Oaxaca with Philip Speer

Bienvenidos a Mexico! In the afternoon, we’ll meet up with our tastemakers and get oriented with one of Latin America’s great colonial wonders: Oaxaca City. We’ll get to know the cobblestone streets and bookmark a few sites to explore before settling in for a welcome cocktail hour.

In the evening, we’ll toast the start of our adventure with local mezcal—of course—then walk to dinner overlooking Oaxaca’s flood-lit cathedral for an inspired meal together under the stars.

Today we head into the mountains, where villages devoted to arts and crafts lurk in valley shadows. We’ll stop at the Zapotec village of Teotitlan del Valle, a weaving village with about 5,000 people (and 2,000 looms).

We’ll meet a local Zapotec weaving family, who’ll demonstrate their intricate craft using natural fibers for dyes (and even a grounded insect for the bright reds), just as they have for the past 14 generations. A hands-on and home-cooked Zapotec lunch awaits us, where we’ll learn the hows and whys behind Nixtamalization.

Afterwards we return to the city, where the afternoon is yours to explore. We’ll reconvene at one of Oaxaca’s culinary iconic restaurants for a truly unforgettable meal.

In the morning, we’ll wind our way past rows of agave plants to meet up with a fourth-generation mezcalero in Santa Catarina Minas for a masterclass in mezcal, the cousin-spirit of tequila and one of Oaxaca’s famed exports. We’ll learn firsthand how the piña (heart) of agave are harvested and smoked in underground pits, fermented in large vats, and distilled in copper or clay stills based on traditions that date back hundreds of years.

Afterwards, we return to the city, where the evening is ours to explore Oaxaca’s irresistible food and nightlife: world-class restaurants open for dinner and taco stands set up along the lit-up zócalo, just a few blocks from our hotel.

We begin this epic day at the hilltop ruin of Monte Albán, a vast complex of pyramids and shrines dating from 500 BC—and easily one of Mesoamerica’s grandest sites. We’ll explore its monumental scale and the intricate carvings of bas relief sculptures as one of Mexico’s great colonial cities sprawls below us.

We’ll carry that history with us when we stop for lunch just outside the city limits; we’ll feast family-style on local specialties while contemplating the staggering legacy of Monte Albán. The afternoon is a time to recharge at the hotel or explore on your own.

Just don’t wander too far as we’ll reconvene for a raucous, no-frills tlayuda dinner.

Today is ours to revitalize our hearts and spirits. We’ll meet with a local Zapotec shaman, who’ll share the secrets of a cleansing ritual that’s been in practice here for thousands of years, using smoked copal to bid farewell to negative energies. We’ll leave feeling electric and magical as we make our way to the home studio of a master artisan of Oaxacan folk art. After a private pottery tour, she’ll host us for a homemade lunch featuring one of the region’s famed seven moles.

Once back in Oaxaca, you’ll have the evening to yourself. Organize a taco crawl on the zócalo, relax in one of our hotel’s many garden spaces or wander towards those sublime notes of live folk guitar.

After a leisurely morning at the hotel, we leave for the pinnacle of our journey, a total Oaxacan farm-to-table experience. Our destination is a renowned and locally beloved ranch on the outskirts of the city. Once arrived, we’ll break into small groups and take turns making mole, Oaxacan cheese, and nieve—ice cream studded with seasonal ingredients. As we roast and churn alongside our tastemakers, we’ll gain a hands-on understanding of the flavors and ingredients that make these dishes so unique.

Afterwards, we’ll gather for an al fresco feast, sitting down to savor all the local delicacies we had a hand in preparing. This farewell dinner will be a true celebration of our time spent in Oaxaca. The food, the music, the joyful celebrations of craft—all of it an ode to handed-down traditions and the true flavors of the region.

All great things come to an end, alas. We’ll bid farewell to Oaxaca, and head out to the airport for our flights home. Buen viaje!