Traditions of Oaxaca
The southern city of the Guelaguetza, mole and mezcal, where Day of the Dead is one of Mexico's most vivid.
Oaxaca de Juárez is the capital of a state with sixteen Indigenous peoples, among them the Zapotec and the Mixtec, and has a cuisine and craft culture rooted in them. Mole in seven colours, textiles, black pottery, alebrijes and chocolate are its signatures. The calendar is full of festivals.
Guelaguetza and the Day of the Dead
In July, delegations from the eight regions of Oaxaca dance on the hill of Cerro del Fortín in the Guelaguetza, offering gifts to the audience. For the Day of the Dead, on 1 and 2 November, families build altars with marigolds, candles, bread and photos of the dead, and visit cemeteries through the night. The Night of the Radishes, on 23 December, shows carved radishes.
At the table
Mole negro, tlayudas, large crisp tortillas, tamales wrapped in banana leaf, chapulines, toasted grasshoppers, and hot chocolate with cinnamon are Oaxacan. Mezcal, made from agave roasted in earth pits, is sipped with orange and sal de gusano. Quesillo, stringy cheese, is a favourite.
Signature traditions of Oaxaca
Also part of it, and being written: Mole (The sauce.), Mezcal (The spirit.).
A trail idea for Oaxaca
- Benito Juárez Market Taste mole.
- Santo Domingo See the church.
- Teotitlán del Valle See the weavers.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Night of the Radishes: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Guelaguetza: A01321718, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Day of the Dead: RubeHM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source