Trip Itinerary

The Crafts of Oaxaca with Embroidery + Print Making Workshops
March 4-10
Oaxaca City, Mexico

WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU!  Below you’ll find a day by day plan for the trip. This should serve as a rough guideline for what we’ll be doing. You Ace Camps Travel Host will provide full details including specific times and locations to you through the WhatsApp group chat and in person.

Keep in mind, this is a prospective itinerary. It is subject to modest modifications, depending on local weather + opportunities.

Day 1 - Tuesday, March 4

Welcome to Oaxaca! 
Make your way to our hotel in the city center. This evening we have a casual welcome dinner close to our hotel. Please meet on the hotel terrace at 6:30pm for introductions and a welcome drink. From here we will walk together to dinner. 
During dinner we’ll learn about mole, one of the most famous dishes in the region and we’ll taste several versions, kicking off our culinary experience in Oaxaca.

After dinner, we’ll show you the closest ATM where you can get some pesos.

Day 2 - Wednesday, March 5

We have an easy start this morning.  Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and we’ll start our Embroidery Workshop at 10:00am, in the Gallery Room at our hotel.  Miriam Campos and her family have been embroidering for generations.  Today she’ll talk to you about the traditional embroidery for Huipiles.  She will share typical designs and teach you stitching techniques.  We’ll have our workshop for a few hours with a break in the middle for lunch.  Huipiles take many many hours to create, but you’ll work on a small piece to understand the process.
After our workshop, Miriam will walk with us to the Oaxaca Textile Museum where she’ll give us a guided tour, sharing her insights and knowledge as we view the exhibits.  There is a small museum shop you can browse through afterwards.  

Now it’s time to wander over to our dinner for the evening and time permitting, your host will point out a few fun shops and restaurants along the way that you can visit on your free day.

After dinner you can head back to the hotel or stay out to enjoy the evening in Oaxaca.  If you’re up for a drink, Selva is nearby and serves unique cocktails.

Day 3 - Thursday, March 6

Today we start our day with a walk to a chocolate shop where we’ll have our first workshop.  Here we’ll learn about ceremonial cacao, its history and its benefits while we make our own special brew.  We’ll taste some chocolate before we move on to our next workshop.
By now, you’ll have seen the prevalence of printmaking as an art form all around Oaxaca and today you’ll learn from young artists as you make your own prints.   After instructions from the artists, you start to carve your own design.  We’ll break for lunch and then finish up our carvings and take our designs to be inked and printed.  Your prints will dry over the next few days at the workshop and then they’ll be ready for you to take home.

The rest of the day is yours to enjoy.  You can explore more of Oaxaca and grab dinner on your own or with one of your fellow travelers.  

Day 4 - Friday, March 7

Today we have a guided crafts tour of the two nearby villages of San Martin Tilcajete + San Bartolo Coyotepec.   You’ll want to bring cash (pesos) today as some places may not accept credit cards.

San Martin Tilcajete is best known for its production of alebrijes {Mexican Folk Art Sculptures} . We will watch a demonstration and learn about how they are made with copal and painted with natural dyes.  Following this, we will visit the craft village of San Bartolo Coyotepec which is best known for its black clay pottery. For hundreds of years, pottery has been made in San Bartolo Coyotepec with a gray matte finish, but in 1953 a technique was devised to give the pieces a shiny black finish without painting. This has made pottery far more popular and collectible.

Dinner this evening is a special experience, full of traditional dishes where we’ll learn about the history of the food as we watch it being prepared.  

Day 5 - Saturday, March 8

Today is a day on your own to explore the city or go on an excursion. One of the essential things to do in Oaxaca is get lost wandering around the city’s many markets. You’ll find delicious local food at a low price as well as plenty of interesting souvenirs. We love taking a walk through Benito Juarez Market and seeing a little bit of everything Oaxaqueño (pertaining to Oaxacan).

One of the most popular things to do in Oaxaca is take a day trip out to the ruins at Monte Alban. Built by the Zapotecs, this is one of the most impressive archaeological sites in all of Latin America. If you love 

If you want to get out in nature, a day trip out to Hierve el Agua is a must. Here you’ll see amazing rock formations that resemble cascading waterfalls. It’s a great place to spend half a day hiking and enjoying nature.

If you plan to explore outside of the city, it can be helpful to do this in advance.  The hotel can help you arrange outings and your host will also have suggestions for you.

Lunch + Dinner today are free time to explore on your own or with others from the group.

Day 6 - Sunday, November 9

We have an early start this morning as we head to the Tlacolula market. You’ll want to have cash (pesos) as many of the vendors in the market do not take credit cards.  

The Tlacolula Sunday market has fantastic food, colorful artisans, plants, dried chilies, seeds, famous local products like barbacoa, pan de yema bread, forged ironworks, and pretty much anything else you can imagine.  

Teotitlan del Valle is world-renowned for its colorful hand-woven rugs + naturally-dyed textiles. Our local guide will take us on a full day of learning all about the handicrafts of the area. A main aspect of the day includes getting a better understanding from artisans about their initiatives to revive cochineal in Oaxaca as a primary source of red dye. You will learn about various natural dyeing techniques and visit a natural dyeing workshop. 

We will also visit Doña Viviana Alávez who will demonstrate how elaborate beeswax candles are made. Doña Viviana is a master of this timeless artisanal tradition and we’ll see her workshop and learn about her process as well as her history and push to make her way as an artisan.  

Once we return to the city, you’ll have the option to learn about mezcal and do a tasting.  Afterwards we’ll gather for one last meal together, a taco farewell on the terrace of our hotel.

Day 7 - Monday, March 10

After breakfast, we say our final goodbyes and head on our way.  The hotel can help you book airport transfers if needed.  

Thank you for joining us on this incredible and often unexpected journey around the captivating city of Oaxaca.

THANK YOU AND SEE YOU SOON!
Thank you for taking the time to review this information, we hope these details help with your travel planning and prepare you for your time exploring Oaxaca. If you have questions between now and then, please continue to email us at hello@acecampstravel.com. See you in Oaxaca!