Summertime ‘22: Oaxaca

After wrapping up our time in Aguascalientes visiting family, we were onto the next leg of our trip. We would be traveling to Oaxaca and Mexico City solo. This would be the first time I traveled in Mexico without my family, so I was filled with nerves and anticipation. We were excited to have some time to explore and take advantage of being able to speak the language, compared to traveling in Thailand.

The next day of travel was a flight from the tiny airport in Aguascalientes to Mexico City, and then another flight to Oaxaca. Unfortunately, both flights were delayed so we ended up running through the Mexico City airport to get to our gate just in time for boarding.

We decided to stay within the central part of the city since we only had six days there and wanted to get to know one part as opposed to traveling around the state. The downtown area of the city offered many sights, foods, and activities to keep us busy each day.

Once we arrived, we were excited to check-in at our Airbnb. The place we chose to stay at ended up being somewhat of a homestay due to the hospitality and kindness of our hosts, Armando y Ester. We knew we made a good choice when they welcomed us into their home with little cups of mezcal. Before this moment, we had never had mezcal, but after our stay in Oaxaca we learned and tasted plenty of it. Armando was a connoisseur of mezcal and was able to guide us in the right direction. That first bottle of Tobala Mezcal he shared with us ended up being one of our favorites during our stay.

We quickly learned that Armando is a multi-talented individual. He is a third generation baker, and passionate about food, which I was stoked to learn. When the pandemic hit, he needed to find other ways of making money because the bakery was closed. He started to learn to smoke meats out of his home, and now has a side hustle selling ribs, brisket, pulled pork, bacon, and more. The day before we arrived he had bought a brand new smoker and asked us to try the first round of smoked ribs he made. I can honestly say it was one of the best tasting ribs I’ve ever had. He also makes an impressive brioche which pairs well with the meats for sandwiches.

Their home was beautiful, and even had access to the roof with a 360-degree view of the valley where the city sits. Armando took us up and pointed out monuments, churches and other points of interest to orient ourselves within the city. Thankfully, downtown Oaxaca is pretty much a grid and easily walkable.

Armando also gave us an extensive recommendation list of things to do, see, and eat. This came in handy throughout our stay.

The last thing Armando left us with on this initial meeting was information about the Guelaguetza. Little did we know, we had arrived on the first weekend of one of Oaxaca’s biggest annual festivals, La Guelaguetza. The next two days would have parades and festivities going on to celebrate the opening weekend. Because of Covid, Oaxaca had postponed this festival for the past two years. So we knew that the people of Oaxaca would be going all out in celebration this next month.

After our orientation with Armando, we decided to get a quick dinner near our stay at a restaurant called Don Juanito. Armando told us that their lengua tacos were incredible, so we made sure to order them. Emily ordered their pozole tradicional. Obviously, we had to drink mezcal as well.

Our first meal was pretty damn good. The tacos were super tender and the pozole might have been the richest and tastiest pozole we’d ever tried. We weren’t used to drinking mezcal at this point so it hurt a bit going down. Thankfully they gave us some peanuts and citrus to chase it down.

With the day winding down, and the sounds of crowds growing outside, we decided to follow it before heading back for the night. We found thousands of people around Santa Domingo Church and the Zocalo. We later learned that this was the after-party of the first day’s parade of Guelaguetza. Lots of mezcal was being drunk and everyone was dancing. People wore costumes and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. It was honestly a lot to take in considering we hadn’t been in a crowd in nearly two years. Eventually, we found a bench where we could watch from a distance for a while. We walked around downtown and it seemed no matter how far away we walked, crowds of people still filled the streets. The entire city was in party mode. It was a sight to see and we were lucky to be a part of it.

The following day started off by heading to Central de Abastos de Oaxaca, an absolutely massive market. I could tell most locals frequented this place, and it was nice to see familiar fruits like dragon fruit, rambutan, and papaya that we often see in Thailand.

Our mission at this market was to find Memelas Doña Vale. Memelas are a breakfast food. It is made with a slighter thicker tortilla often with a smear of pork fat, salsa, and cheese. Meat can be added on the side.

Because of the giant sprawl of vendors we had a difficult time finding her stall. But after several attempts down row after row, we finally found it tucked away. It was clear we found it because of the long line it had. With only a small dining area, turnover had to be quick.

It wasn’t until after we were handed the menu that we found out this place was shown on a Netflix show at some point (hence the crowds of foreigners). Since it was early and we knew our day would be filled with delicious eats, we only ordered three memelas and some beef. The memela de salsa morita was full of spices and had a kick to it. The tomatoes in the memela de salsa roja tasted like a delicious pizza. The tasajo, dried beef, was tender and flavorful. Emily got chocolate de agua to drink, which she enjoyed.

