63 Best Sights in Oaxaca, Mexico

Rustic beach bungalows, tattooed hipsters, and Aussie surfers toting custom surfboards create a laid-back vibe at La Punta, a hip, golden stretch of sandy beach at the southeastern end of Playa Zicatela. If you plan to walk there midday, take water and wear a hat as the beach is wide and there’s no shade. Once you arrive, a string of palm-fringed beach palapa restaurants offer loungers free with a drink or food purchase. La Punta's surf break is more forgiving than Zicatela’s Mexican Pipeline, so it’s a good spot for beginners to go boogie boarding or learn to surf. But strong undertows and unpredictable wave patterns mean you should still exercise caution when swimming. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; water sports. Best for: walking; surfing; sunset.

Tour operators often combine a trip to Playa Mazunte and its sea turtle center with a visit to Laguna de Ventanilla to see resident and migratory species of birds, as well as crocodiles. Alternatively, you can arrange a 1½-hour tour of Laguna de Ventanilla directly from boat owners from the Ventanilla Ecotourism Cooperative at the lagoon's entrance, about 10 minutes by taxi west of the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga.

Lalo Ecotours runs guided kayaking, bird-watching, and phosphorescence tours to Laguna Manialtepec, day trips to Chacahua, and excursions by horseback to Atotonilco Hot Springs. Tours include pickup and drop off at hotels in Puerto Escondido. You can book by phone or email.

Lambityeco was built as the civilization of nearby Mitla was waning. The city flourished until AD 750, when it was abandoned. Many archaeologists believe the inhabitants moved to the better-protected city of Yagul. The Palacio de los Racoqui, or Palace of the Lords, is the last of six larger and larger temples built on top of each other. Here you'll see a pair of carvings of a nobleman and his wife. Between these carvings is the tomb where they were buried. Nearby is the Palacio de Cocijo, dedicated to its namesake, a Zapotec god. A pair of carvings depict the rain god wearing an impressive headdress. The site is clearly visible from the highway.

Mezcal Benevá, at the Rancho Zapata restaurant complex, is a short drive out of the town of Mitla toward Oaxaca. Take a guided tour through the mezcal distilling process; during one part, a horse walks around in circles, stomping on the cooked agave. Benevá's mezcals are also notable, especially their five-year-old gran reserva.

After he was orphaned, 12-year-old Benito Juárez, the future Mexican president and the first indigenous one, walked to Oaxaca from his village in the mountains. He was taken in by a bookbinder named Antonio Salanueva, whose colonial-era home is now a small museum honoring the president. A carefully restored workshop and gallery space, as well as a kitchen, dining room, and bedroom give you a peek at 19th-century Oaxacan life.

Although it's in a lovely colonial residence, MACO houses changing exhibitions of contemporary art. Inaugurated by graphic artist Francisco Toledo, the museum has in its collection quite a few of his etchings, though they're not always on display. Be sure to check out the front gallery on the second floor, which displays fragments of frescoes that once decorated the walls of this old mansion. Signs are in Spanish only.

You'll find a wonderfully displayed collection of pre-Hispanic pottery and sculpture at this carefully restored colonial mansion. The courtyard, dominated by a fountain guarded by a quartet of stone lions, is shaded with pink and white oleanders. Originally this was the private collection of the painter Rufino Tamayo. Especially interesting are the tiny figurines of women with children from Guerrero, some perhaps dating from more than 3,000 years ago, and the smiling ceramic figures from Veracruz.

The Stamp Museum in Oaxaca is located on a quiet street alongside the botanical garden. It is a small, free museum that celebrates all that is good about letter writing. The collection of Asian mailboxes in the entrance sets the scene for a world tour of miscellany about our communication. Highlights of the museum include its collection of Frida Kahlo’s letters, its ever-changing exhibitions, and its wonderful children’s programs—all offered free.

Even though it occupies a colonial-era building, the Museum of Oaxacan Painters isn't interested in simply reveling in the city's glorious past. Instead, this small gallery finds connections between the past and present, subtly linking Miguel Cabrera's 18th-century religious paintings, which incorporated a few dark-skinned cherubs, to 20th-century portrayals of indigenous people in works by Rodolfo Morales.

The Museo de Textil contains a notable array of traditional textiles from the state of Oaxaca and, on selected days, visitors can see textiles being made, using historic techniques, by indigenous people from across the state working in the museum's sunlit central patio. The museum has an impressive restoration and conservation facility where visitors can see the care taken to restore antique textiles to their former glory. There is a constantly changing program of exhibitions at the museum—check ahead to see what’s on.

The tiny Museo Shan-Dany has some interesting exhibits about the archaeological sites scattered around the area. Of particular note are several incense burners bearing the likeness of Cocijo, the Zapotec god honored at a temple in Lambityeco.

