Top 10 Mexican Memories from Oaxaca and Chiapas

 

Apologies for the delay everyone, but we've been hosting family and friends since mid-December in Antigua, Guatemala (more on that later). It has been gloriously busy, full of firecrackers, fine-dining fiery volcanoes, and friendship - but not a lot of time to sit down and write.

In the meantime, I realize that Mexico was short-shifted and I'd missed relaying some amazing experiences. So here's a short re-cap of Top 10 memories from Oaxaca and Chiapas.

1. Oaxacan Street Art

Walking through Oaxaca is like being a piece of glass inside a huge kaleidoscope; as you walk the colours around you shift and change with every streetscape offering a new view.

Anyone recognize this? It's the streetscape Ivan used for his painting of little Sian skipping down the Mexican street. Still the same 25 years later!

I believe this one needs no introduction.

Sign language training on the street

Just an everyday mural

And another

Ivan in the streets of Oaxaca

2. Oaxacan Street Drinks

I know they say don't drink the water, but with over 80+ traditional drinks in Oaxaca, you really have to trust the street vendors here. I only got to taste a fraction of what was on offer, most notably a rose-scented atole made with a corn fungus called huitlacoche, an agua fresca with cactus and chia seeds, and - a MUST if in town - tejate. 

I can't describe them all here, but check out this post of the 87 traditional drinks one photographer undertook to document.

Agua Fresca on the street - matching colours a coincidence!

The BEST margherita in town - the dried lime slices here dehydrating at the bar behind me as we drank 

Mescal tasting (and buying!)

3. Oaxacan Food

But a woman can't live on drinks alone. (Actually, in Oaxaca you probably can, to be honest.) The food here is world famous - and for good reason. There are herbs and plants that only grow in Oaxaca and its surrounding hills, and the care, cultivation and use of indigenous ingredients is part of the reason that Mexican cooking is recognized by UNESCO on its "Intangible Cultural Heritage" list. 

Tlayudas were a specialty of the region, but anything with tortillas were on offer everywhere we went along with sweet, fresh mangos and melons, and all types of fresh-roasted nuts and seeds. 

Meat (unspecified type) tlayuda from a street vendor

Mole dinner at a local market. Swimming in sauce, just the way I like it.

4. Going to Cooking School

A few years ago, when making a Mexican meal for my family, I swore I would one day conquer the seven moles of Mexico. I had two under my belt before hitting Mexico. But now I have learned, from chef Oscar, who taught us traditional Mexican cooking for a morning, that there are possibly hundreds of moles. Oscar himself claims to know 54. So it looks like my ambition to know all the moles of Mexico may take many more years, and many more dinners, than expected.

At the Casa Crespo, under Oscar's tutelage, we learned to make masa dough from dried corn (using the nixtamalization technique), cook Oaxacan tamales, ceremonial tortillas, use avocado leaf to flavour black bean soup, whip up a ceviche and margueritas along with three types of salsas in roughly 10 minutes, and top it all off with corn ice-cream (helado de elotes).

A stand outside the local market where Oscar told me you'll find the local, organic producers as opposed to the venders selling from wholesalers, who are generally inside. Helpful market hint if you're in Latin America.

Inside the market

Oscar leading us out of the local market. I'm holding an amazing herb, Herbo Santo, for our dinner.

Mole Almondrado - one of Oscar's 54 moles.

Appetizers and sauces at the cooking school

4. Undergoing a Spiritual Cleansing in a Temazcal

The memory I find myself returning to again and again is the spiritual cleansing we underwent in a Temazcal operated by a healer/herbalist in a small town outside of Oaxaca (Cevierum Temexcal Oaxaca) . We went with an American couple we'd met at our RV park. After a quick drink of pitiona (lemon verbena), we were hustled into a small, earthen dome where a healer walked us through the ceremony, which was in three parts. First, we had to heal the physical body, then the energetic one, and finally the spiritual one. 

Generally, what happens in the temazcal stays in the temazcal, but I can say that we slathered or breathed in at least thirty different herbal concoctions throughout the exercise, and ended in individual bath tubs, literally bathing in tea and sound. It was amazing and purifying - a great way to end 2025.

Here's our temazcal hut

In the healer's garden

5. Oaxacan Transport

Our RV park was in Thule, about 15 minutes away from town, so we soon got onto the Mexican public/private transportation system. You can always get a cab of course, but it's more fun riding the crazy-decorated re-purposed school buses  cans and cabs called colectivos. 

One such ride, not to be forgotten, involved hopping into a cab-turned-colectivo with a roughly 6-foot-tall German woman we'd met at the RV park. At first it was just the three of us, but two locals soon joined us, so we were six to a car, with one of the men curled into a tight ball beside the long-legged German, who ended up practically in the driver's lap, bouncing along trying to avoid the gear shift. One thing I can say is that the buses here were more reliable than OC Transpo  - and a heck of a lot less expensive (~10 Pesos each way).

