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We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
Alternatively, check out some of our holiday offers below.
- Destinations
- North America
- Mexico
- Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca (pronounced
wah-HA-kah) is a city developed over a period of three
centuries of colonisation. This influence is visible in the
stunning architecture of the buildings, a solid style adapted from
European methods to stand up to occasional earthquakes. The
buildings are distinctively green, made of a particular stone mined
in local quarries, and give Oaxaca its nickname, The Green
Antequera.
In 1987, Oaxaca was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in
recognition of its treasure of historic buildings and monuments;
however the city also offers a number of museums in town worth
visiting, including those dedicated to local history, art ranging
from ancient to contemporary times, railroads, stamps, and
prominent citizens like former President of Mexico Benito Juárez.
Oaxaca is also near the archaeological site of Monte Albán, site of
one of the earliest cities of Mesoamerica dating back to 500
BC.
Oaxaca is known as the culinary capital of Mexico, and its
gastronomic traditions go back to the Mayan civilisation. Street
food is excellent, and often better than what is available in the
more cosmopolitan fine dining establishments. Local specialties
include spicy
molesauces,
chapulines(fried grasshoppers with chile), and
tlayudes(corn tortillas piled with meat and vegetable
fillings); however, the real specialty of Oaxaca is chocolate.
The heart of chocolate production in Mexico, some say Oaxaca was
where the treat was invented centuries ago by the ancient
Mesoamericans. Visitors are spoiled for choice with restaurants,
cafes and factories all offering mouth-watering options, but the
town's specialty is its hot cocoa, which most locals start every
day with. Visitors also have the opportunity to take a
chocolate-making class and learn to make their own treats through
traditional methods.
Oaxaca is also known for is its festivals, including the large
Day of the Dead celebration each October, which lasts for three
days. One of the most unique celebrations however is the Night of
the Radishes, held just before Christmas each year and featuring
the distinctive red and white root carved into nativity scenes and
other artistic creations.
Deep in the south of Mexico, Oaxaca is in one of the country's
poorest areas and tourism development is not as sophisticated as
that of the more popular destinations, however a holiday in Oaxaca
allows visitors to experience a more authentic side of Mexico most
tourists miss out on.
Information & Facts
Language
Spanish is the official language in Mexico. Some English
is spoken in tourist regions.
Money
Mexican currency is the New Peso (MXN) divided into 100
centavos. Credit cards are widely accepted, particularly Visa,
MasterCard and American Express. Travellers cheques are generally
accepted, but cannot be cashed on Sundays. ATMs are available in
most cities and towns and are the most convenient way to get money,
but for safety reasons they should only be used during business
hours. Although most businesses will accept foreign currency it is
best to use pesos. Foreign currency can be exchanged at one of many
casas de cambio(exchange houses), which have longer hours
and offer a quicker service than the banks.