In 2015, we decided to spend Christmas in one of my favourite cities in the world: Oaxaca.

In Mexico, we have a thing called «Magical Town», which is a title given to the most beautiful towns of the country. Oaxaca is not a town, but a rather large city. Still, it should have the title of magical.

«There’s something magical about Oaxaca and the vibe of the people.»

Mike White

In this post, I will share with you some of the Oaxacan corners in pictures: all things pretty, all things strange, all things fun and all things worth sharing.

The name Oaxaca comes from the native tongue Nahuatl and it means «in the nose of the huajes«. A ‘huaje’ or ‘guaje’ a tree native to southern Mexico and Central America.

Green tuff, rock made of volcanic ash, is typical of Oaxaca. They use it for their architecture, with the central cathedral being the most notorious piece.

Known for its smells, colors and flavors, Oaxaca is one of the culturally richest states in the whole country.

We ate virtually everything: Tlayudas, grasshoppers and worms (which are delicious, by the way), chicken with mole, and lots of chocolate.

Because it was Christmas, the city center was full of lights, and there were people everywhere buying everything they saw.

We went to a market of artisan handicrafts and traditional sweets.

At one of the stands, there was a nice lady sitting in front of a small basket full of silkworms. She explained to us how they make the silk, how she boils it in water and how she turns it into yarn. The yarn is then dyed and the result is a beautiful rebozo, a dress or a blouse with a colorful pattern.

A couple of stands away and we saw a girl selling tejate, which is a beverage made with maize and cacao. It is quite popular among the natives of the region, and boy, oh boy, is it good!

Before saying goodbye, I want to share with you some of the pictures that made me laugh the most.

So, yeah.

You have to come to Oaxaca.