We decided to go visit some more markets after our meal. Our first stop was at the Oaxacan Artisanal Market, which had various handmade traditional clothing and artisan crafts. Emily enjoyed browsing the patterns, colors, and styles. She would return on a later day to buy a few mementos.

Next we stopped by Mercado 20 de Noviembre, which was mostly food stalls of tlayudas and different kinds of breads. We walked the rows but didn’t stop to try anything this time.

Then we went to Mercado Benito Juarez, which had a bit of everything. It was a large market both tourists and locals shopped at. It was buzzing with tasty aromas, beautiful clothes, and various types of food. We ended up getting a passion fruit drink and ice cream. The local ice cream combo that we were told to try was leche quemada con tuna, burnt milk with prickly pear. It was a unique and very tasty combo. Overall, Mercado Benito Juarez was one of our favorite markets that we would later come back to for souvenirs.

As we made our way back north, we stopped at the Textile Museum to see an exhibit on traditional ponchos and learn about the diverse varieties of textiles made in the state of Oaxaca.

We continued north until we made it to the Zocalo where the most action was always happening. This time there were lots of people out dancing and listening to live music. We noticed the side doors to the Catedral Metropolitana de Oaxaca were opened and decided to take a look inside.

We also popped into the Santa Domingo Church to check it out. It was quite large and had stunning art and architecture. It was beautiful and left me feeling nostalgic. I kept thinking back to when I was younger when I would go to large cathedrals with family for mass and other special occasions.

Our next meal may have been our favorite. Without a reservation, and besides one large group, we were the only customers at Levadura de Olla Restaurante. The experience was magical.

We only ordered three items but everything from the food and drink to the service and staff was incredible. After my first bite, the reality of the uniqueness that is Oaxacan food and culture set in. We ordered the two moles of mayordomia celebration (black mole with chicken and red mole with pork), thickened potato with pitiona, tasajo, seed sauce and nopales, and lastly, a tamale of barbacollita (with chicken, pork, chilies, spices, and corn grits).

Literally every bite was amazing and beautifully plated. The moles had so much depth, the tamale was an umami bomb, and the thickened potato had such a unique texture and mouth experience. The complementary salsa and handmade tortillas were unbelievably fresh. If we could go back and try everything on the menu, we would.

We were so full after this meal we took a siesta before going back out.

Once rested, we headed back out to see the next Guelaguetza parade. We waited for nearly an hour before it finally passed through, but we got a good view! Each of the regions were represented in the parade. Some were small, others had lots of people, but all were equally enthusiastic and passionate about their Oaxacan pride. Each had a different style of dress and various dances that reflected the diversity that is the state of Oaxaca. Some groups were even giving free shots of mezcal to the crowds to get them going.

In the parade and around the city we would see the Tiliches (or rag man) costume worn by locals or hung as a decoration to celebrate the Guelaguetza festival. Los Tiliches, aka Los Viejos or old ones are somewhat of a mascot who danced in the streets in celebration of the festival.

Once it passed by, the crowd joined and followed the parade to the Zocalo to continue the party. Again, we spent some time being smothered by locals and tourists and it eventually got to the point where we needed a breather and watched from afar. The ambiance was fantastic and everyone was having a great time.

We ended the night by going to Mezcaleria In Situ to try some new mezcals. The bartender gave us informational cards that described the types of mezcal in our flight. We learned about the different processes and varieties of agave used to make each bottle. We were beginning to understand more about mezcal and the culture that surrounds it.

Based on the recommendation from Armando, we spent Sunday afternoon on a day trip to a neighboring smaller city called Tlacolula. (Emily still can’t pronounce it.) In fact, that is where Armando’s dad is from so he had plenty of places in mind for us to check out.

We took a bus and watched out the window as we drove through beautiful agave farms with mountains and hills in the background.

We did not have much of a plan besides checking out their Sunday market. We had no idea how large the market would be but once we arrived we realized it was massive. It took us several hours to walk through all the parts of it. Anything under the sun was sold there.

We first stopped to eat some tacos de barbacoa. We quickly learned that tacos in Oaxaca are quite different from the small street tacos in Aguas. These tacos were larger and almost felt like a burrito. We ordered three each and quickly realized that three could feed a family. We also ordered the consume.

The market had plenty of people coming from all parts of Oaxaca to sell their goods and visit. We bought many small items including art, pan dulce, souvenirs and Em bought a dress.

