Oaxaca´s Radiant Streets

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• Published on Tuesday, 14 February 2012 12:17
• By Brendan Missett

By day, visitors to Oaxaca wander the city's radiant streets, naturally and aimlessly led to whichever sun-soaked vista greets them around the corner. Beneath Oaxaca's blue and spotless sky, a map isn't necessary to navigate through the plazas and cathedrals, except perhaps to fan oneself during a moment of rest in the shade of a café. When night begins to fall, however, the wanderers quit their ambling and, with purpose, make their way to the city's fluttering zócalo, where lime halves, guitar strings and copitas of mezcal set the tone for an arresting evening.

Oaxaca's zócalo, or main square, is both the geographic and cultural center of the city. Since 1529, the area has served Oaxaca as a social station and an example of its cultural capacity. Its beauty and importance have become so interwoven with the local lifestyle that the zócalo is recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Today, residents and tourists alike visit the area simply to pass time beneath its shady laurel trees and enjoy the murmur of its bubbling fountains. From a good seat among the area's flower beds and bushes, centered around the plaza's antique-looking bandstand, a visitor can watch as Oaxaca's artisans auction their wares, children chase after the balloon vendors who pass through, and musicians have their shoes polished before an evening performance. Removed from traffic, the entire scene unfolds at an entirely unhurried pace that is perhaps the zócalo's most defining and most inviting attribute. At its most basic, the zócalo is a place to sit and to watch.

This swirl of activity is penned in by the picturesque Cathedral of Oaxaca to the north, the city's Museo del Palacio to the south, and a band of cafés on the east and west. The cafés, paired with the casual ambiance of the zócalo, create a popular setting for extranjeros to spend their evening or to stop in for a few drinks before testing Oaxaca's nightlife.

Just because the sun has dropped, the action does not stall in the city's main square. In fact, nearly every evening, the intensity of celebration in the zócalo is renewed by a musical performance, dance, or other cultural exhibition. The Cathedral of Oaxaca faces another plaza, Alemada de Leon, and the union of these common areas creates a stage for the city's performers. In February, visitors to the zócalo could linger to watch performances of Mexican rock, traditional Mexican dance, and the antics of local clowns, nearly any night of the week.

The zócalo isn't only for spectators, however, as many of Oaxaca's residents - young sweethearts and old couples - typically participate in the traditional dances, and the clowns can't help but to pick on a foreigner or two to assist with their routines.

For many of Oaxaca's visitors, the zócalo is also the first stop on a tour of the city's bars and clubs. As the guests sip their drinks, mariachi bands and stringed trios make their rounds and add a little zest to the scene.

The zócalo serves a wide variety of purposes for Oaxacans, and perhaps its final duty of the day is to allow them a place to recharge and sip from their glasses before sending them off into the night.