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A Local's Take On Oaxaca, Mexico With Children
With ruins, churches, museums and a tradition of fine art, Oaxaca is usually considered an adult destination. But my family has been visiting the region with our daughter since 1991 and now that we have lived here for a few years and toured many sites with friends and their children, I am confident families contemplating a visit should set aside any worries.
Parents might be concerned about visiting the vestiges of pre-Hispanic civilizations without the kids getting bored, or wonder if they can fit in a couple of quiet dinners. Some might even consider saving Oaxaca for another time without the family. However, both the state and city of Oaxaca have many sights that will hold the interest of children and plenty of activities geared toward youthful vacationers. Children will have lots of fun, and parents who want a romantic getaway will not be disappointed.
Children-Friendly Routes Through Oaxaca Villages and Historic Sites
Spanish-speaking families spending a week in the region will enjoy the following routes with a combination of public buses and local taxis. Others will prefer to arrange a car and driver/guide through their hotel—it is not expensive and will be much more comfortable.
The promise of Hierve el Agua, a natural hot spring, at the end of this route will keep children excited and engaged all day. Make a stop at El Árbol del Tule, a 2000-year-old Cyprus tree, on your way there. Find a child guide dressed in a Robin Hood suit to show you images in the trunk and have your children trade words in English and Spanish with these little Hoodettes. A key to holding the interest of young children is to let them interact with kids of similar ages—it will teach them cultural diversity.
At Teotitlán del Valle, ask your guide to take you to a demonstration with rug weavers and their families. Your kids can touch and attempt to spin the raw wool and get their hands colored in large vats of natural dye. Kids can look for rugs with fanciful imagery to put in their bedrooms. Our daughter, Sarah, grew up shopping at Casa Santiago (52/951/524-4154).
If you are visiting on a Sunday, stop by the Tlacolula Market—kids will be surprised by all the goods on sale. With live music, sweets, animals and hawkers of all sorts, it will take at least an hour and a half to get through the entire market. That might be a bit long for the children, but a dishful of nieve, or Mexican sorbet, at the end of the excursion usually does the trick.
The main archaeological sites on this route are Yagul and Mitla. The latter is more grandiose, but both have burial caverns to intrigue young tomb raiders. It might be tough to get kids to visit two ruins in one day, so Yagul gets my vote. It has tombs that you can descend into; kids can run throughout a labyrinth, then climb a mountain pass leading up to a fortress. At the top is a hewn stone bathtub where you can marvel at the enchanting vista of the valley and the ruins.
En route to your final destination, Hierve el Agua, you will pass herds of cattle along the road. Stop and encourage the kids to get out with you. Ask if it is safe to hop on the back of one of the animals or at least stand alongside for a photo. Hierve el Agua consists of two pools fed by natural bubbling springs in a spectacular mountain setting that includes petrified mineral “waterfalls.” They are safe for kids and large and deep enough to satisfy adult aquatic yearnings.
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