Think sizzling street eats, kaleidoscopic colour and the cobblestone lanes that mark so many of the best colonial towns then add pine forests and mineral springs and you understand why you need to go.
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Oaxaca & the Chiapas
Easily one of Mexico’s most colourful and captivating cities, Oaxaca (pronounced wa-hah-kah), is mild in climate and passionate of heart. The central zocalo (main square) is surrounded by impeccably restored and brightly painted colonial-era buildings; just one hour in this square and it feels as though the best of the city is being brought to you as musicians play their instruments in the park, artisans sell their handicrafts and street vendors offer up tortillas and spicy fried grasshoppers should you get peckish. Or leave your park bench to discover seriously good hole-in-the-wall restaurants serving up write-home-about regional specialties. Like carne asada: they got it. Like mezcal: they make it. Like mole: they invented it. Don’t know what these are? It’s time you found out!
Neighbouring Chiapas is an ecoparadise of waterfalls and pine-clad lake regions boasting over 50 mineral-soaked reservoirs that range in colour from turquoise to violet. The fresh air and stark beauty will cleanse the soul and help clear that deservedly mezcal-fogged head.
