Oaxaca

Few highland cities in Mexico are visited as often as Oaxaca, and it earns that popularity through cultural depth rather than any single attraction. The state stretches from lush mountains down to a beautiful run of Pacific coast, and its food scene, built on mole, mezcal and market cooking, has become one of the country’s biggest draws in its own right. Not many other regions pack in this much variety within such easy reach of each other.