Mexico's culinary and cultural capital — mole negro, mezcal, Zapotec ruins, and Day of the Dead at its most electric
Oaxaca City is widely considered the culinary capital of Mexico — birthplace of seven moles, tlayudas, chapulines (grasshoppers), and mezcal, the smoky agave spirit that has conquered the world's best bars. The colonial centro histórico is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of green-stone churches and baroque palaces; the nearby Monte Albán ruins rise over the valley like an ancient Zapotec acropolis. The city's Day of the Dead celebrations (November 1–2) are the most visually overwhelming in the world.
The Valley of Oaxaca has been continuously inhabited for over 10,000 years. Monte Albán was established around 500 BCE as one of the first cities in Mesoamerica, reaching a population of 25,000 at its peak. The Zapotec and then Mixtec civilisations flourished here before Aztec domination in the 15th century and Spanish conquest in 1521. Oaxaca became the birthplace of two of Mexico's greatest presidents — Benito Juárez (Mexico's Lincoln) and Porfirio Díaz — and remains a centre of Indigenous resistance and cultural revival.