Shopping in Oaxaca Markets, Handicraft Shops and Art Studios
Updated: 1 day ago
The best two things about traveling for me are shopping and eating. Shopping in Oaxaca is probably the best thing a girl could do and by flying in on AeroMexico I got to bring all the bags I could want to bring home souvenirs. I got to bring my trusty wine suitcase for mezcal purchases and I finally got to wear my Frida Kahlo pencil dress out in the wild. My bags were empty and ready to be filled.
So here's where to go and what to buy at all the best markets in Oaxaca and neighboring towns. I've also included tips on tours, workshops and classes you can take to really immerse yourself in the art and culture of the Oaxacan people.
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In this article you will find:
Markets in Oaxaca
Mercado de Artesanias de Oaxaca
Oaxaca City
Go here for:
Start a fun market day near the Church of Santo Domingo to walk the Calle Alcala (good for coffee) towards the markets. Mercado Artesanias will be your first stop, and it is your typical travel guide recommended Mexican marketplace full of souvenirs, brightly colored textiles, handicrafts and more. Located in the city center, you can begin your shopping in Oaxaca at this market and walk to the next two markets on this list.
Tour to Take You There:
Mercado de Benito Juarez
Oaxaca City
Go here for:
Seek out vendors selling chapulines (grasshoppers) and browse the mix of food stalls, produce items, souvenirs and other home goods. My deal of the day was to find the colorful vinyl tablecloths that I love in restaurants across Central America and Mexico. The cost is only $45 MXN (less than $3 USD) per yard, and it's a truly unique souvenir to bring home and brighten your dinner table.
Note that Google says the Benito Juarez market is closed on Saturday and Sunday, but it is not accurate. This market is open every day with exceptions/early closures on certain holidays.
Tour to Take You There:
Mercado 20 de Noviembre
Oaxaca City
Go Here For:
This smaller market is the location of many food vendors selling pan (bread), bags of mole mix to take home (I recommend the mole estofado or coloradito), and plenty of sit down stalls for lunching.
The pasillo de humo meat hall is here, but found outside in a neighboring alleyway. You'll want to read all about it on my separate Oaxaca foodie thread, but essentially it's a chaotic luncheon experience full of meat, condiments, and sensory overload.
Tour to Take You There:
Tlacolula Sunday Market at Mercado Municipal Martín González
Tlacolula de Matamoros
Go here for:
This is the classic market you hear about when you first start to research Oaxaca, and it doesn't disappoint. This sprawling market is simple to get to with a car, but many people choose to go as part of an organized tour. Go early and make plenty of time to sample dozens of Oaxacan food items, do some souvenir shopping, and see the bustle of both locals and tourists alike.
Here we found produce, street food, textiles, dresses for my daughter, blouses for me, tons of pottery from green to black and clay, alebrijes of all sizes and colors, and more.
Although this particular version of the market takes place on Sundays, it is also open during the week (in a smaller capacity) if you don't like crowds. Make it a day trip and add a stop to the Mitla archaeological site or the numerous mezcal distilleries nearby.
To truly enjoy this massive and incredible market, be sure to make time for a barbeque lunch in one of the food halls. For only $2 USD we sample costillas de cerdo (pork ribs) en ajo (garlic sauce), as well as white chorizo, fresh grilled cebollas (onions) and tortillas. Similar to the experience you may find in the Oaxaca centro at Pasillo de Humo, this super relaxed experience made our market visit very memorable.
Read more about the food options in Oaxaca markets at my separate article!
For the best experience, go early (before 9am) and plan to stay 3-4 hours, including lunch.
Tour to Take You There:
Mercado de la Merced
Jalatlaco, Oaxaca City
Go here for:
Artsy Jalatlaco invites colorful strolls through cobbled streets and several boutiques to pop into. Visit Mercado de la Merced for Fonda Florecita's notable hot chocolate and chilaquiles at breakfast time.
Tour to Take You There:
Mercado de Artesanías La Asunción
Santa María Atzompa
Go here for:
Mexico is known for its artisan workshops, and the famous green pottery is the thing to bring home at this artisan market. Pair with a visit to the Atzompa archaeological site.
Tour to Take You There:
Mercado De Artesanias De Barro Negro
San Bartolo Coyotepec
Go here for:
The marketplace opens at 10am, where you can find hundreds of options for black pottery at prices slightly lower than buying direct from the artisan workshops and art studios. I recommend getting yourself a napkin holder from the third vendor in, whose starting price was $50 MXN (about $3 USD). I ended up getting mine for $40 MXN, at half of what it cost at the first vendor. Always price shop before you drop your cash!
This small market will take you only about 10 minutes to visit, but you'll enjoy the break for stretching your legs, or perhaps letting your kids run a muck in the neighboring playground before hopping back in the car towards more art workshops.
Tour to Take You There:
Mercado de Artesanías de Teotitlán del Valle
Teotitlán del Valle
Go here for:
Textiles, hand woven rugs and other weaving products are the name of the game at this small but colorful town market.
Tour to Take You There:
Artisan Shops and Art Studios in Oaxaca
Black Pottery from San Bartolo Coyotepec: Alfareria Doña Rosa
If you want to get black pottery straight from the source, this is the place to go.
Jacobo y Maria Angeles Alebrije Workshop and Tour
Take the free tour upon arrival to this magnificent workshop, followed perhaps by a workshop of your own.
Not sure what an alebrije is? My best way to explain it is to recall the fantastical creatures from the Disney movie Coco, like the dumb dog that ended up having wings, or the jaguar that could also fly. Both had amazing colors, but were fictional creatures. Alebrijes are in its simplest description, a colorfully painted and carved representation of your spirit animal. You can see what I am talking about by browsing these alebrijes on Amazon.
