Touching down at Oaxaca Xoxocotlan International Airport in Oaxaca places you close to cities like Tlacolula, Mitla, and Ocotlan, all easily reachable. Oaxaca is the food and craft capital of Mexico, a green-stone colonial city surrounded by Zapotec and Mixtec villages that each specialize in a single art. Smoke from the market grills, the smell of chocolate and mezcal, and a calendar full of festivals give it an energy that is hard to leave behind.

Standout experiences around Oaxaca: - Climb Monte Alban, the Zapotec hilltop city that overlooks the valley - Eat tlayudas and grilled meats in the smoke hall of Mercado 20 de Noviembre - Step inside the gold-covered Templo de Santo Domingo and its ethnobotanical garden - Taste the seven moles, from black to yellow, at a traditional kitchen - Tour a mezcal palenque in Santiago Matatlan to see the agave roasted in earthen pits - Watch weavers at work in Teotitlan del Valle and potters making black clay in San Bartolo Coyotepec - Swim the mineral pools at Hierve el Agua beside its petrified waterfalls - Stand beside the Tule tree, one of the widest trunks on earth, in Santa Maria del Tule - Hunt for painted wooden alebrijes in San Martin Tilcajete

Most of the valley towns are within an hour of Oaxaca, with Mitla and its carved stone mosaics about 50 minutes out, and the Sunday market in Tlacolula one of the oldest in the Americas. In July the Guelaguetza festival brings dancers from every region of the state to a hillside amphitheater, and in late October the city turns into one big Day of the Dead celebration. Any time of year, order a cup of hot chocolate with pan de yema and settle in.