Get Out of Town

You can experience village life by staying at a Tourist Yu'u. Developed by the state tourism board, these lodgings are scattered throughout the communities of the Valles Centrales, the Mixteca, and other areas around Oaxaca City. They are the ultimate budget lodging, costing as little as $8 per person, per night.

These yu'us aren't all created alike. The older ones, in villages such as Santa Ana del Valle, are housed in concrete-block buildings painted a particularly vivid shade of green. The newer places in villages such as Benito Juárez are much more comfortable—lodging in four rooms in the main building house between three and nine people; six cabins accommodate two or three people. You can cook your own meals, or arrange for a cook (they'll hire someone from a local village) to whip up the delicious dishes typically eaten by the locals. A wide range of activities is available, such as horseback-riding excursions to scenic overlooks or mountain-bike trips over rough terrain. You can even experience a temazcal, an adobe sweat lodge used by the indigenous people. Facilities in nearby villages, such as San Antonio Cuajimoloyas, have a similar range of activities.

Volunteers at the Tourist Yu'u Project (Calle Murguía 204, at Calle 5 de Mayo, Centro Histórico. 951/516-0123), in the state tourism office, will show you a book with photos of each of the lodgings and give you fact sheets printed in English. They can also make reservations for you. The staff will steer you toward more comfortable facilities unless you specifically request more rustic digs.