6 places to spend an afternoon.
Aldama is the street to walk slowly - murals cover every wall and Armadillo Gráfico printmaking workshop sits at number 306, where you can watch artists pull prints or try letterpress yourself. Amate Books on the same block has the best English-language selection on Oaxacan culture in the city. The street vendor on Aldama after 9pm sells the best tlayudas in the neighborhood.
3 things to do, 3 shops, all in Barrio de Jalatlaco.
The art scene in Barrio de Jalatlaco runs from the green cantera stone bell towers of Templo de San Matías to the lino presses at Armadillo Gráfico on Aldama 306. Book the Street Art Oaxaca Tour if you want context for the rainbow fish on Plaza de la Cruz de Piedra, otherwise just wander José López Alavez and read the walls yourself.
Yellow 18th-century church with intricate tilework and colonial bell towers that has anchored El Barrio since the Spanish colonial era. The small plaza out front fills at dusk, and during December the posadas turn the whole block into a procession.
Guided walking tour through Jalatlaco's murals on Aldama, José López Alavez, and around Plaza de la Cruz de Piera, where a giant rainbow fish by Katalina Manzano stops everyone mid-step. The political roots run deep here, back to the 2006 social movement that turned Oaxaca's walls into open forums.
Graphic arts gallery and printmaking studio at Aldama 306 specializing in lino prints, woodcuts, and handmade posters of animals and plants. They offer printing classes too, so you can leave Jalatlaco with ink under your fingernails.
Shopping in Barrio de Jalatlaco rewards a slow loop: Amate Books on Aldama for English-language writing on Oaxacan culture, Dantana Rock for vinyl, cassettes, and pins priced like the owner actually wants you to buy something, and rrres for Javier Reyes's collaborations with Zapotec weavers and potters. Three shops, three disciplines, no filler.
Reopened in 2023 at Aldama 318 inside a cantera stone building, this is the strongest English-language bookshop on Oaxacan culture, indigenous textiles, mezcal, and Mexican history in the region. Owners Henry Wangemann and Rosa Blum also stock folk art, postcards, and small gifts worth browsing.
Independent record shop in Jalatlaco selling vinyl, CDs, cassettes, books, and pins at fair prices. The bins reward patience, especially if you're after funk, soul, or rock en español you won't find streaming anywhere.
Design studio founded by Dominican-born, Barcelona-trained designer Javier Reyes, working with Zapotec artisans in clay, wool, cotton, and palm. It's more studio than storefront, so contact ahead, but the hand-dyed wool rugs and ceramic pieces have landed at MoMA Design Store for a reason.
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Three hotels worth booking in Barrio de Jalatlaco.
Restaurants, bars, and cafes in Barrio de Jalatlaco.