No. 01 · Landmark
Zócalo & Cathedral
The shaded main square at the heart of the old town
A leafy plaza ringed by colonial arcades, brass bands at night, and the 16th-century Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption.
Read more →Mexico
Oaxaca
Colonial highland city and Mexico's culinary capital
A mountain-ringed colonial city famous for mole, mezcal, and a deep Zapotec and Mixtec heritage that still shapes everyday life.
When to go
October–April for dry, mild weather. Visit late October for Día de los Muertos or July for Guelaguetza.
Getting around
The historic centre is walkable. Use colectivos or taxis for Monte Albán and the surrounding villages.
Oaxaca highlights
Don't miss
The top places to start with if you only have a day or two — the essentials before you go deeper.
No. 02 · Landmark
Templo de Santo Domingo
Baroque masterpiece with a gilded interior
The most spectacular church in southern Mexico — a 16th-century Dominican monastery with an interior covered in gold leaf and the Museo de las Culturas next door.
Read more →No. 03 · Landmark
Monte Albán
Zapotec mountaintop city dating to 500 BC
A pre-Columbian capital terraced across a flattened mountain ridge — pyramids, ball courts, and carved stelae overlooking three valleys.
Read more →Things to do in Oaxaca
4 hand-picked
A curated mix of landmarks, neighborhoods, and museums worth your time in Oaxaca, Mexico — grouped by type below.
Landmarks
3 places
Where to stay
1 place