America’s southern neighbor is a place of intense intrigue. The culture, the food, the history. We excitedly booked a trip to Mexico for the fall of 2020, which was canceled for obvious reasons. We were thrilled when, three years later, we finally got there.

ITINERARY

6 nights in Mexico City at the Ágata Hotel Boutique & Spa
3 nights in Tepoztlán at Amomoxtli
7 nights in Oaxaca at the Majagua Hotel Boutique

LOGISTICS

It doesn’t take long when researching a trip to Mexico to catch lots of tips for avoiding food poisoning. We were very well-versed in all the guidelines, and stuck to them very well the vast majority of the time, but we couldn’t avoid it—we both got sick. It didn’t affect our trip too much, and we were still able to do just about everything we had planned, but our bodies were not at 100%. Do your research and try your hardest to avoid this fate!
We purposely planned to avoid the height of the Day of the Dead festivities (to avoid massive crowds). Little did we know there would be plenty to see even 2 weeks out. This made our trip very special.
We mainly used Uber when in Mexico City. Cheap, safe, and easy.

DAY 1: October 14, 2023

Flew Los Angeles to Mexico City.
Picked up our rental car from Europcar. (We didn’t use the car while in Mexico City; we left it parked at Estacionamiento el Coyote near our hotel.)
Drove to our hotel, Ágata Hotel Boutique & Spa.
Walked around Coyoacán’s main plazas.
- Fluente de los Coyotes.
Dinner at Vege Taco. Vegetarian mole poblano and el pastor tacos.
Ice Cream at Picnic Helados. Yogurt honey ice cream and pumpkin spice ice cream.

DAY 2: October 15, 2023

Breakfast at the Ágata Hotel.
Coyoacán Sunday Market.
Scenic walk from Coyoacán to San Ángel, roughly following Av Francisco Sosa.
- Fray Martín de Valcenia Park.
- Callejón del Aguacate. Haunted narrow alley.
- Santa Catarina Park. Really peaceful.
- Viveros de Coyoacán. Most everyone here was running; we were just there for a stroll.
- Federico Gamboa Plaza.
- Parque de la Bombilla.
Lunch at Na Tlali. Taco di chile relleno and veggie empanadas.
San Ángel:
- Plaza del Carmen.
- Plaza San Jacinto.
Dinner at Tetetlán. Beautiful setting, OK food.

DAY 3: October 16, 2023

(Unfortunately, Britt was sick this day, so we kept it low-key.)

Breakfast at the Ágata Hotel.
Lunch at Café Negro.
Casa Estudio Luis Barragán. Cozy vibes. Cool furniture.
LABOR. Hidden little gallery nearby. We saw “God Loves You (But Not As Much To Save You)” by Kiriakos Tompolidis.
- There was also a separate gallery space under the name Pamela Weiseenberg where Carolina Pimenta was showing “Behind the Image”.
Dinner from Panadería El Olvidado.

DAY 4: October 17, 2023

Breakfast from Panadería El Olvidado.
Frida Khalo Museum. The large courtyard with all of its green in contrast to the blue of the house was magical We liked seeing Kahlo’s paints and materials. The kitchen was really cool too.
Walked around Roma Norte:
- Pasaje Comercial El Parian.
- Gallery OMR. Really cool space. We saw “My Party” by Sebastian Silva.
- Lunch at Restaurante Rosetta. Tasty!
Walked around Coyoacán.
Dinner at Corazón de Maguey. Mole de aguacate with cauliflower.

DAY 5: October 18, 2023

Breakfast from Panadería El Olvidado.
Museo de Arte Moderno. Especially enjoyed the sculpture garden
Lunch at Veguísima. Burritos. Really good.
Walked around Condesa.
Avenida Ámsterdam Loop.
Parque México. Nice little park.
Mexico a Pie Mural Walking Tour. Unexpectedly private as no one else booked the slot we did. We enjoyed learning more about Mexico and Mexico City’s history with a local guide through the lens of art and murals.
Dinner at Por Siempre Vegano 2. Tacos.
Night stroll through Parque México.

Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico a Pie Mural Walking Tour

DAY 6: October 19, 2023

Breakfast from Panadería El Olvidado.
Centro Histórico:
Walked through Guerrero.
- Parroquia de Santa María la Redonda.
Lunch at VEGuerrero. Torta and tacos.
Galería RGR. We saw “Spiritual Abstractions” which was a group show with 7 different artists.
Mexican Art Gallery GAM. We saw “Punta de Flama: Apología del símbolo y vindicaciones de el arte“.
Walked around San Miguel Chapultepec. We were pleasantly surprised how fun and relaxing wandering around here was.
Churros & hot chocolate from Churrería El Moro. Can’t complain.