The coolest part of the market to me was the section that was farthest away from the main entrance inside a warehouse where they had many meat vendors on the sides of a wide corridor. There were open charcoal grills where people who bought raw meat could immediately cook their meat and eat it right there. It was super smokey but quite the vibe. There were also several barbacoa vendors all in one section. Herbs, pan dulce, Oaxacan chocolate, and much more were sold in this warehouse.

Overall the Tlacolula Sunday Market was very cool and worth checking out.

The next activity on this Sunday evening was advertised to us on the wall outside our Airbnb. Lucha Libre! It just so happened that the main event was happening during our stay, on Sunday. We figured it would be quite a unique experience to go see the local scene since neither of us had ever experienced lucha libre before. We got some tips about transportation and headed over to the venue.

We got there after its scheduled start time and we were surprised to learn that the venue was in a neighborhood, practically in someone’s backyard with a tent-like structure. There were maybe a total of 40-50 people in the audience. It was obvious that while the crowd was small, they were loving every second of each match. Fans were yelling at the fighters, the fighters would yell back. The banter was entertaining and the fights even engaged audience members at times. In between matches, all the young boys in the audience would enter the ring and pretend to be lucha libre fighters while the next match was being prepared.

It was a blast and while we sat towards the back, that will never happen again. Front row is the only way to experience Lucha Libre. 100% recommend checking it out if you get the chance.

The highlight of the following day was drinking mezcal at Mezcalogia followed by dinner at Los Danzantes.

While we were slowly learning the different types of mezcal available, the nuances of each mezcal were more often so minute that most tasted very similar. However, at Mezcalogia, our palate started to improve. Each tasting was pretty different and we could begin to pick out ones we really liked vs. ones we did not. The employees were kind and helpful. We enjoyed our tasting there very much.

This pre-dinner drink led us right to our dinner at Los Danzantes. The food was fusion but remains a staple in Oaxaca and once you step foot into their restaurant, it is clear why people love it. The ambiance was on point. Our server was extremely enthusiastic and entertaining. He took us on a journey back in time and taught us about both Mexican and the local indigenous groups’ history. He taught us about the origin of several words that are used today in Spanish but originated from pre-Hispanic native languages. We let him choose our mezcal cocktails and they were fantastic.

We ended up getting their mogo mogo, ceviche, and a tasting of five moles. Dessert was guava and cheesecake with pixtle cream. They also gave us fresh tortillas with salsas to start.

The meal was incredible. Every bite was bursting with flavor leaving us wanting more. We were huge fans.

We enjoyed visiting museums and artisan shops throughout the city of Oaxaca the following days. There are nearly 20 different ethnic groups in the state of Oaxaca, each with their own language, culture, and specialized type of craft or art. Places like San Bartolo Coyotepec is known for their black pottery, Teotitlan del Valle is visited for their woven rugs and blankets. San Marcos Tlapazola is where the famous red pottery is from, which can be seen all over the city from street food stalls to fancy restaurants. San Martin Tilcajete villagers specialize in woodcarving, specifically animal shapes that are painted with intricate patterns. The evidence of the pre-Hispanic traditions when it came to handicrafts and food was inspiring and magical.

There is a cooperative of over 40 local families who source and sell their handmade artisan goods in the city. Emily spent hours in this store called La Casa de las Artesanias de Oaxaca, and we decided to purchase a king-size “quilt” of sorts for our bed back in Thailand. The colorful dyes and hand woven patterns are beautiful. Now we get to remember our visit to this wonderful place each night.

The bright colors, embroidered patterns, abundant flowers, and vibrance of the city was energizing.

Oaxaca boasts around 13 traditional beverages. One of course is mezcal. Many of the others are hot drinks, which I am not usually a fan of so Emily indulged by herself. For example, agua de chocolate which Emily tried at the market. She also enjoyed trying a few different types of atole, which is a hot beverage made with corn or masa. She especially liked the atole de tortilla and the champurrado which includes Mexican chocolate.

I was eager to check out a dried chile market to see what I could find and try to ship back to Thailand with us to cook Mexican dishes back at our house. I ended up buying several kilos of dried chiles to make salsas and mole, among others.

Armando suggested we go to a temazcal while we were in Oaxaca. After experiencing one in Aguascalientes, we knew a bit about the experience… or at least we thought we did. We quickly learned that unlike the fancy spa version we had in Aguas, this one would be totally different, much more traditional.

We had coordinated a booking with Temazcal Casa Las Máscaras Oaxaca and shortly after, we were picked up by a taxi. It took us well outside the city and into the mountains. At first we were a little concerned since we did not know where we were going and it was getting more and more remote. It then became obvious once we arrived that we were at the right place.

