Mexico

Sadly Laura was not able to join me on this trip, but I will be taking her back because Mexico was that magical. I went with a group of wonderful people who work for Zignum Mezcal.

Sites Visited: Mexico City & Oaxaca.

Month: March

Favorite Things: Mezcal, micheladas, bright colors, improving my Spanish.

Things to know: Mexico city is enormous.

Mexico City Accommodations: We stayed at Hotel Carlota, I can’t vouch for the price, but it was dreamy.

Mexico City Eats/Drinks:

The restaurant at Hotel Carlota was solid. And they make a mean margarita and good breakfast.

Hanky Panky Cocktail Bar – Hidden behind a taco stand, this speakeasy is known for its Hanky Panky (a delicious classic cocktail), and has a beautiful interior. Drink your heart out…or liver. Too dark for pictures, sorry.

Mexico City See/Do:

Palacio Del Bellas Artes – A gorgeous building in and of itself, the interior houses several murals by famous Mexican painters like Diego Rivera. The theatre inside has a curtain made of Tiffany stained-glass.

Templo Mayor – The Aztecs built a temple and pyramids long before the Spanish arrived. The Spanish built a cathedral on top of the pyramids, but because Mexico City sinks about 8 inches a year, you can see the ground that the cathedral is on is tilting down in the direction of the pyramids. All the buildings around the cathedral are starting to separate too. It’s trippy.

We only had a day in Mexico City, but I wish I had gotten to the Frida Kahlo Museum and the Trotsky Museum.

Oaxaca Accommodations: We stayed at Hostal de la Noria, which was completely lovely, and had a great view from the roof.

Oaxaca Eats/Drinks:

Casa Oaxaca – This restaurant could not be more beautiful, and the food is clean and elegant. You can sit on the balcony and look out at the lit up Temple of Santo Domingo.

Sabina Sabe – We spent the day drinking mezcal, so I don’t actually remember how the food was, but I recall it was a cute mellow spot with solid drinks.

Rancho Zapata – A little ways outside Oaxaca city, but worth the trip. Beautiful landscape and big bright colors. Yummy micheladas, great mezcal selection, and delicious mole chicken.

Mezcalerias:

Zignum, Casa Armando Guillermo Prieto – Very cool sustainable process of making mezcal. I’m not sure if you can arrange to have lunch here unless you are part of a bigger group, but if you can you should! Also make sure to go into the museum/store here, which showcases handcrafted products from Oaxaca.

Matatlan is a town considered the to be the world capital of mezcal, and has many traditional palenques worth visiting where you can learn about agave and how mezcal is made. I’d find a tour so you don’t have to drive. I loved Mal de Amor. Strap in your liver.

Oaxaca See/Do:

Hierve el Agua – A series of mineral spring pools, that look like infinity pools looking over the Oaxaca mountains. You can see a petrified waterfall that looks like it’s frozen. There are stands that sells snacks and fresh coconuts. Watch your feet, the bottom of the pools are rough.