OAXACA Y MÉXICO
“México Lindo y Querido” is not just the name of one of the most prolific mariachi songs, but also the feeling the country inspires in us. Warm, vibrant, creative, delicious, exciting and other-worldly are the sensations we experience when traveling in México. But over all else, we feel at home.
We hope to embody the above feelings in our wedding celebration. The weekend has been carefully planned and designed as a love letter to each of you, and also to México. Our wish is that you all leave inspired by the place and events.
Oaxaca City
Oaxaca City, (pronounced Waa - Haa - Kuh) nestled in the heart of México, captivates travelers with its rich tapestry of culture, history, and natural beauty.
Dubbed the culinary capital of México and made famous by the delights of rich moles and crispy tlayudas, the food scene here has been an inspiration across the globe. Wash it all down with the world renowned local smoky agave spirit mezcal, still made in the many nearby distilleries in the same manner as the indigenous cultures have for millennia, and readily available in one of the many cantinas or tasting rooms/bottle shops.
Wander the cobblestone streets and feast your eyes on the colorful colonial architecture while strolling through the artisanal craft markets. Take in the ancient traditions of the indigenous cultures, whose deep influence on the art, music, and handicrafts make the city an all encompassing experience that UNESCO has bestowed upon it the title of World Heritage Site.
Included in this designation, and not to be missed, are the ancient ruins of Monte Albán. An archaeological site just outside the city center carved out of the top of a mountain featuring pyramids, terraces, and sacred topography. The site overlooks Oaxaca with breathtaking views of the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains.
If outdoor activities are your preference, the area is full of hiking trails and the city is the gateway to the entire state. Not far from the city, you can experience the mineral pools of Hierve el Agua or within the city, take a stroll through the Jardín Etnobotánico and learn about the local flora, something near and dear to my own heart. If time allows, extend your trip to experience all that the state of Oaxaca has to offer including the stunning Pacific beaches, verdant jungle settings, and rugged mountains.
Oaxaca City is renowned for its warm hospitality and welcoming atmosphere. You’ll quickly feel embraced by the sense of community that permeates the city. We invite you to come and experience the magic of Oaxaca City for yourself, and create memories that will last a lifetime.
For a full list of our top picks in Oaxaca City, visit our Google Maps link here. Standouts include:
-
Jardin Etnobotanico: Absolutely captivating grounds showcasing local Oaxacan plantlife. Highly recommend the visit which can only be done on a tour. English tours book up fast, so reserve in advance.
Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzman: One of Oaxaca’s most beautiful churches and a fine example of New Spanish Baroque architecture
Plaza de la Constitucion Zocalo: The heart of every Mexican City where people watching is at its peak!
Mercado 20 de Noviembre: Traditional covered market with more of a focus on prepared foods and stalls for fresh produce, baked goods & local street foods. Great for a tasty lunch!
Barrio de Xochimilco: Stroll through Oaxaca’s oldest neighborhood, a vibrant residential collection of cobblestone streets and colorful murals.
Museo Textil de Oaxaca: Modest museum with free admission featuring textiles of the region & workshops
Taller de Escultura y Cerámica Coatlicue: Traditional pottery classes. Contact via What’s App.
Parque El Llano: City park with walking paths and greenery that does not attract the same density of crowds as El Zocalo or Plaza Santo Domingo.
La Cocina del Humo: Traditional Oaxacan Cooking Class
Rancho Cebu: Located in the Valle de Tlacolula, about 50 minutes from Centro lies the beautiful Los Amantes Mezcaleria. This distillery holds a special place in our hearts and we strongly debated hosting our wedding here. It evokes a deep respect for the valley, surrounding mountains, and the cultural legacy of the people of Oaxaca. It’s our pick for a distillery tour. On the way home, you can also visit the widest tree in the world, El Arbol de Tule
Zona Archeologica de Monte Alban: Mayan Ruins just outside Centro. Can be reached by taxi or bus and well worth the visit.
Hierve el Agua: Ancient geological site featuring towering, waterfall-like rock formations, pools & springs. Tours operate from Centro or you can hire a taxi or rent a car for the day.
