The idea of visiting Oaxaca began in 2006. I worked with someone who lived there as an expat; he couldn't stop talking about the wonders of Oaxaca. By the 2010s, it felt like every millennial I knew had visited. However, other places were on my travel list, including Mexico City in 2017. Finally, years later, Oaxaca seemed like the perfect spot for Spring Break—highs in the 80s, no humidity. The city is an indigenous cultural heritage site and (accurately) very friendly to tourists. So, Oaxaca.
I conducted endless research on this relatively small city. Modern Airbnbs abound, and everyone has restaurant recommendations. While there's no Uber, taxis are everywhere. There are a limited number of day trip options. Regarding my planning obsession, it was a relatively straightforward trip. We picked a centrally-located Airbnb with a plunge pool for the warm afternoons, made a few dinner reservations, and chose two Airbnb experiences beyond the city limits. The rest of the time was spent walking the streets and taking photos.
Culinary-wise, I wasn't up for the street food, but the two main markets are fun to explore. For nicer dinners, we went to Criollo, Las Quince Letras Restaurante, and Origen. While everything was good enough, these meals didn't live up to my memories of the food in Mexico City. Only Boulenc was truly memorable. We had breakfast on the first day and returned for dinner on the last night. Their pastries were perfect, and honestly, so were their pizza and pastas. Everything was worth whatever kind of wait there might be to get in.
In the "drinking" categories, the coffee shop scene is notably strong in Oaxaca. Marito & Moglie Café, Muss Café, and Kiyo Café were excellent. Mezcal is a whole thing in the region; I highly recommend Mescalería in Situ for mezcal tasting. We went early in the afternoon before anyone else arrived. Otherwise, after the uninspiring multi-course-tasting-menu meals, we looked for more casual bar spots with good food: Sabina Sabe was excellent for cocktails and solid bar food. Also, we found a brewery that wasn't bad (for beer) and had great cocktails and food: La Santísima Flor de Lúpulo.
To break up the time in the city, we planned two Airbnb Experiences. First, we went to Hierve El Agua, a petrified waterfall a few hours outside Oaxaca; the day included a stop for breakfast at home in the mountains, a tour of a family-run textile/weaving workshop, and a tour/tasting at a mezcal distillery. The other experience was a Oaxacan "cooking class" at a home in the more agricultural part of the Valley. I tried to pick up a few things as we made salsa, mole, and tortillas from scratch. I had always worried that these "experiences" were awkward (and tours don't fit my personality), but the hosts knew their target millennial audience; the days were easy and fun.
Photographically, I have never been to a friendlier place for street photography. I'm still working out my thoughts on street photography; I continually analyze these photographic interactions, attentive to power dynamics related to race, class, and gender (and in Oaxaca, through the lens of colonization). While everyone seemed to be understanding and would invite the photos to be taken, I can't know what they were really thinking. But their reactions helped me feel like it was okay. I did my best, was respectful, and enjoyed walking the streets for hours.
The most fascinating part of the trip was March 8th; International Women's Day (always March 8th) overlapped with Oaxaca's festival of the Good Samaritan (celebrated on the fourth Friday of Lent). The day prior, we noticed businesses boarding up their windows and churches installing wooden fences around the buildings. Generally, I was concerned. I couldn't find anything about it on Reddit. We spoke to someone in Spanish and thought she said it was a teachers' protest. That seemed okay.
During the afternoon, as a part of the Good Samaritan celebration, there was a ceremony in the central district, and businesses offered free water to everyone in honor of the biblical story from the Gospel of Luke. During the day, it was a celebration of flowers and sharing, and then, sometime after, there was the International Women's Day march. We visited the zócalo after dark and the following morning. Marchers tore down the barricades around the churches and spray-painted the stone buildings. In the morning, a crew of all men began cleanup work to remove the fencing. Much of the graffiti content targeted the church and pedophiles, naming names. The connection between the events was hard to miss; the juxtaposition was one of my most culturally fascinating, first-hand experiences.
Overall, I'd recommend a visit. Despite the protest, Oaxaca was the most amiable city I've visited outside the US. Things can happen anywhere. I wanted an easy trip after having a pretty unfriendly time in Paris and Amsterdam last spring break. Either way, escaping the northeast winter to be warm in Mexico certainly felt like "Spring Break."