View from inside the Thule colectivo

6. Hierve el Agua

Just outside of Oaxaca, way, way, way up in the hills are petrified waterfalls called Hierve el Agua. They're geological formations made over thousands of years of calcium-rich water trickling over the cliffs, depositing calcium on their way. 

To get to the site involves navigating incredibly narrow village streets, and passing numerous "artisanal mescal" makers driving donkeys or horses around a grinding stone, preparing agave for the mescal they sell in hand-labeled glass bottles containing not just worms but also scorpions and snakes.

Artisanal Mescal Making

Me by the petrified waterfalls

Swimming in the lagoon overlooking the highlands

Petrified waterfall

Lagoon

Another petrified waterfall, seen from below

7. Monte Albán

You can't do southern Mexico without hitting a pre-Hispanic ruin or two. Monte Alban is one of the most astounding of these sites. The former capital of the Zapotec kingdom, Monte Alban was established before 500BC and built upon for the next thousand years. The place is huge; the feeling of standing in that massive great square is really hard to describe. If you're interested, watch this video.

Monte Alban from the highway.

Palace

Descending the Palace stairs (like an old woman - it was very steep)

Overlooking the central square

Overlooking the central square with Ivan

The day we arrived, the trees were flowering, releasing this intoxicating, sweet floral odour. Like nothing I ever smelled before. When I looked the tree up on Seek, I found that it was native to the area, growing only around Mexico: ipomoea pauciflora, or cazahuate, a tree relative of the morning glory vine and sometimes called Tree of the Dead. Very appropriate.

Best smelling tree in Mexico, Tree of the Dead

We'd been to Monte Alban twenty-five years ago and I seem to recall a pretty basic operation. Now there's a detailed museum and the site is even larger than I remember. While they've excavated a lot more of the site since we were here last, there's still a lot of mystery left - many tunnels to excavate, and pictograms still to decipher. 

Ivan in a tomb 

Tomb's entrance

The coolest buildings for me was the observatory, which was aligned to the constellations, and the building bearing the "dancing ghosts", or danzantes. Archeologists originally thought the carvings portrayed dancers, but now believe they represent the local chiefs that had been captured, tortured, mutilated and offered for sacrifice during local wars. How interpretations can change...

8. Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca 

The cultural museum of Oaxaca is full of excavated artifacts and cultural relics housed in an the former Monastary of Santo Domingo de Guzman. Some rooms are simply two or three relics, with a name like "drink making", capturing Oaxacan life, but other exhibits are extraordinary, like the relics from Tomb 7 from Monte Alban.

A funeral urn

Another one

My favourite part? The views into the spectacular (but off-limits) botanical cactus garden and the view over the square to watch a Mexican wedding in full dancing-paper-mache glory!

Oaxacan wedding paper mache dolls, ready to start dancing

The view of the wedding procession, just before the bride and groom exit the church

The Oaxacan botanical cactus garden

9. San Cristobel de las Casas

Finally leaving Oaxaca, we stayed for several nights in the beautiful, rustic San Cristobel de las Casas before heading to Guatemala. We hadn't been able to go here last time as Chiapas (the state) was in revolution in 1998 following the Zapatista uprising. Now the town is awash with young, British tourists looking for cheap happy hours. 

But the feeling of revolution is still evident, particularly as the "Cola Wars" rage on, with Pepsi and Coke vying to be the drink of choice to accompany Pox, a sacred alcoholic drink, and drive electoral decisions by offering free drinks in the weeks leading up to an election. You can see the battle raging between tiendas offering one or the other beverage, while small protest stickers saying (in Spanish) "Coke is not a ceremonial beverage" try to convince locals to fight against the cola giants, particularly as they've left the region's water supply contaminated. 

Catedral de San Cristóbal Mártir

All the things you can't do outside a day care. See if you can figure them all out:)

Church doors festooned with flowers for the Virgin of Guadalupe celebrations

Town square

10.  El Chiflón Waterfalls

Finally, just before crossing the Guatemalan border, Ivan and I stayed in the parking lot of the ecotourism resort for the most spectacular waterfalls in Chiapas. A bit costly, but the one hour hike through the jungle to the top of the mountain to see the massive cascade and feel its spray on our faces was well worth the price.

El Chiflon

Down below

The colour of the water was spectacular

Downstream, where we can swim

Jumping spider in the bathroom!

And that about sums up our top 10 memories from December last year. We're now in Antigua, Guatemala and I'll be sharing news on our adventures here on Wednesday. Also, I've started posting to Instagram for those who prefer short bursts, so please feel free to connect with me there. 

Keep warm, keep well, and I will keep you all posted.

Feliz Navidad!

