Oaxaca City: with all the details and then some

So Oaxaca City is described in the tourist info. as a Spanish built with loads of colonial buildings. I later read that the own has been around since 1529!!! It was built around the current town square or zocalo. The town has a fantastic feel with many pedestrian only roads, markets, churches and other cultural things.

This was by far my favourite place to visit so far. I did miss the warmer coast weather and the beaches though. After taking our first over night ride on a first class bus, we arrived in the cold city of Oaxaca (approximately 5 degrees Celsius)at 6:30. Getting a place to lay our heads ( we didn`t sleep well on the bus, I even got a little car sick) was out top priority but we wandered around for about an hour before we found a place to stay, not because it`s so big but because we couldn`t find what we wanted; cheap, cozy and safe. When we finally found a place it was such a relief.

Oaxaca is a city that is made for walking and we certainly took advantage of that the first few days. The Zocalo was our favourite place to go. It reminded me of down town Ottawa (sort of). It was a block full of flower beds with poinsettas and a pavillion in the center. The outer perimeter was full of shops, cafes and street vendors. We saw several live performances from an orchestra to a play to seniors dancing to Christmas music. Over the weekend they decorated this square for Christmas. And there was lots of good food to try!!

When the moment struck we walked into the churches, art galleries and markets we passed. One market in particular, the Central de Abastos stands out in my mind. We estimated that it covered up to 24 blocks with the vendors grouped together based on what they sold: fruits and veggies, meat, honey, baked goods, leather stuff, woven products, arts and crafts supplies, appliances and religiuos icons. You name it and you could find it there. In total we walked away with roasted peanuts, grasshoppers, bananas, oranges and a pack of Halls. Not bad!!