Oaxaca (State) aka: Estado de Oaxaca

Most people will go and visit the ruins at Monte Alban and Mitla… and rightly so. However, if you want to get off the beaten archaelogical path, try climbing the hill up to Yagul (between Oaxaca City and Mitla). Get there by bus or taxi colectivo. If you take a taxi colectivo, be sure the driver knows that you want to go to the ruins, not the town. (Yes, I made that mistake…and really should have known better.) I went on a Wednesday afternoon, and I had the ruins completely to myself. The natural surroundings are spectacular and there is some impressive stonework. Be sure to go down into the tombs to see the very cool skulls at the entrance. FYI- Yagul has the second largest ballcourt in Mesoamerica after Chichen Itza. Not too shabby! :)

If you go to Oaxaca City, take the time to visit some of the smaller towns nearby. I went to the Friday market in Ocotlan and it was well worth it. The market is large and sprawling. I may have seen a few tourists there, but it was mostly a local thing. It is easy and cheap to get there. There are not so many artesanias to buy, but there is truly good food for purchase, especially some tasty variations of the tlayuda. I suggest squeezing into a taxi colectivo from Oaxaca City to add a little additional excitement to your journey. (On market day, you’ll need to go directly to the taxi stands near the 2nd class bus station. The return taxis pick up on one end of the Parque Central in Ocotlan.)

I also went to Arrazola where the alebrijes (cool, hand-painted wooden creatures) are made. It was a rather sleepy town. I enjoyed having such a wide selection of alebrijes to choose from when visiting the talleres (workshops). It was also nice to pay the people directly as opposed to buying it in some stall in the 20 de noviembre market in Oaxaca City.

Lastly, if you like to hike, I recommend going for a hike up in Cuajimoloyas. I set up a guide before leaving Oaxaca City and scheduled a 5 hour hike. I did not stay the night, but there seemed to be very nice accomodations up there as well as several small, local, family-owned restaurants. My guide was friendly and extremely knowledgable about local plants and their medicinal uses. It was very beautiful and peaceful. The altitude is a bit brutal, but it is definitely worth it.

• Yagoul
• Tenango

you can find more information about rock climbing in Oaxaca / Mexico in http://www.escalando.net

Hi, i’m going here this winter… and i was just wondering if anyone who’s reading this is living in Oaxaca can give me some tips and relative living expenses?

thank you!

I was here on a missions trip in high school. We did some work among some amazing people who lived in extreme poverty near an extremely rich drug lord.