We started our Friday in Oaxaca with a little breakfast at a sidewalk cafe near one of the city’s plazas before setting off to explore this city that numerous people had recommended to us. Oaxaca is a beautiful city with its colourful colonial buildings, and a fairly large one with a population close to 1 million. The city center was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in recognition of its historic buildings and monuments.
For those who have not been keeping up with the news, Oaxaca was one of the cities that fell victim to the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Central Mexico on September 19, 2017 and, from what we have seen so far, the city still seems to be in the recovery phase from the devastation. There were numerous families camped out in one of the city’s plazas that we could only presume were displaced due to the earthquake.
Another factor we came across in the city that we could only attribute to the impact of the earthquake on the city was the abundance of aggressive panhandlers. This was quite a surprise for us because despite Mexico’s poverty level being higher than its northern neighbours, the number of panhandlers we had come across was in the non-existent range in comparison until we went to Puebla. Even in Puebla, often a simple “no” was enough for them to let us be and move on.
What should have been a relaxing breakfast at a sidewalk cafe in Oaxaca turned out to be an exercise in patience because we were constantly bombarded with people asking us for money or trying to sell us things. Repeated protests were ignored and things were forcefully placed on our table in an attempt to make us buy them. I even had a woman grab my arm as I was exiting one of the markets to ask me for money. So yes, this did impact our enjoyment of Oaxaca, but not to the point where we see the city in a negative light and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone thinking about going there. After all, people are a product of their environment and who do we blame for that?
Displaced Families Camping at the Plaza
Street Markets
Public Market Food Court
Handicraft Market
Colourful Colonial Buildings
Ah, Cobblestones
Damaged Building
Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán
Oaxaca does have a lot of great restaurants and our gustatory senses were nothing short of delighted. From our Indian dinner at Mini Taj on the previous evening to a lunch of pan-seared fish at Gozobi to an incredible Italian dinner at Mezzaluna, our bellies were happy. Yes, we’re still actively targeting cuisine that’s not Mexican because despite being delicious, we have had so much of it already and we like to try different things. If you’re in Oaxaca and in the same boat, you’re welcome for the recommendations 😉
Seafood Pasta
Shrimp Risotto
