Village People

Oaxaca, and the surrounding villages, has it all.  Dine on a world class cuisine centered around the 7 moles, but including such oddities as grasshoppers.  See the world's largest living thing, by volume and weight.  No, it is not me after feasting on Oaxacan food.

Imbibe smoky mescal.  Enjoy colonial architecture and ancient ruins.  Let your shopping gene out of the bottle.  Oaxaca is surrounded by villages devoted to a single craft.  The wares come together in village markets.  Visit the workshops of makers, of fanciful wooden creatures known as alebrijes.  As an added plus, the city is filled with charming B&Bs.

If it is Sunday it must be Tlacolula, home of a wonderful Sunday market.  To combine efficiency with economy, hire a driver one way so that you can stop at Santa Maria Del Tule, home of the huge Cypress tree.

This may be the largest living thing.

Next have your driver drop you off at the market in Tlacolula.  The bus (collectivo) back to Oaxaca takes about 40 minutes.

The market sells everything, with an emphasis on textiles.

As Roslyn's eyes drew her to handwoven wool purses, my nose was leading me to food, a staple in all Mexican markets.

Roslyn's guilty pleasure was chicharrones.  I had two heaping bowls of barbacoa in broth.  I have no guilt.  The tough competition for knowledgable local palettes, resulted in some of the best barbacoa that I have ever devoured.