Last weekend, I received a message from a friend inviting me to a quick adventure: spending the weekend in Oaxaca City. The last time I was there was in 2020, and despite living in the same state on the coast, I never went back because it was quite a trip, going through the mountain road, which is not in the best shape and takes a minimum of 6 hours.
Everything changed on February 4th when the Mexican Government announced the opening of a new highway that connects Oaxaca City to the Coast in just 2.5 hours. So, this seemed a great opportunity to embark on a spontaneous adventure and revisit this beautiful town.
From the Beach to the City by the New Highway
For those who don’t know, I’ve lived for the past years in a small village located on the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, called Mazunte. Before, if you wanted to come here by road from Oaxaca City, you would need to take the mountain road, a 260 km trip passing by the famous San Jose del Pacifico.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice trip if you’re planning to stop on the way for a night or two and get some fresh mountain air. But the conditions of the road aren’t the best, there are a lot of (dangerous) curves, and for those who get sick, it’s not so pleasant. Going in one shot will take a minimum of 6 hours or more to arrive in Oaxaca.
This scenario changed on February 4th when the Government announced the opening of the new highway Barranca Larga-Ventanilla, which connects the capital Oaxaca to the Coast region in just 2.5 hours.
It was a very awaited project. Since I arrived here in 2020, there has always been buzz about the possible opening, but it never happened. Now, after 15 years and an investment of 13 million Mexican pesos, the 104km road is open, bringing a lot of hope for the community concerning access to goods and the increase in tourism.
With this great news, we decided to give it a try and check out if it was worth it. And it is! We took off to Oaxaca on a Friday afternoon. Our total trip took around 3-4 hours, being around 40-50 minutes from Mazunte to the beginning of the highway, 2-3 hours on the highway as we got a bit of traffic and the remaining time to arrive at our hostel in Oaxaca City. The way back was faster, as we decided to take the road in the morning and there was no traffic at all.
What to Do in Oaxaca: Visit the Jalatlaco Neighborhood
It was a short and unplanned trip, meaning we had no idea where to go or what to do. After check-in in the hostel, it was late afternoon, so we just went for a walk around the center to get acclimated and wait for dinner time.
Meanwhile, I was looking forward to the day after. One of my main intentions on this trip was to do some street photography, which I hadn’t done in a long time. I mean, I did, but doing so in a big city is a completely different game from doing it in a small beach village. And I couldn’t wait to see what I could capture in this colorful town.
Despite being a perfect place for street photography, I’m not very fond of city centers. Before going to bed that night, I was Googling things to do in Oaxaca to get ready for the next day, and I came across this post about a neighborhood called Jalatlaco. It’s located on the outskirts of the town and usually goes unnoticed by tourists. It sounded perfect for my travel taste.
After convincing my friend to walk there – this trip involved a lot of walking, 9km the first evening and 12km the day after -, we first went to grab breakfast in a cute and delicious café in the center, Sagrado Filemón.
Energized by the coffee, we went on our 20-minute walk to Jalatlaco, and I don’t regret it. Firstly, just being out of the crowd and in a calmer part of the town was very comforting. Secondly, the colors! Every corner of Jalatlaco feels alive with strong and contrasting colors from the buildings and the graffiti on the walls. A little rainbow paradise for any photographer.
I wish I had more time to be there and get more creative, but we had to keep moving, as we wanted to do as much as possible out of our short visit. Maybe next time.
Overall, it was worth the getaway weekend to refresh the spirit, and I believe I got some nice images given the short timeframe. If you want to see more images from this trip, head to my Instagram.
Also, don’t forget to check my shop and get you a nice print from my photographs to decor your space!