Oaxaca: Where Mexican Food Culture Runs Deepest

Markets and Mole

Oaxaca's central market is a sensory overload. Towers of dried chiles, mountains of chapulines (grasshoppers), and dozens of mole varieties in every shade from jet black to bright red.

Mezcal Country

Visiting family-run palenques in the hills outside Oaxaca, I learned that mezcal is to tequila what single malt is to blended whisky. Each distiller's product is unique.

Monte Albán

The ancient Zapotec capital sits atop a mountain that was literally flattened by hand over 2,500 years ago. At sunset, the entire Oaxaca Valley glows golden below.

Hierve el Agua

Natural infinity pools perched on the edge of a cliff, with petrified waterfalls cascading down the mountainside. Swimming while overlooking the valley was surreal.