-
Origen: Excellent Oaxacan cuisine with global influences.
Humar: Our favorite mariscos Mexicanos and a great spot for lunch.
Boulenc: Very popular artisan pastries and breakfasts. Line starts forming 30 minutes before opening.
Las Quince Letras Restaurante: Excellent traditional Oaxacan cuisine, a Rick Bayless favorite
Los Danzantes: Housemade mezcal, cocktails and innovative takes on traditional cuisine in a romantic setting
Criollo: Wedding reception will be hosted here in the Huerto so you will get to enjoy the experience, but also open for brunch and lunch during the day for those who are big fans of Mexico’s most famed Chef, Enrique Olvera.
Pitiona: Rooftop bar and restaurant with excellent food and views
La Teca: Casual eatery just off the beaten path
Zandunga: Friendly and welcoming restaurant serving traditional Oaxacan food.
Tlayudas Libres: Great for dinner or a late night snack as they stay open until 4:00am
Almu: Traditional cooking outside of town.
Casa Oaxaca El Restaurante: Modern Oaxacan dishes made with organic vegetables & free-range meat, served on a stylish patio.
Tacos Roy: Great spot to grab a few tacos
Ancestral Cocina Tradicional: Beautiful garden with reimagined traditional dishes.
Pan:am Abasolo: Great brunch! Excellent chilaquiles!
-
Selva Oaxacan Cocktail Bar: Absolutely stunning cocktail bar with creative drinks and small plates from Los Danzantes. Reservations recommended
Mezcaleria Los Amantes: Tiny little bar on Calle de Ignacio Allende
Bar Misterio: Great for late night drinks and dancing.
Sabina Sabe: Bar best described as a love letter to mezcal
Mezcaloteca: Mezcal tasting room. Reservations recommended.
El Destilado: Creative cocktails and bites in Centro
Mezcaleria In Situ: Bottle shop and bar with a great mezcal selection
La Querencia Mezcaleria: Great cocktails and happy hour
Cantina Salon de la Fama: Fun mezcal bar often hosting live music.
McCarthy’s: For Jen. Wherever you go, you’re always at home in an Irish Pub!
-
Terrenal Tienda: Gallery of contemporary art, fashion, housewares and cafe.
RRRES Studio: High-end artisanal goods by appointment.
LIA Cafe: Beautiful pottery, jewelry and fashion
Marchanta: Interesting designers for women’s clothing and accessories.
Rito Chocolatería & Tienda: For your sweet tooth
Dixza: Handmade artisanal rugs
Oaxaca Collective: Gorgeous rugs and homegoods
La Casa de las Artesanías de Oaxaca: Diverse handcraft market
Mercado Benito Juarez: Bustling Oaxacan market where you can find anything from produce, cheese, meats, fish, flowers, artisan goods, to hair brushes, electronic accessories, leather goods, etc.
What others are saying
Travel & Leisure:
This Mexico Hot Spot Was Just Named the Best City in the World by T+L Readers — Here's How to Plan the Perfect Trip
New York Magazine:
I Grew Up Visiting Oaxaca — Here’s My Itinerary Folk dance festivals, mezcalitos, and traditional ruins
A few social handles to follow for travel inspiration:
@sexybesties4life
@oaxacking
@vive_oaxaca
MÉXICO
For those of you planning on extending your trip and exploring more of what México has to offer,
below are some of our top picks that can be reached by direct transport from Oaxaca City.
Oaxacan coast
When Alicia first lived in México, traveling to the Oaxacan Coast was a feat only reached by a 13-hour overnight bus on switchback mountain roads! It was a terrifying journey, well-worth the adventure, as the coastline of Oaxaca is home to some of the most surreal beaches, quaint beach towns, world-class surf spots, full-service resorts and wild landscapes. It was one of Mexico’s best kept secrets, and while it’s since been “discovered”, the more relaxed lifestyle is notable in contrast to beach towns on México’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Serviced by two airports: Puerto Escondido and Hualtulco, and now accessible by express highway to and from Oaxaca City, the Oaxacan Coastline offers something for everyone. The stretch between the two cities commonly referred to as the Oaxacan Riviera is only 2 hours by car (and also reachable by public transportation).