We were the only customers at the temazcal at the time and we were greeted by our guide Jessica. Already our experience was headed down a different path than before. We had a guide who would be with us for the entire time in the temazcal. Before entering the temazcal, we were to each choose an ocarina to take inside. Emily ended up choosing one that was one note and barely worked (doh) and while I was able to get a few different tones from mine.

We entered the temazcal dome and it was incredibly humid and without my glasses, I could not see anything inside. Jessica led us through a traditional temazcal ceremony of sorts to cleanse ourselves of negative energies and connect with each other through positive energy and words. We were taken aback since we weren’t expecting this intense of an experience, and at times we were confused about what all was going on but it all turned out okay. Jessica had us yell out both good and bad things we thought about ourselves and each other as well as cover each other’s body in chocolate, minerals, herbs, and grasses. When Jessica would talk to one of us, the other would play their ocarina. We also drank a mezcal/tea concoction throughout the experience.

When it was all over, we were both very relaxed and in a good head space. We washed ourselves with water and headed for a relaxing massage. This part was similar to our previous experience.

We later learned that La Casa de las Mascaras has close ties with indigenous healing practices, and some of the leaders were taught by one of the most famous female shamans, Maria Sabina. She was a Mazatec curandera and poet. Her story of how she became engaged with Westerns in the rural villages is a fascinating and sad story. To learn more check out the Wikipedia link here.

It made sense then that La Casa de las Mascaras also provides other types of spiritual rituals including a candle/fire ceremony where depending on your energy the candles will light or if you have “energy leaks” they won’t. We didn’t sign up for those, but found the rituals and the space fascinating. Overall the experience was relaxing, slightly awkward at times, and fun.

After getting back to town, we had dinner at Zandunga. We ordered an appetizer of garnachas which were one of our favorite bites of the whole trip. The house brought out a dish of dried fish and spices for us as well. Our two mains were chileajo and estofado del Istmo. While both were solid dishes, they were both intense and are dishes only eaten for special occasions. We would not have ordered those at the same time again, but a solid meal nonetheless.

On our last full day in Oaxaca we got to experience a one of a kind meal. I wanted to get a reservation at La Cocina de Humo since we arrived but they said they were booked and would let us know if there was a cancellation. Hours before service started they informed us there was an opening!

La Cocina de Humo is a private chef’s table style dinner. There are no signs outside indicating where it is, so you just have to find it. When you first enter, you are immediately transported to a rural Oaxacan kitchen. Smoke billowed into the sky from the open kitchen that we were sitting in front of. It was a row of eight chairs for four groups of two. We sat on one end and the group next to us, Mike and Gabi, were a lovely middle aged couple who had been there several times and knew the chefs well. We spoke with them the whole time and it made the experience even better.

Tortillas and salsa were out as people were arriving as well as atole de tortilla. Both were unbelievable.

Unfortunately, I cannot get into the specifics of each dish. This is because there were more dishes than I can count and each came with a quick description that I often couldn’t hear completely. Most dishes came out in big pots that we shared amongst ourselves. Since I wasn’t familiar with the particular local herbs, veggies, and other ingredients used, it was somewhat difficult to know what we were eating. We had various moles, drinks, soups, and so much more. Most of the food honestly didn’t look very good, but there was no denying how good everything tasted. Photos can not do justice to the food. By the end, there were still so many half full pots of food but we were all uncomfortably stuffed. The experience was incredible and is a must if you are in Oaxaca.

It wasn’t until after the meal that we found out the chef and owner of La Cocina de Humo later opened up Levadura de Olla Restaurante. Apparently it started off as a chef’s table and got so popular they decided to open a restaurant in addition. We weren’t surprised since both meals at both restaurants were our two favorites of the trip.

Our last night ended at our stay spending time with Armando and his family. We drank mezcal, tried his smoked bacon and homemade sourdough buns. Everything was incredible. We talked about music, Mexican and Oaxacan culture, politics, the cartel and more. The mezcal kept flowing and eventually he showed us his passed down family molcajete and I showed his son, Oliver, a few things on the guitar.

Oaxaca was a magical place. Unlike Aguas where street food reigned supreme, it was Oaxaca’s restaurant scene that blew us away. The food coming out of Oaxaca is in a league of their own. The city is vibrant and full of color, the people were kind and we left with a newfound love for mezcal. The weather was also great. It was a short trip but we made the most of it and hope to return to see other parts of Oaxaca soon.