The 19th-century neoclassical state capitol is on the zócalo's south side. It hosts a Oaxacan history museum where you can see a variety of weird and wonderful objects relating to Oaxaca's past. A 1988 fresco by Arturo García Bustos wraps around the stairwell. In it, altars to the dead, painters of codices, fruit sellers, gods, and musicians crowd together to catalog the customs and legends of Oaxaca's indigenous people. At the top, on the left side of the mural, note the apoala tree, which, according to Mixtec legend, bore the flowers from which life sprang. If there's a protest in front of the building—and there occasionally is—it will be closed to visitors.

About 74 km (46 miles) west of Puerto Escondido is Chacahua Lake National Park. You can tour the lagoon in a small motor launch, watching the pelicans, egrets, and frigate birds that hunt among the mangroves. The bird population is biggest during the winter months, when migratory species arrive from the frozen north. Most tours from Puerto Escondido include a visit to a crocodile breeding center, lunch, and an hour or two on the beach.

Playa Agua Blanca is about 30 minutes east of Puerto Escondido, at Km 172 of the road towards Mazunte. You'll see a sign for Agua Blanca pointing down a winding road. At the end of this road is a pristine beach with soft white sand, big waves, and lots of rocks with tidal pools perfect for children or cautious swimmers to take a dip in. Although this beach is becoming better known outside the local community and the restaurants are becoming more substantial, it's still a quiet spot to relax beneath a palapa and eat oysters picked fresh from the sea. Or enjoy a full lunch at any of the shady comedores that dot the beach. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: solitude; walking.

High red cliffs serve as the backdrop for this long, secluded beach west of town. The beach is situated at the bottom of a steep hill ringed by upscale housing and hotel developments and is best reached by taxi. Between July and November, Playa Bacocho is an important turtle-nesting beach, so if you're lucky you may witness the hatching of baby olive ridley sea turtles or a female coming ashore to lay her eggs. In the winter season you can often see dolphins and migrating whales close to shore. Cocos and Villasol beach clubs have restaurant and bar service, swimming pools, showers, and shade; access is MX$60 unless you're a guest of Posada Real or Villasol hotels.

Avoid swimming here. Although the waves aren't fierce, the rip currents are strong, and there are no lifeguards.

none.

solitude; sunset; walking.

If you're looking for the best fishing and water sports in the area, head to this beach west of Bahía Santa Cruz, where dozens of fishermen aren't shy about offering their services from the moment you set foot in the sand. It's a great place to head out on a fishing boat in the early morning (negotiate a price with one of the captains on the beach); when you come back to Playa Entrega, have one of the little seafood restaurants on the beach cook up your catch. Lobster fishing is another option, as are snorkeling and kayaking. The calm waters are good for children or timid swimmers. Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: swimming; fishing; snorkeling.

Located east of Puerto Angel, this secluded, white-sand beach is best accessed by boat from Puerto Angel. All boats are privately run, so prices vary, but expect to pay MX$200 for the 20-minute ride. Shallow, clean waters make this one of the best beaches in the area. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; solitude.

This beach abuts Playa Principal; the only thing separating the two is the sometimes malodorous freshwater Laguna de Agua Dulce created where Río Rigadillo meets the ocean. Popular among Mexican families, this beach can be very busy on weekends and during holidays, but the crowds can make for some fun people-watching. Expect to see vendors selling everything from ice cream to hammocks. Skiffs can be hired for fishing and turtle-seeking expeditions or you can hop on a water taxi to nearby beaches. Best bets for resto-bars include Brad's Split Coconut and Arcis near the Calle del Morro entrance. Amenities: lifeguards; food and drink; water sports. Best for: sunset; walking.

Eight km (5 miles) west of Zipolite, Mazunte is a stunning stretch of soft sand carved out of rocky headlands. Although the town's main drag, Paseo del Mazunte, is freshly paved, the beach zone hasn’t lost its bohemian roots. You’ll still see lots of dreadlocks, tattoos, and handwritten signs announcing alternative healing treatments. The paths to the beach are lined with eclectic restaurants, artisanal bakeries, and low-key beach accommodations. The higher up the hills you go, the more upscale the properties become. The surf is rougher here than at Playa San Agustinillo, and attracts bodyboarders. A short walk west along the sand gets you to Playa El Rinconcita, a smaller but more swimmable bay. Further west yet (by taxi or a 20-minute thigh-burning walk) across Punta Cometa is rustic Playa Mermejita. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: sunrise; surfing.

The most popular swimming beach in Puerto Angel proper, the brown-sand Playa Panteón has calm, waveless water which makes it popular among day-trippers and Mexican families on weekends and holidays. Watch for fishing and tour boats when you're in the water. Persistent vendors can also be an issue. A walkway past the oceanfront panteón (cemetery) links it with Playa Principal, Puerto Angel's busy main beach and working harbor. Amenities: food and drink; water sports. Best for: swimming.