DAY 7: October 20, 2023

Breakfast from Panadería El Olvidado.
Drove Mexico City to Tepoztlán via 95 and 95D. Drove through some nice scenery in the mountains.
Lunch at The Ade’kitchen. Enfrijoladas and enchiladas. Absolutely delicious.
Walked around Tepoztlán.
Checked into our hotel, Amomoxtli. Relaxed by the pool. (The pool was amazing.)
Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Mesa de Origen. Quesadillas and ayocote bean itacate.

DAY 8: October 21, 2023

Breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, Mesa de Origen.
Walked around Tepoztlán. We wandered a ton. So many cool views of the town with the towering mountains in the background.
- Mercado de Tepoztlán. Bought souvenirs.
- Ice cream from Tepoznieves.
Relaxed by the hotel pool.
Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Mesa de Origen. Taquitos, ayocote bean itacate, candied corn bread.

DAY 9: October 22, 2023

Breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, Mesa de Origen.
Drove Tepoztlán to Taxco via 95 and 95D. Another scenic drive.
Taxco:
- Taxco Zocalo.
- Mercado Tetitlán. Labyrinthine, but fun.
- Parque Vincente Guerrero.
- Lunch at Rosa Amaranto. Enchiladas. Tasty food with a panoramic view.
Drove back to Tepoztlán.
Relaxed by the hotel pool.
Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Mesa de Origen. Tostada and mole.

DAY 10: October 23, 2023

(Unfortunately, we were both sick, but we pulled through and did the long drive to Oaxaca.)

Breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, Mesa de Origen.
Drove Tepoztlán to Oaxaca via 115D, 438D, 150D, 135D, and 190. Yet another scenic drive, though it was hard to appreciate it feeling the way we did.
Lunch. Assorted breads leftover from breakfast.
Checked in to our Oaxaca hotel, Majagua Hotel Boutique.

DAY 11: October 24, 2023

Breakfast at the hotel buffet.
Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán.
Andador Turístico.
Zócalo.
Museo Textil de Oaxaca. Beautiful tunics.
Mercado 20 de Noviembre.
Courtyard of Templo del Carmen Alto.
Lunch at Pan con Madre. Potato focaccia.
Dinner at Los Danzantes. Cool vibe, tasty food.
El Llano.

DAY 12: October 25, 2023

Breakfast at the hotel buffet.
Plaza de la Danza. Geometric and colorful square.
Cooperativa 1050º. Spotted the old aqueduct nearby.
Jardín Carbajal.
Museo De La Filatelia MFUI. Unexpectedly interesting.
Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca. So cool. Self-visits weren’t allowed; we had to go on a guided tour. But we were happy with that.
Lunch at the La Cosecha Organic Market. Tlayuda. Small but bustling and welcoming outdoor market.
Dinner at Boulenc. Really tasty.

DAY 13: October 26, 2023

Breakfast at the hotel buffet.
Drove to Monte Albán and walked around. Got there right at opening and had it to ourselves for a while. It was fun to be able to climb up some of the buildings.
Lunch at Aquacate Veggie Bar Oaxaca. Cozy and tasty.
Museum of Oaxacan Painters.
Dinner at Red Indian Chilli. Was nice to mix it up (though no respite from the spice!).

DAY 14: October 27, 2023

Breakfast at the hotel buffet.
Slow morning to relax and get our bodies back to 100%(-ish).
Lunch from Masea Trigo y Maíz.
Barrio de Xochimilco. So many murals.
Barrio de Jalatlaco. Another colorful neighborhood.
- Mural del lenguaje de señas.
- Mercado de la Merced.
Day of the Dead festivities and parades.
Dinner at Levadura de Olla Restaurante. Guacamole, white bean soup, Oaxacan tomato plate. Really good. Great atmosphere.

DAY 15: October 28, 2023

Breakfast at the hotel buffet.
Santa María del Tule:
- Tree of Tule. The world’s widest tree. Appreciated it from outside the fence. The views of the mountains from here were great too.
San Bartolo Coyotepec:
- Mercado De Artesanias De Barro Negro. The black pottery is strikingly beautiful.
Lunch at Nanita. Southern US / Oaxacan fusion. Really interesting and tasty. Good service too.
Walked around Barrio de Jalatlaco some more.
Oaxaca Graphic Arts Institute.
Photographic Center Manuel Alvaro Bravo.
Chocolates from Suculenta Productos Caseros.
Day of the Dead festivities and parades.
Dinner at Herbívora. Potato tacos. Delicious.

DAY 16: October 29, 2023

Breakfast from Masea Trigo y Maíz (picked up the day before).
Hierve el Agua. Got there early to avoid the worst of the crowds. It was pretty cool, but a little underwhelming honestly.
Teotitlán del Valle:
- Vida Nueva Women’s Weaving Cooperative. So friendly. Impromptu tour. Bought some souvenirs.
- Casa Viviana. Unique candle store. Got to see the candle-making process up close. Bought yet another souvenir.
Lunch at Etnofood. Guacamole, potatoes gajo, enfrijolada. Really good.
Dinner at Boulenc. Had to go back.
Day of the Dead festivities and parades.