A street art guide to Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca is a colourful city. The buildings are bright yellow and orange and blue. Women in embroidered huipiles sell tropical fruits in doorways and VW beetles of every colour whizz down the streets. And then there's the street art. Walk around the city for any length of time and you'll come across big murals, bright posters and little doodles everywhere.

Street art is often political, but in Oaxaca it's especially so. Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico, there are protests every day in the zocalo, and street art is another way for people to speak out (you can read more about it here).

I couldn't find a reliable street art map for Oaxaca, but just walking around the city it really is everywhere. Here are some of the pieces we spotted (from north to south):

Barrio de Xochimilco

Just north of the city centre, across the highway, is Barrio de Xochimilco, a colourful and quiet residential neighbourhood with lots of street art.

Around Templo de Santo Domingo

We probably saw the most art on the streets surrounding Templo de Santo Domingo. A lot of it was poster art and little doodles. This is a really nice area to walk around, with cobbled pavements and tree-lined streets.

This building was especially interesting. This style of street art is called pixação and originates from São Paolo.

North east of zocalo

In the northeast of the city, towards Barrio de Jalatlaco and El Llano park, there are more big murals and paintings.

South east of the zocalo

Heading south east of the zocalo, things get a bit rougher around the edges and the street art feels a lot more political.

For more on Oaxaca, take a look at my posts on things to do in the city, the best coffee shops and three day trip ideas.