On your free tour (which is offered in English) to this very special workshop, enjoy learning about the copal tree, the many ways of blending natural pigments with zinc or limestone for painting, the carving and drying process, and why the alebrijes are so important in Zapotec culture.
You'll also learn more about the Zapotecs and their influence on the traditional alebrije designs, which in this workshop must include at least one symbol from the Zapotec calendar. You will learn about the three Zapotec powers (snakes, jaguars and eagles) and the influence of your personal protector (mine is the snake) and your spiritual animal (mine is the possum).
Each of these powers and animals are associated with one of the colors of pigmentation on the pieces created at Jacobo y Maria Angeles, making each piece spectacularly unique. It is common to approach each piece of art with 2-3 of the Zapotec symbols, for instance my custom made piece may boast both a snake and a possum, on the back of a...fish?
When the tour is complete, you can browse items for purchase, or for about $30 USD, get a paint your own Nahual kit, which includes a carved figure (pre-painted in a base color), a set of primary color paints and tools, a souvenir bag, and a little extra help from an onsite painter and teacher.
If you don't have time, you can also pick up the kit to take home, or purchase it online if you have any regrets not picking one up while you were there!
If you want to experience this great workshop and tour but don't have a car, consider one of the available tours offering this, along with black pottery and other custom options.
Some tours include the same options for black pottery and alebrije/nahual workshops, but also include embroidery centers. Pick and choose what works best for you!
Note that arriving by car is down a long dirt road through the middle of well, nowhere. Rest assured you are in the right place. Parking is available across from the workshop.
Plan for about 1 hour for the tour and 1 hour to paint your nahual.
Afterwards, I highly recommend visiting Almu restaurant, about five minutes away. You can read more about this on my round up of Oaxaca foodie destinations.
Explore Artisan Shops on an Organized Tour
Tips for Visiting Oaxaca Markets
Bring Lots of Cash
Bring plenty of cash, since all exchanges will be made in cash. Don't know how to get Mexican pesos in advance? I've detailed how to get cash abroad here.
Have an Idea of What to Buy in Oaxaca
Shopping is always more fun when you are on the hunt for something. Some of the best things to buy in Oaxaca include:
Handicrafts like purses and embroidered blouses
Textiles like rugs, trivets or placemats
Ceramics and serveware including salt cellars, serving dishes, salsa bowls and other kitchen items
Cups made from fruit shells, similar to a coconut husk - these are often used for drinking Mezcal or for serving peanuts and small snacks
Woven items like tortilla baskets
Alebrijes, which are carved and painted figurines (learn more below)
Mole mix or other spices
Black or green pottery (learn more below)
Here is just some of my haul!
Don't forget to leave room in your suitcase for bringing home a bottle or two of mezcal!
Pro tip: if you do bring home lots of mezcal, consider a wine suitcase from vingardevalise.com to help you bring it home. We loaded up ours full of souvenirs (above) and liquor (below) - all in one suitcase!
Get yours for a cool 20% off with code ALWAYS20 at checkout.
Haggle...a Little
Just about every little pueblo has their own marketplace, most selling the same items from vendor to vendor. Be sure to browse slowly, don't jump on the first good price you see, and be prepared to haggle as needed.
Haggling, although pretty common throughout Mexico, was not really too necessary in Oaxaca as we found prices to be fair and well marked. You can always haggle or negotiate prices down based on quality of an item (maybe you found a chip in some pottery) or make a deal based on buying several items in bulk.
Practice Your Spanish
Remember words and phrases like,
"Tiene cambio por cien?" = Do you have change for 100 (pesos)?
"Cuanto cuesta por esto?" = How much does this cost?
"Tiene un tamaño mas grande?" = Do you have a larger size?
"Que es esto?" = What is this?
"Quisiera probarlo"= I would like to try it
Using your Spanish language skills will take you a long way in Mexico. Practice using DuoLingo before your trip, and you can always rely on Google Translate where necessary. If you are unfamiliar with how to use Google Translate when you travel, I've written up a handy guide at the inline link.
Parking at Oaxaca Markets
This was my top concern when visiting markets in Oaxaca. As it turns out, my worry was completely unfounded. To think, I was going to SKIP the Sunday Tlacolula Market because of my fear of parking at the town center.
I had read that people steal anything not bolted down, from license plates to spare tires and hubcabs, that parking on the street was an invitation to crime, and all sorts of horrid warnings.
In fact, parking at the Tlacolula Sunday market (and all the downtown markets) was so incredibly easy and comforting, I don't know why I couldn't find a single thing related to this on the internet. I literally scoured forums. So here, I will tell you, you CAN park at any of these markets with a rental car.
Look for estacionamiento signs. These are private lots, often with a convenient bathroom and plenty of space for lots of cars. Parking is generally by the hour, $15-20 MXN pesos per hour, and they are watched by the parking lot staff.
Be aware that some lots may ask you for your llaves (your keys). I do NOT recommend offering your keys. Their intent is to be able to move cars around in a tetris-like grid as necessary to fit in more cars, but always play on the side of safety and keep your keys with you.
Safety Considerations
Lastly, we saw no evidence of petty crime like pickpocketing in Oaxaca, anywhere. We also felt no element of unsafe situations.
Like anywhere, do not leave belongings within sight in a car, do not carry a handbag that is easily grabbed or reached into, and do not go fanning out your money in public.
The markets can be crowded, but not overwhelmingly so. Stay alert and all will be fine.
More than anything, consider your physical safety - wear a hat, sunblock and loose fitting clothing to endure the heat, especially inside markets with open flame barbecues where it can get very warm.
