Creativity, passion and beauty are abundant in Oaxacan life, defining not only its iconic cuisine and mezcal, but also its world class cultural art and textiles. We will spend an afternoon in the galleries with renowned local street artists, ceramic makers and woodblock printmakers, along with a visit to the artisanal market of local makers from across the region.

Many regions across Oaxaca are revered for the unique crafts that have come to define their community. Tlapazola’s red clay, handwoven tapetes in Teotitlan de Valle, the alebrije sculptors of Tilcajete. We will help curate your day trip to visit these masterful artisans and learn how these magnificent crafts are woven into the fabric of their cultures.

On any given day, there’s a community having its dia de mercado. You want to be in Nochixtlán on Sundays with barbacoa taco juice running down your chin, wandering around Zachilla on Thursdays, or in Mercado Benito Juaréz on any day for a fresh seafood lunch and cold beers. We’ll head out to the daily markets around Oaxaca where we’ll stroll, shop, sit, sip, snack, smile and repeat.

The mezcal community wraps around the globe, from agave cocktails bars in Tokyo to cozy mezcalerias in San Francisco, but its anchor will always be in Oaxaca - at the palenques sprinkled across its wildlands. We will visit mezcaleros at their palenques, see the living history of their family traditions, taste some of the finest mezcales ever made, and experience a most memorable day in the heart of the mezcal world.

Carmen will lead a fun class where she’ll share with you practical traditional Oaxacan recipes that you will be able to confidently recreate back home with only a few specific ingredients and some valuable techniques that she’ll pass on to you. It’s an informative, upbeat half-day experience packed with food, flavors, and of course, a mezcal or two.

Oaxaca’s natural landscape is as emblematic of this area as anything. Steep, dark green mountains flank Oaxaca City as part of the region’s grand Valle Centrale. Ancient Zapotec ruins are tucked in the foothills overlooking high desert valleys. Hiking trails wind through old growth forests where we can enjoy lunch in the serenity of the trees, and raise a copita of mezcal in honor of the indigenous peoples who allow us to humbly enjoy these lands.