Oaxaca with Jackie Carnesi

Day 1: Oaxaca City

Bienvenidos a Mexico! We’ll meet up with Jackie and get oriented with one of Latin America’s great colonial wonders: Oaxaca City. We’ll walk through the cobblestone streets and snack through its central markets, a feast of the senses where tasajo (dried meats) hang, open fires grill delicious tlayudas (toasted tortillas topped, pizza-style, with grilled meats), and vendors scurry past offering chapulines (roasted grasshoppers) and pastry-like pan de yema stacked in woven baskets. 

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.

Day 2: Teotitlan del Valle

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. An authentic, handmade Zapotec lunch awaits us, where we’ll learn the hows and whys behind Nixtamalization.

Feeling deeply satisfied from our home-cooked spread, we’ll float onwards to our next stop: in the home of a local Zapotec shaman, we’ll learn the secrets of a cleansing ritual that’s been practiced here for thousands of years, using smoked copal to bid farewell to negative energies. It’s a truly magical experience, and one that will leave us energized and inspired on our journey back to the hotel, where the afternoon is ours to explore. Just don’t wander too far as we’ll follow our guide to an unforgettable, only-in-Oaxaca dinner.

Day 3: Santa Catarina Minas

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.

Day 4: Sierra Norte

This morning, we’re heading out to explore one of Oaxaca’s most magical sites; in the Cloud Forest of Sierra Norte, we’ll revel in an otherworldly landscape of towering white pines and spiny ferns. Here, far removed from the hustle and bustle of city life, we’ll learn all about the unique flora and fauna that thrive in this mystical environment, including the very mushrooms that we’ll forage for lunch.

Once our forage concludes, we’ll follow Jackie back to the home of a local family, where together with our hosts, she’ll prepare one of Oaxaca’s greatest gifts: mole, made all the more special with the addition of our mountain-fresh finds and new friends.

After our lunchtime spread, we’ll return to the city, the afternoon ours to relax at the hotel and reflect on the morning’s otherworldly wonders. We won’t reconvene again until the evening, and we’re in for a real treat; at Chef Rodolfo Castellanos’ Origen, we’ll sit back for an unforgettable dinner of uniquely Oaxacan cuisine.

Day 5: Monte Albán

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 bas-relief sculptures as one of Mexico’s great colonial cities sprawls below us.

Next, we’re trading ancient art for contemporary artisanry, making our way to the home studio of a master potter and one of Oaxaca’s most important names in folk art. After a private pottery tour, our host will invite us to a homemade lunch featuring one of the region’s famed seven moles.

Back in the city, 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. If all the options have you mired in indecision, fear not—Jackie’s got recommendations to share.

Day 6: Oaxaca City

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 Jackie, 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.

Day 7: Departures

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