A four-day trip filled with mole and mezcal, tours of traditional ruins, and pork tacos so good one of Mexico’s ex-presidents would allegedly call in an order
Photo-Illustration: The Strategist. Photos: Rafa Shin Everyone knows that person who spends weeks sniffing around travel blogs, going deep into Tripadvisor rabbit holes, collecting Google docs from friends of friends, and creating A Beautiful Mind–style spreadsheets to come up with the best vacations and itineraries possible.
8 p.m.: Order a double serving of fish and rice. Every local loves the tomato salad at Levadura de Olla because it’s this beautiful mix of different sizes and shapes laid out in a perfect circle like a work of art. Usually that’s my favorite, too, but this time I added the fish-with-rice dish to my order. The dish comes as a bed of rice cooked in tomato sauce, topped with super-fresh grilled fish and aioli. It’s so good that I immediately ordered another.
I met up with my friends who happen to be in town for the festival and we walked over to Santo Domingo Church , which is the true center of town. I love how it showcases the mysticism and religious traditions of the state. We meandered through the center of the building and looked up at all of the gilded details before heading over to the nearby Jardin Etnobotanico, the botanical gardens next to Santo Domingo and a great example of the biodiversity of the state.
9 a.m.: Buy beeswax candles for everyone back home. Teotitlán has incredible wool textile shops, if you’re in the market for a new rug, but we went straight to Casa Viviana . The historic candle shop is known for its velas and other ornamental candles that are made with naturally dyed beeswax cast in complex molds. Doña Viviana has a spectacular story. After her husband fell ill, she opened up her atelier and began selling her candles to earn money to raise her family.
Day 4 7 a.m.: Wake up early to see the ruins. Another morning, another early wake-up. But it’s worth it to see the most iconic ruins in Oaxaca, the Monte Albán Ruins . If you don’t arrive by 8 a.m., it starts to fill up and you might not be able to see everything. The site is known for the Zapotec and Mixtec architecture. I took the group to the Gran Plaza, which is the sprawling center, and then we saw Los Dazantes, which are these massive stone monuments featuring contorted figures.
Our last stop is Xaquixe , which is a recycled-glass workshop. We value the tradition of sobremesa in Mexico — it’s the act of relaxing at the lunch or dinner table after a heavy meal, usually accompanied with a glass of mezcal as a digestif and some cigars. This glassware is what you’ll find on my table at sobremesa.
10 a.m.: Visit the palenque. One of the more popular day trips while you’re in Oaxaca is to visit the palenques, which are located outside of town. It’s worth a trip to see how this traditional mezcal is made. I head out to visit the one where we make ours, which is located in San Juan del Rio, about 90 minutes from the city center.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.N. team to visit Ukrainian nuclear plant next week amid growing fears of disasterUkrainian officials say the nuclear power plant in Russian-held Zaporizhzhia was temporarily knocked offline amid intense shelling.
Read more »
How Beauty Completes the Fashion Portfolio For ConglomeratesIn fashion's competitive landscape, brands are delving into the world of beauty to diversify their portfolios and appeal to the new generation of consumers.
Read more »
Advice | So your hotel room is a dud. Here’s how to get money back.Advice: Don’t rage on Twitter just yet, Jen A. Miller writes. Here’s how to get a refund or upgrade if your room is less than desirable.
Read more »
Bitcoin mining stock report: Thursday, August 25Here's how crypto mining companies performed on Thursday, August 25.
Read more »
‘We were blindsided’: New Braunfels residents question skyrocketing utility billsThe average New Braunfels customer spent about $195 on electricity in July 2021, but that jumped to about $272 this July — a nearly 40 percent increase.
Read more »
If You Already Got a Second Booster, You'll Still Be Able to Get the Omicron ShotHere’s what experts say about staying up to date with booster shots
Read more »