Must-see attractions in Oaxaca City

  • Templo de Santo Domingo, and Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, Calle Macedonio Alcala, Oaxaca, Oaxaca State, Mexico

    Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca

    Oaxaca City

    Got two hours? You'll need it for the Museum of Oaxacan Cultures, housed in the beautiful monastery buildings adjoining the Templo de Santo Domingo. This…

  • A woman walking toward the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzman, Oaxaca, Mexico.

    Templo de Santo Domingo

    Oaxaca City

    Gorgeous Santo Domingo is the most splendid of Oaxaca’s churches, with a finely carved baroque facade and nearly every square centimeter inside decorated…

  • People in the Zocalo (Town Square) in Oaxaca.

    Zócalo

    Oaxaca City

    Traffic-free, shaded by tall trees and surrounded by elegant portales (arcades), the Zócalo is the perfect place to start soaking up the Oaxaca atmosphere…

  • Museo Rufino Tamayo in Oaxaca.

    Museo Rufino Tamayo

    Oaxaca City

    A top-class museum, even by Oaxaca's high standards, showing off a wondrous collection of pre-Hispanic art donated by the city's most famous artist,…

  • Busy pedestrian street, Calle Alcalá, in downtown Oaxaca.

    Andador Turístico

    Oaxaca City

    Historic, romantic, dignified and safe, wonderful Calle Alcalá (traffic-free since the 1980s) is what Oaxaca is all about. It runs north from the…

  • Espacio Zapata

    Oaxaca City

    In a city of provocative graphic art, this workshop and gallery is a key agitator. Founded by the art collective Asaro (Asamblea de Artistas…

  • La Máquina

    Oaxaca City

    At the center of this gallery's workshop is an exceedingly rare 8-ton J Voirin lithography press, which prints both acrylics and woodcuts. Works on…

  • North America, Mexico, Oaxaca state, Oaxaca, garden in Santo Domingo church

    Jardín Etnobotánico

    Oaxaca City

    In former monastic grounds behind the Templo de Santo Domingo, this garden features plants from around Oaxaca state, including a staggering variety of…

  • Xochimilco Aqueduct

    Oaxaca City

    Wander northwest of the historical core and you’ll ultimately encounter this arched aqueduct rendered in typical green cantera stone that runs the length…

  • Cerro del Fortín

    Oaxaca City

    Oaxaca’s sentinel hill with stairs, statues, a park and – of course – views makes a robust early-morning run or walk. It starts on Calle Crespo at the…

  • Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad

    Oaxaca City

    Oaxaca doesn’t lack distinguished churches, but many locals rate the Soledad as their favorite. The original baroque facade dates from 1690; while the…

  • Palacio de Gobierno

    Oaxaca City

    A 19th-century wonder of marble and murals, the State Government Palace occupies the Zócalo's southern flank. The large, very detailed stairway mural …

  • Museo de Sitio Casa de Juárez

    Oaxaca City

    The simple house of bookbinder Antonio Salanueva, who supported the great 19th-century Mexican leader Benito Juárez during his youth, is now an…

  • La Mano Mágica

    Oaxaca City

    You’ll find art by leading figures such as Tamayo and Morales, plus a fine selection of handicrafts and rugs, at this commercial gallery founded by the…

  • Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca

    Oaxaca City

    In a beautiful colonial house and founded by Oaxacan artist Francisco Toledo, IAGO offers changing exhibitions of graphic art as well as a superb arts…

  • Centro Fotográfico Álvarez Bravo

    Oaxaca City

    With a taste for provocative social commentary, this contemporary gallery displays weird and wonderful work by local and international photographers.

  • Centro Cultural San Pablo

    Oaxaca City

    Housed in the restored Ex Convento de San Pablo (a 16th-century Dominican monastery), the impressive San Pablo Center stages concerts, films, exhibitions,…

  • Museo Textil de Oaxaca

    Oaxaca City

    This textile museum promotes Oaxaca’s traditional textile crafts through exhibitions, workshops, films, presentations and a library. Themed selections…

  • Templo de San Felipe Neri

    Oaxaca City

    The 18th-century baroque Templo de San Felipe Neri is where Benito Juárez and Margarita Maza were married in 1843; Margarita was the daughter of Antonio…

  • Galería Quetzalli

    Oaxaca City

    A leading serious commercial gallery, handling some of the biggest names, such as Francisco Toledo and Guillermo Olguín. It has a second exhibition space,…

  • Arte de Oaxaca

    Oaxaca City

    This commercial gallery presents a wide range of quality art, and includes a room devoted to surrealist painter Rodolfo Morales’ work.

  • Iglesia de La Compañía

    Oaxaca City

    Finely carved facades adorn the colonial Iglesia de La Compañía on the opposite side of the Zócalo to the cathedral.

  • Bodega Quetzalli

    Oaxaca City

    The second exhibition space of leading commercial gallery Galería Quetzalli.