 

Feliz Navidad from Antigua, Guatemala, everyone! I have so much to share since our last post. Volcanos. Ancient Healing Rites. Petrified Waterfalls, just to name a few. but today I just wanted to send you the best and craziest Christmas experiences we've had so far and wish you all happy holidays!

For those who don't know, holiday season in Latin America begins December 4th and continues - with fervor and firecrackers - until January 6th. The "official" start is December 12th, known as the beginning of Guadalupe-Reyes, or the Mexican marathon that is the Christmas season. 

Every morning, around 5 am, the firecrackers begin and go off sporadically all day, peaking at midnight most nights. And the decorations! Let's get started on those.

Thule, Oaxaca, December 5, 2025

The above video is Thule town square on December 5, 2025. The lights come on at sundown, blaze riotously for a few hours, then are turned off around 8 pm. Then the town shuts down, everyone heads to private parties (if it's a weekend, as far as the firecrackers seem to indicate).

Local cafe, decorated for Christmas. Note the "historically-accurate" Christmas trees:)

December 4, and we're already wearing Christmas hats and decorating some weird Instagram "eye".

Fun fact: Thule is famous for having the world's "stoutest" tree, the Arbol de Thule, which is roughly 1,400 years old (according to Indigenous reckoning, in line with scientific estimates).

In these early weeks, one of the stranger sites we saw beginning in early December were the many torch runners travelling by foot carrying Olympic torches, or by bike or tinseled car, down every major highway, making their way from their hometowns to the key churches in the region for the most important Mexican celebration: Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe. The torch runners may travel for days, even weeks, to get to their churches. They take these epic (and highly dangerous) treks to "keep a promise" that they've made to Saint Guadalupe, often in honor of the long distance Mary and Joseph traveled on their way to Bethlehem.

Torch bearers on bikes, making their way to the church in San Cristobel

 de las Casas

 

When they arrive, it's a huge procession down the streets of the town, culminating in a fun fair at the local churches and a mass (in our case) at the Templo de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, which is decorated inside and out with flowers - lilies, roses, jasmine. The smell is the most floral, sweet scent I've ever inhaled.

The Templo de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe decorated for Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe

The Templo de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe decorated for Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe

Virgen de Guadalupe Fun Fair. Note the Jim Morrison ride:)

Instagram Christmas houses decorating the square in San Cristobel

 de las Casas

Our San Cristobel de las Casas hearth

Our common room, San Cristobel de la Casas

Another big fad here? Christmas sweaters, Christmas trees, and Instragramable photo opps, of course.

Magic mushroom Christmas installation

Christmas sweaters, December 4, 2025

Oaxacan Christmas Tree (Canada in Spanish translates to a small gully, or ravine - or a cattle track, in this case)

Crossing into Guatemala December 19th, the decorations became more religious, and (slightly) less ubiquitous  - except for the fireworks. Always the fireworks.

A very popular activity is creating your own nativity scene. It's so big here that a whole section of the mercado is dedicated to mosses, apple garlands, and nativity creches and figurines with such historical features as "goiters" (to demonstrate poverty and need).

Lady with goiter

Coolest find in Antigua, Guatemala? A free display of dioramas depicting the Christmas story, only set in Antigua with the local saint, Hermano Pedro, playing central roles in each scene. Here are a few highlights.

Market scene set in the Antigua main square

Creche with Antigua volcano in the backgrounds

Guatemalan shepherds receiving news of Christ's birth

Mary and Joseph getting turned away at the Inn (a real hotel in Antigua!)

Lastly, there are the processions and plays that run from December 16th right up to Christmas Eve. Here in Antigua, Mary and Joseph and crowds of locals move up and down the streets in floats. 

Cohen with Mary, Joseph, two of the three Kings and one Hernando Pedro.

One of many Christmas processions leading up to the "big night"

It all culminates in Christmas Eve, where Giant Paper Mache puppets dance towards the main church and crowds of faithful follow behind. There's a big party in the square, lots of dancing and mariachi, before the procession moves in for Christmas Eve mass. All through the square you can hear the singing of "Gloria in Excelsus".

 

Giant Paper Mache Kings, Queens and Giant Heads (and Avocados) Dancing in front of the Church before Christmas Eve Mass.

Christmas Eve with the volcano in the background

Christmas Eve dinner in the square. Yes, I am wearing a puffy (recovering from altitude sickness - news for another post)

And of course, the final touch? A crazy cacophony of fireworks going off at midnight. Here's Cohen's recording, straight from the "war zone".

Now we're off to make tamales and salsas for Christmas Day! Enjoy everyone, and sending all our love to those we can't be with today.

Remembrances of Beaches Past

 

From the mountains, it was back to the beaches we'd once traveled all those years ago, hopping on clase primero buses with their broken banos, hugging our oversized backpacks and eating mangos on sticks.

