Oaxaca Culinary Tour

Arrive in Oaxaca and meet your private driver for the transfer to your hotel. Settle into your accommodations for the next seven nights. Relax and dine tonight on your own at one of Oaxaca's fine restaurants as you settle in and prepare for your Mexico trip.

Meet your expert guide in the hotel lobby this morning for a private excursion to the region's significant archaeological sites. Travel approximately 20 minutes to Monte Albán, a hilltop complex once inhabited by three distinct indigenous civilizations. Explore the terraces, dams, canals, and pyramids of this ancient capital. Continue to the Atzompa archaeological zone to view its three unique ball courts. Proceed to the village of Atzompa to observe artisans crafting the town's signature green-glazed pottery. Pause for an included lunch featuring authentic local cuisine before returning to the hotel.

Chef Alejandro Ruiz brings a contemporary approach to traditional Oaxacan cuisine, earning national and international recognition. The renowned restaurant at Hotel Casa Oaxaca ranks among the Pellegrino Top 50 Restaurants of Latin America. Today, join Alejandro or a senior member of the culinary team for a focused, hands-on food experience in Oaxaca City.

Start with a visit to a nearby market to meet trusted local merchants and review key regional ingredients, spices, and seasonings. Learn how quality produce is selected and sourced for authentic Oaxacan cooking. Return to the kitchen for a step by step cooking session covering classic dishes, salsas, and tortillas. Once complete, sit down to enjoy the prepared meal while sampling artisanal mezcal and reviewing the diverse flavor profiles that define this iconic Oaxacan spirit.

This class is available only on Tuesdays and Fridays.

In the afternoon, continue with a guided walking tour through central Oaxaca, a designated World Heritage area. Begin at the main plaza, or zócalo, with a visit to the historic murals inside the Palacio de Gobierno. Continue to traditional chocolate mills for tastings of this local specialty. Walk onward to the Museo de Pintores Oaxaqueños to view works by Rufino Tamayo, Francisco Toledo, and other renowned regional artists. Visit the Alvarez Bravo Photography Museum, then conclude at Santo Domingo, the city’s most striking colonial landmark, including the Museum of Oaxacan Cultures and the botanical garden.

Enjoy dinner on your own in Oaxaca before returning to your hotel for the evening.

Explore the Zapotec heritage of Teotitlán del Valle on a full-day excursion with your private guide. Visit the town's 16th-century church and vibrant market before entering the home of a local family to see their famous weaving traditions. Watch the rug-making process unfold, from spinning wool and dyeing it with natural pigments to weaving on wooden looms. Join your hosts in the kitchen to prepare an authentic Oaxacan meal, then share the dishes you created for lunch before returning to your hotel.

After breakfast, explore the artistic traditions of the region. Drive 15 minutes from Oaxaca City to San Bartolo Coyotepec, known for its distinct black pottery. Learn the pre-firing technique that gives pieces a shiny, metallic finish and meet artisans who maintain this long-standing family tradition. Head 15 kilometers / 9 miles to Santo Tomás Jalieza, often called the "Town of Belts." Visit the home of a local weaving family for a close-up demonstration of the backstrap loom. Observe weavers attach looms to trees or walls to craft belts, bags, wallets, and bracelets. Finish the morning in San Martin Tilcajete, famous for alebrijes, intricate animal or mythical figurines carved from copal wood. Discover how artisans carve these figures and use natural dyes like cochineal to paint geometric Zapotec designs. Enjoy a lunch of regional specialties before returning to Oaxaca City.

Spend the afternoon resting or exploring on your own. In the evening, meet your guide for a culinary experience. Visit a local mezcalería to taste various mezcals and learn about the region's endemic agave. Then head to a local eatery for a classic Oaxacan Tlayuda, a large, crispy tortilla topped with beans, Oaxaca cheese, meats, and salsa. Return to your hotel after dinner.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before meeting your private cooking guide, Oscar Carrizosa, in Oaxaca City’s Historic Center. Learn about the culinary traditions of Oaxaca’s 16 ethnic groups before choosing your menu. Take a 10-minute walk to a local market to explore key Mexican ingredients, including colorful dried chilies.

Return to the kitchen where your ingredients await. Spend the next few hours chopping, grinding, and frying under the chef’s guidance. Prepare a menu of three salsas, three tortillas, an appetizer, soup, Oaxacan mole, and dessert. Sit down to enjoy the feast you created, accompanied by wine, beer, or a shot of Oaxacan mezcal.
 

After breakfast, travel one hour 44 kilometers / 27 miles to the ceremonial center of Mitla. Admire the intricate stone mosaics, fitted without mortar and set against deep-red stucco. Explore the tombs and the 16th-century church atop a pre-Hispanic platform, home to fragments of original Mesoamerican codices.

Drive 55 kilometers / 34 miles to Yagul, a former governing center set among wild cacti. Tour the fortress, ceremonial center, and residential area while learning about the site's history. Inspect the tombs and the astronomical pits used by ancient astronomers.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before traveling along the Camino Real to Tlacochahuaya. Visit the 16th-century church of San Jeronimo to see murals from the 1620s and spot Mesoamerican temple stones embedded in the walls. Learn about the monastery where the first Zapotec dictionary was created.

Return to Oaxaca City to see the Tule Tree, a Moctezuma Cypress with a 160-meter circumference. View this 2,000-year-old giant and hear about the local community's efforts to preserve it.

After breakfast, meet your driver in the hotel lobby for a private transfer to the airport for onward travel.