Although it's not the cleanest beach in town, Playa Principal is popular with Mexican families, who flock to this strip of medium-coarse beige sand due to its calm waters and proximity to the shops, hotels, and restaurants of Avenida Pérez Gasga. The wide, curved bay meets up with Playa Marinero at the mouth of Río Rigadillo, and while the sand is soft near the shore, it's somewhat hard packed near the palm trees that line the beachfront businesses. It is also a working harbor with a large fleet of traditional fishing boats, so watching the weathered fishermen haul in their catch in the morning is an opportunity to see Mexico at its most authentic. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: sunrise; walking.

This lovely cove is home to both the eponymous beach as well as equally lovely Playa Manzanillo. Taxis will drop you off near the white sand, where the shallow depth of the water gives it a luminous, green-blue tint. Things get quite crowded on holidays and weekends, plus the boats moored close to shore can sometimes shrink the available swimming area and sully the waters. There's a walkway to Playa Manzanillo at the western end of the beach.

While swimming, beware of water taxis and skiffs.

toilets; water sports; food and drink; parking (no fee).

swimming.

One of the world's top surfing beaches, Zicatela has cream-colored sands that are battered by the mighty Mexican Pipeline. In November, international surfing championships are held here (as well as popular bikini contests). The beach is just about always filled with buff, sun-bleached aficionados of both sexes intent on serious surfing. Palapa restaurants on the sand serve refreshments, but Calle del Morro, Zicatela's main street, is also lined with hotels, bars, nightclubs, and slightly more upscale restaurants. The mostly flat beach stretches from the rocks at Playa Marinero all the way to La Punta in the southeast so is good for walking.

Even when the waters appear calm, the undertows and rip currents can be deadly. If you have any doubts about your prowess, settle for watching the surfers.

lifeguards; food and drink; parking (no fee); water sports.

partiers; walking; sunset; surfing.

Spend any time along this mile-long stretch of cottony sand, and you'll soon be convinced that this beautiful beach is Mexico's most relaxed and liberal. It's home to the Pacific Coast's best known (but still unofficial) nudist beach, and you should not be surprised if you catch the occasional aroma of pot mingled with the sea air. There are a growing number of upscale options for hotels and dining, but if you don't mind roughing it, Zipolite offers the best bargains on the Pacific coast. The cafés, pizza joints, and casual hippie-style restaurants along the beach are great for a bite to eat. Due to strong currents and whirlpools in even the shallowest waters, the red flag is always flying. Heed the warning signs even if you're a strong swimmer. The riptides near the rocks at the western edge of the beach are especially treacherous, and many visitors need to be rescued each year. Amenities: lifeguards; food and drink. Best for: partiers; walking; sunrise; sunset.

Dominating the town of Nochixtlán is the 19th-century Templo de la Asunción, in the main square. The interior is especially elegant, with a five-tier chandelier hanging from the dome.

The 17th-century Templo de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo towers over the main square of Teotitlán del Valle. Some parts of the facade have been scraped away to reveal stones carved with Zapotec designs that were used during the building of the church.

About 35 km (22 mi) north of Nochixtlán, Coixtlahuaca merits a stop for this sanctuary, which is perhaps the best preserved of the Dominican churches in the region. Vivid reds, greens, and blues still cling to the ribs on the vaulted ceiling, wind around the windows, and climb up the columns. Just inside the front doors, you'll find a large chapel dedicated to the Virgen de Guadalupe. The church's patron saint stands guard over the intricately carved retablo, and you can get close enough to the altarpiece to appreciate the delicate work. Outside, the bright red paint that once enlivened the now-demure white facade shows through cracks in the plaster. Though there aren't any set hours, the monastery is often open.

This towering 16th-century structure and its adjoining monastery appear even larger because they sit on a hill overlooking the village. The massive wooden doors face away from the village's main square.

The church's sheer size is its most stunning feature; its vaulted ceiling soars to almost 82 feet. The gold-leaf retablo behind the main altar has five levels, each depicting various saints. Santo Domingo, of course, stands alone at the top. Some of the paintings on this retablo are by the Spanish master Andrés de la Concha. Don't miss the mudéjar (Moorish) designs in the wooden ceiling of the choir. The handsome 18th-century pipe organ was restored in 1998.

Near the entrance to Ocotlán the workshops of the Aguilar sisters are brimming with distinctive figurines fashioned from red clay. The sisters, now elderly, might be there to show you around their adjoining workshops. If not, one of their children or grandchildren will. Their shops are clustered near each other on the road, so it's easy to go from one to the next. You can find these figures in the markets and shops of Oaxaca City, but at extremely inflated prices.