We are most familiar with Puerto Escondido which is the closest to Oaxaca City. Internationally known for its surf break on Playa Zicatela, calmer waters for non-surfers at Playa Carrizalillo, a lively bar and restaurant scene in La Punta, and beautifully designed hotels and Airbnbs are the reason why this is one of our favorite beach destinations!
For a more complete guide to some of our favorite spots, check out this link to our Puerto Escondido Google Maps Guide.
For those of you curious about the rest of the coastline, we highly recommend the below articles to help plan your adventure:
Travel & Leisure: 8 Can't-miss Destinations on a Road Trip Along Oaxaca's Wild Coast
Lonely Planet Guide to the Oaxacan Coast
Brooklyn Tropicali: Oaxaca Coast Guide: The Best Beaches in Oaxaca for Every Travel Style
Mexico city
A mind-blowing cultural juggernaut of contrasts, creativity and energy! Put simply, CDMX sigue siendo el Rey!
Whether you’re a history-buff, art aficionado, food lover, architecture fan or into nightlife, there is no lack of activities in the nation’s capital and world’s largest city! You could spend a month here and barely scratch the surface! While the City is sprawling, most of the attractions and action are concentrated in about 10 of the 360 colonias of the City making a visit manageable.
Standouts include the world-class Museo Nacional de Antropología, the largest Zocalo in the world, impressive pyramids of Teotihuacan, fascinating Frida Kahlo Museum, having a leisurely lunch at old-school Contramar or new-school Mi Compa Chava, roaming the wide boulevards with their art nouveau mansions in La Roma and taking a gondola ride through the canals in Xochimilco.
The introduction of Uber years ago makes getting around simple and safe, and the city has a multitude of Airbnbs centrally located offering very accessible, stylish and comfortable accommodations. Favorite places to stay are Colonias Roma Norte and Condessa–anything around Parques México or España.
There is too much to list here, so if you want our full recommendations please refer to this link to our Mexico City Google Maps.
Also of note, the weekend before our wedding is President’s Day weekend in the US and also the weekend Mexico City hosts Zona Maco art fair, the biggest in Latin America that gives Art Basel Miami a run for their money! It recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and a fun fact is that Alicia worked on the event teams for their inaugural 2 years! Plan your visit if you love contemporary art and great parties! Just please note, hotels, restaurants, etc. will book up fast with such international appeal.
Travel & Leisure: How to Plan a Trip to Mexico City — Including the Best Restaurants, Hotels, and Things to Do
U.S. News Travel: Mexico City Travel Guide
Mérida
We considered hosting our wedding in this stunning jungle paradise located in the Yucatan Peninsula, but mezcal won and you can thank Mike for that! Direct flights to/from Oaxaca City could make a really interesting and contrasting multi-city trip. It certainly highlights the diversity of landscape, art, food and customs within México.
Alicia’s first trip here was a layover on her return from Cuba in 2002. She instantly fell in love with the mix of Caribbean-colonial architecture, art nouveau mansions and modest looking dwellings that opened to gorgeous urban hideaways, tree-lined boulevards, delicious and unique food, lively nightlife, nearby cenotes and relaxed vibe. When she returned in 2019 with Mike, he relished in the cave diving, cenotes, and nearby pink [water!] beaches and stunning Mayan ruins including Uxmal and Chichen Itza. Nowadays Mérida is the place to go to live the good life. A design-focused, vibrant, tropical paradise surrounded by jungle and within driving distance to Cancun, Holbox and Bacalar, Mérida presents a beautiful surprise to those who think they know México. Visit this link for a full list of (possibly outdated, our last trip was in 2019) recommendations to kick off our jungle adventure in Merida.
Or take some cues from the below:
Travel & Leisure: This City in Mexico Is a Favorite Among Locals — With Boutique Hotels, Bustling Markets, and a Legendary Nightlife Scene
Cancún
Kick your feet up, relax and order a poolside margarita! There’s a reason why Cancún is one of the most visited beach destinations in the world: stunning beaches, clear water, world-class entertainment, natural attractions, rich Mayan legacy and fabulous food!