The itinerary this time pretty much followed the one we took 25+ years ago: Patzcauro -> Zihuatanejo -> Pie de la Cuesta ->Ventura -> Laguna de Manialtepec -> Puerto Escondito. 

Photo essay follows in what I think is some sort of order:

Sunset over Zihuatanejo, or "Zihua" as it is affectionately called

Us on the beach.

Dinner at "El Manglar", our campsite beside the crocodile estuary.

Pie de la Cuesta, as beautiful and rough as ever. One beach was called "bone crusher". Not for swimmers!

Roadside pit stop in the middle of nowhere for a lemonade.

Ventura - the beach went on forever and ever...

Pina Coladas at Ventura

Cheers to the Ventura sunset. A magical moment followed by horror as we were eaten alive by sandflies. Which explains why we were the only idiots lounging on the beach after dark.

Our campsite at Ventura - the sandfly nursery.

The laguna - apparently there's bioluminescence if you swim at night. Which was tempting, but during our afternoon we kayaked and spotted some crocodile-like "logs" move strangely across the water, so we stuck to the day tour.

And another shot for good measure because it was beautiful.

So what's changed since our last visit? For one, the towns are way bigger and development along the coast has been significant. The roads are way better, if a lot more expensive. The buses that passed us looked pretty improved too, like they might not only have functioning banos but might also have air conditioning. I can't even imagine. And while I didn't see any mangos on sticks, they do serve them in cups now (probably more hygienic) and I can report that they are as delicious as ever. 

Our main destination, though, was Puerto Escondido, where we'd spent seven full weeks in the Pueblito on top of the hill near what was once the outside of town. 

When we arrived, we found the main beach chock-a-block with tourist boats and hung-over tourists. 

Breakfast at the main beach

We ate at a place we remembered, near where I had the best red snapper in orange sauce that I have ever had in my life (I still think about that dish, which will surprise no one that knows me). Unfortunately, it is no longer on the menu (was likely a special), and neither is the Carlota de Limon, a "fridge cake" that is now considered "home cooking", and which I gorged on while pregnant.

After breakfast, we tried to walk the famous, romantic Andador Toursitica. Back in the day, we could walk all the way from our Pueblito near the Manzanillia reef to town along the stone path, just above the crashing ocean waves, past Mexican couples cuddling and making out under the lights in the hidden nooks and crannies. 

Unfortunately, the 2025 Hurricane Erik has smashed the main bridge, and the rest of the pathway hasn't stood the test of time.

Hurricane-decimated Andador Toursitica

It was sad to see the destruction, but also strangely reminiscent, too, since the last time we were in Puerto Escondido we'd arrived while the town was still recovering from the devastating hurricane Paulina, which at the time was one of the deadliest storm to hit Mexico. The streets were torn up, hotels under construction were abandoned, and the town was practically deserted - which was why we got such a cheap rate on our two-bedroom unit in El Pueblito. 

Ivan outside the gates of our old apartment, which once stood all alone at the top of the hill but is now crowded all around by condos

We snuck in to see the same pool! So many memories in the pool.

We parked up at the top of the hill just outside El Pueblito and swam and snorkeled in our old beach, Playa Manzanillo. There had been one small restaurant in the past, but now the lounge chairs went all the way to the high tide mark and tourist boats filled the once-empty bay. Still, the water was beautifully clear, and the reefs full of fishes, from puffers to angels, just like I remembered.

We finished our walk through memory lane by visiting the mercado, gorging on jumbo-sized jugos and cheap tortas. I ordered the "vampiro" - beet, carrot, orange, and celery. Delicious, but a warning to all: 1 litre of that amount of fibre is not a good choice before a road trip. Take my word for it.

El mercado municipal

A bread made for the upcoming festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12

Ivan's mom had warned us that Puerto Escondido had changed. And yes, it has been over developed. The downtown camping area had the air of a homeless encampment. Booze and cheap tourist dance bars were everywhere. The once-pristine main beach was smothered with tourist boats and litter.

But to be honest, I've changed too. I'm not that pregnant, vegetarian hippie reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Manufacturing Consent. I've caved on a few ideals myself, over the years.

But here's the thing about Puerto: the town is fighting back. It always fights back. After Hurricane Paulina, after our first visit, the town rebuilt itself. Maybe a bit too much, granted. Now their famous surfer mecca at Zipolete is under threat, and their Andador Touristica is wiped out. But the town is organizing to save them both. 

And that's why I will always love Puerto, no matter how grungy or over crowded it gets. No matter how old. Or how bashed about by storms. Puerto is something worth saving. Again and again. 

But one look the prices they are charging, and the depressing camping options, Ivan and I decided Puerto may be worth saving and remembering - but it wasn't worth staying at for too long. Not this time. So we high-tailed it to Oaxaca, in search of art, culture and some new memories.

Wishing everyone a good recovery from the early winter, and may the snow stay for a spectacular skiing season!