We loved everything about our free tour through Jacobo and María Ángeles' workshop! Our guide…read morewalked us through each step of the process, from carving the copal wood, to mixing colors from natural elements, to the intricate, detailed painting of each piece. It was absolutely fascinating, and I highly recommend it. To make the visit even more special, we had the pleasure of meeting Jacobo and María themselves, who shared their inspiring reforestation project. Their passion for their art, their people, the environment, and their community truly shines through. Their motto says it all: "to teach, to share, to contribute." If you have the opportunity to visit, don't miss it!

Wonderful workshop. I saw many alebrijes throughout Oaxaca and the quality here is superior. The…read moreprices are also much higher. I came here as part of a tour (Ruta de las artesanías, booked via https://oaxacatours.mx). The tour included this town (San Martin Tilcajete) as well as San Antonino, Santo Tomás Jalieza, Ocotlán and Santa Catarina Minas. The alebrijes tour was one of the highlights. They took us through the different steps: cutting the wood, dyeing it, and painting it. They let us smell the pieces of wood (and the incense produced from it), showed us how the natural dyes are mixed, walked us past artisans cutting and painting the pieces. Our guide was excellent and we were offered fresh juice and tamarind ice cream along the way. The galleries had some stunning works on display. Incredible creativity and gorgeous execution. The final gift shop had some wonderful pieces (a lot of variety) and I purchased a lovely cat that I'm very happy with. I saw imitations at other locations thereafter but they weren't even close in quality (the lines were crooked, the eyes too far apart, less detail, etc.) I'm very happy that I bought my alebrije here. That being said, I wanted a larger piece to commemorate my visit and quality was important to me. I do encourage you to purchase smaller souvenirs elsewhere and support other artisans as there are a lot of shops selling these toys in the town (and for less). Don't be afraid to ask your tour guide/driver to stop at other shops to pick up cheaper souvenirs (which is what we did). Obviously you can come here without being part of a tour. I do recommend the artisan tour however as it was really affordable (450 MXN for adults or about 22 USD). The bus was extremely comfortable and private for our group of 3 adults and 2 kids. They picked us up and dropped us off at our AirBnB. The guide was really knowledgeable and spoke great English. The other stops included a market with fabric weaving, an embroidery shop, a busy market in Ocotlán (as well as a stunning church), a stop for lunch, and ancestral mezcal tasting in Santa Catarina Minas (this was the other highlight).

This was the only place I could find leather skull key rings for dia de Muertos 2023 presents for…read moreour kids left at home! Excellent quality & reasonably priced at 50 pesos each

One reason I stopped in Oaxaca was to pick up a rug -- not too big as it had to fit in my backpack…read more This city is a great place to explore traditional well-made crafts and textiles. There is a depth and variety of style here, too, because Oaxaca is home to so many artists. I was looking for a simply-designed rug with natural plant and insect dyes. Most rugs use chemical dyes because chemicals are easier to obtain and cheaper to buy. Most buyers in these markets don't care because they typically want a conversation piece so the demand is not there. I have shopped at a few stores in Oaxaca over the years. (MARO, the women's artist cooperative nearby is a worthwhile place to check out.) The people here at Casa de las Artesanías de Oaxaca were all very helpful. I spoke with an elderly woman weaver who showed me some beautiful rugs but none with natural dyes. One of the weavers said that natural dyes are more difficult to find because there are far fewer skilled persons locally that know which plants and insects to use and the methods to produce the dyes are labor-intensive. After a hunt, I was brought some natural-dyed rugs but the designs were too touristy for my taste. One fellow said he had a rug but didn't think I would like the design because it was very unusual. I was curious so he pulled it out from under a large pile of more popular offerings. Unusual it was and even the elderly woman weaver didn't know what to make of it. She said she had never seen such a design and it surely wasn't Mexican-influenced. I loved it and bought weaver Agostin Mendoza's what I call 'Mexican mid-century-modern' rug.

This was the best place we visited to check out Oaxaca's strong print scene. You'll see a wide…read morerange of work with definite punk rock and revolutionary vibes (roots in the street art scene). The silkscreen work is all executed at a high level due to a long lineage of teachers/students passing knowledge to the next generation. Overall, a friendly, inspiring, and informative place. You've probably already seen Yescka's rad work all over the streets of the city if you've wandered around for even a couple of hours. Here's where you can learn a bit about his pieces, the work of other local artists and buy a few frame-worthy pieces + t-shirts to take home. It's a true workshop and gallery space. Go. Buy some stuff. Support art that's about much more than matching a painting with your couch.

Some of the most creative and accessible fine art using clay as the medium - I truly wanted to buy…read moreevery piece of ceramic art hanging on the walls and loved even the little espresso cups. As wonderful as any museum in Oaxaca.