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Click to enlarge map Where to Sleep1 Casa Oaxaca: A charming bed and breakfast with a tranquil inner courtyard, small pool and temascal (indigenous-style sauna). García Vigil 407 2 Casa Catrina: Another charming bed and breakfast (just up the street from Casa Oaxaca) with beautiful, modern rooms. Also has a temascal. García Vigil 703 3 Camino Real Oaxaca: A large hotel located in an old convent. The original washing basins are still intact in a lovely inner garden. 5 de Mayo 300 Where to Eat4 Casa Oaxaca (Restaurant): The finest restaurant in all of Oaxaca (and surprisingly good value). Constitución 104-A 5 Comedor La Fonda: Delicious Oaxacan specialties in an informal market setting; open for lunch only. 5 de Febrero 13, Etla 6 El Naranjo: More touristy than the above restaurants, but certainly worthwhile for the colorful menu. Valerio Trujano 203 7 El Topil: For thirty years, this restaurant has been making some of the best mole negro in Oaxaca. Plazuela Labastida 104 What to SeeCatedral de Santo Domingo: Founded in the 1570s, this cathedral is Oaxaca’s architectural jewel. Besides its beautiful façade and polychrome ceiling relief of a family tree, this site also boasts the Centro Cultural Santo Domingo, an extensive museum dedicated to the history of Oaxacan culture. Behind the Cathedral is a lovely botanical garden that is open for guided visits. Markets: The best markets are Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre, which are right across the street from each other and near Calle Mina (where the chocolate shops are located), and the Central de Abasto, an enormous, sprawling market along the periphery road, next to the central city bus stop. Archaeological Sites: The most famous is Monte Albán, which was once the Zapotec capital. Other worthwhile visits are Yagul, smaller, more peaceful Zapotec ruins with a botanical reserve, and Mitla, a Zapotec and Mixtec site with wonderfully intact cut-stone mosaic walls |
