The Cool City of Oaxaca

If being sustainable means you thrive and remain a desirable community over time, then Oaxaca certainly fits the bill! The historic origin of Oaxaca, Monte Alban, is on a mountaintop adjacent to the current city and developed areas. It was first settled around 500 B.C. The settlement on that plateau lasted at least 1,000 years and had an estimated population of 40,000 people at its peak. Initially it was an Olmec community, then Zapotec, then Mixtec, all of whom are ancestors of today’s residents. Today’s continuation of that settlement, Oaxaca de Juarez, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its Zapotec and Spanish heritage.

I visited Oaxaca earlier this year for a second time (the first trip was in 2023). Staying in central Oaxaca, as we did, is an experience of a richly diverse and long-standing community. Here are a few vignettes:

Two years ago, we happened to be visiting on “Dia de la Samaritana” (the day of the Good Samaritan). This is really a great celebration of community. The Good Samaritan, of course, was blessed because he helps an injured stranger. The way this day is commemorated is for shops and businesses to behave as Good Samaritans – so they all give away free juices and free ice cream! We were lucky to be there that day, and to witness the generosity. Plus, the juice and ice cream were delicious!

During this year’s trip, our guides treated the four of us (me, my husband and our two friends) to dinner at one of the ‘happening’ restaurants. The restaurant Las Quince Letras is on the rooftop of a building in Oaxaca’s Historic Center. (‘Quince Letras’ means 15 letters, which is the number of letters in the restaurant’s name.) The food is a wonderful blend of current flavors and historic traditions, centered around its molés and featuring local mezcals.

For much of its life, this building was certainly not intended as a place for foreign visitors to enjoy good food and drink. But its historic character is being preserved by its adaptation to a new use. It’s a demonstration of one aspect of sustainability – adaptation over time.

Oaxaca is a major tourist destination, with over 2.3 million visitors in 2019. Interestingly, international tourists are a small share of that total (less than 20%). But the community also includes many places where Oaxaceños live their lives. Over 700,000 people live in the metropolitan area here and their lives include their own celebrations. We visited a small event venue (for a very cool mezcal and molé paired tasting) in the Jalatlaco neighborhood. We needed two cabs to take us back to central Oaxaca. While we were waiting for them, we noticed unusual preparations underway in the main plaza. Parents were helping young children dress in very elaborate traditional costumes, and a large group suggested this was an organized event. Curious, we walked closer, and thanks to our great Mexican guides, were able to discover that the kids were part of a local dance troupe, gathering that afternoon for a big photo shoot.

These vignettes don’t address the environmental side of sustainability in this community. But they do shed light on the sustainability of community itself, among changing cultures, expectations and influences. And there’s no doubt about why Oaxaca is truly a cool city!