezcaleria Los Amantes and La Mezcalerita are good options in the centro for sampling by the glass. A colectivo taxi to Matatlan costs about MXN 50 each way and takes 45 minutes.
Things to Do in Oaxaca City: Day Trips
Arbol del Tule
The Arbol del Tule, in the village of Santa Maria del Tule 12km east of Oaxaca City, is a Montezuma cypress with the stoutest trunk of any tree on Earth: 14.4 metres (47 feet) in diameter, 42 metres (138 feet) tall, and estimated at over 2,000 years old. The tree stands in a fenced church courtyard. Local children act as informal guides, pointing out animal shapes in the trunk’s gnarled bark (lion, elephant, crocodile) with pocket mirrors for a tip of MXN 20-30. Entry to the courtyard is MXN 20. Buses to Santa Maria del Tule leave from the second-class bus terminal every 15 minutes and take 25 minutes.
Teotitlan del Valle (Weaving Village)
Teotitlan del Valle, 28km east of Oaxaca City, is the region’s premier weaving village, where Zapotec families have produced wool rugs using natural dyes for generations. You can visit family workshops to see the entire process: carding and spinning raw wool, dyeing with cochineal insects (which produce a brilliant crimson red), indigo, and marigold, and hand-weaving on traditional pedal looms. Rugs range from small placemats (MXN 300) to large wall-hanging pieces (MXN 5,000+). The village also has a 17th-century church with Zapotec symbols subtly incorporated into its colonial facade. Colectivo taxis leave from the Central de Abastos and take 35 minutes.
San Martin Tilcajete (Alebrijes)
San Martin Tilcajete, 25km south of Oaxaca City, is the birthplace of Oaxacan alebrijes: fantastical painted wooden creatures carved from copal wood. Each alebrije is hand-carved with a machete and knife, then meticulously painted with intricate dot and stripe patterns. You can visit family workshops to see carvers at work and buy directly from artisans at significantly lower prices than in Oaxaca City shops. A medium-sized alebrije costs MXN 500-1,500 direct from the carver versus MXN 1,000-3,000 in the city. Colectivos leave from the Central de Abastos and take 30 minutes.
