Oaxaca de Juárez

The green stone zócalo of Oaxaca City surrounded by baroque churches, the finest indigenous crafts market in Mexico at the Mercado de Artesanías, and the mezcal-bar district of Jalatlaco make it the most culturally compelling colonial city, outperforming even San Miguel de Allende for authenticity. The food scene — tlayudas, mole negro, chapulines, and Oaxacan chocolate — rivals any culinary destination in Latin America, with 95% of surveyed travelers rating it as the top gastronomic experience in the region.