Day 300 – Oaxaca
Today we left Hostal Don Alvaro and walked to the Zocalo (Central Square). Here we booked a tour for tomorrow from Lescas Co Tours. There is also a tourist information booth in front of the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de La Asunción (Oaxaca Cathedral). From here we got some information and maps on the sites to see in Oaxaca.
Cathedral Zocalo
After checking out the Cathedral we went back to our hostel to pick up some Laundry. The hostel recommended a nearby place, but we couldn’t find it. So we ended up going to a place a little further away called LAVANET Lavandería & Internet. They had signs saying that they would not wash underwear for hygienic reasons, but they didn’t complain about ours. It only cost us 15 MXN / $1.13 AUD per kilogram.
We then went to the nearby Mercado 20 de Noviembre, which is a market full of Mexican food stalls and a few souvenir shops. We wandered around for a while before buying some juice from Wily 100% natural juice.
Santa Domingo Museum (Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca)
We then walked to the Santa Domingo Museum, which costs 75 MXN / $5.63 AUD per person. The museum is attached to the Santa Domingo Church.
The museum is really large, with lots of exhibits that range from ancient Mexican civilisations through to the arrival of the Spanish and modern technology. It was a very nice museum, with lots of information, unfortunately some was only in Spanish.
There is also a botanical garden (Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca) which you can see from some of the windows in the museum. You can go through the gardens themselves but it requires a separate ticket so we didn’t.
The highlight of the museum for us is the exhibit dedicated to Monte Alban’s Tomb 7. We nearly missed this room, which would have been devastating.
Skull with turquoise
There was also a large library with very old books and some strange decorations.
Templo de Santo Domingo
The Temple de Santo Domingo is an adjoining Catholic Church. It appeared closed when we walked to the museum, but as we left, it was open. The front of the church hides that fact that it’s a massive building. From the floor to the roof, the church is beautifully decorated.
After the church, we had some coffee/hot chocolate at a local cafe called Oaxaca en una Taso (Oaxaca in a Cup). The heavens opened up once again as we were walking around in the afternoon, forcing us to retreat back to the hostel. After a while, we walked to a restaurant called Xuncu Choco, which had really nice food and the owner was super friendly. After which, we headed back to our hostel.
Wall of Oaxaca en una Taso Xuncu Choco
Tips: using taps
The first time I used these in Mexico City, my entire body was drenched in water. The taps at some public toilets have a little stopper under the spout. Just push it to the side to essentially open the tap.
