OAXACA HANDMADE
Oaxaca City, the Central Valley & Mixteca Highlands

November 30 - December 9, 2026

Optional Post-Tour Extension: A Natural-Dyeing Workshop, Dec 9 - 12
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A woman dressed in traditional clothing sitting on the floor, holding a large rock or sculpture near her face, with various pottery and artifacts on the ground around her. Behind her, there's an altar with religious statues and flowers, and to her right, a wooden cabinet with glass doors.
A colorful woven textile rug with a large red cross-like pattern in the center, surrounded by horizontal multicolored stripes.
Close-up of a large bowl filled with dried beans, and two smaller bowls, one with more beans and the other empty, on a concrete surface with colorful woven fabric and wooden chairs nearby.
A woman with gray hair tied in a low ponytail, wearing a brightly colored, traditional woven garment with red, green, yellow, and purple ribbons. She is seated on a woven mat on the ground, with a blue standing structure and dirt ground visible in the background.
Colorful kite with tissue paper flowers and streamers flying in a bright blue sky.

Experience the dynamic fusion of timeless heritage and contemporary culture in Oaxaca, Mexico. Join us as we uncover how today's artisans and designers are reimagining age-old textile and craft techniques to create a contemporary Mexican aesthetic.

In Oaxaca City, we'll visit the design studios, artisan shops, museums and restaurants that make the city so vibrant. Oaxaca City is also our base for exploring the Central Valley, known for its weaving and craft centers and pre-Hispanic archeological sites. A highlight of the trip is traveling to the remote Mixteca Alta in the highlands of western Oaxaca to meet indigenous artisans who make and wear heritage textiles.

DATES:

November 30 - December 9, 2026 (9 nights)

COST & DETAILS:

$5,300 per person based on double occupancy / $700 single supplement

Limited to 15 participants (Minimum of 8 participants required to run the tour)

$1,500 deposit due upon registration / Final payment due September 21, 2026

Tour begins and ends in Oaxaca City

Please request full itinerary for more detailed information about cancellation policy, insurance, etc

OPTIONAL POST-TOUR EXTENSION:

A Natural-Dyeing Workshop with Demetrio Bautista in Teotitlán del Valle

December 9 - 12, 2026 (3 nights)

$1,800 per person, shared room / + $125 single supplement

Includes 15 hours of instruction, accommodation, transport, all meals and two afternoon excursions

REQUEST THE FULL ITINERARY, ASK A QUESTION, OR SIGN UP

This price includes:

  • Two expert local bilingual guides plus a tour host

  • Accommodation

  • Workshop, studio-tour, artisan, and entry fees

  • Most meals, including tips

  • Local transport in a private van

Does not include:

  • International airfare

  • Travel/medical insurance (strongly recommended)

  • Transfers to and from airport

  • Personal shopping

  • Alcoholic drinks

  • Some dinners (as detailed on itinerary)

  • Optional tips for guide, hotel staff and driver

A woman wearing traditional indigenous clothing, including a wide-brimmed straw hat and a colorful embroidered blouse, is smiling and holding a white cloth. She is outdoors among green trees, and there is a striped umbrella and a woven mat on the ground nearby.
Bowl of chopped green onions, Mexican decorative cloth, tamales, and traditional Mexican tablecloth.
Close-up of a wooden weaving or weaving loom with blue yarn, lying on a woven surface, with wooden and woven tools nearby.
A historic stone church with a bell tower and a cross on top. In the foreground, there is a large succulent plant with long, pointed leaves and a tall, columnar cactus, both growing behind a stone wall. The sky is cloudy.
Two indigenous women dressed in traditional, colorful embroidered clothing working with woven basket and tools, surrounded by pottery in a rustic setting.

OAXACA CITY & THE CENTRAL VALLEY

Oaxaca is a vibrant city in southern Mexico that consistently tops travelers' lists of favorite destinations. Its historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to fascinating museums, excellent artisan shops, outstanding regional food, and a lively arts and design scene. From our base in Oaxaca City, we'll take day-trips to explore the Central Valley, nestled within the Sierra Madre Mountains and home to the indigenous Zapotec people.

Highlights include:

  • Enjoy a private tour of the Museo Textil de Oaxaca with our guide, who was the museum's founding director

  • Visit the Mitla archeological site to see where Zapotec weavers have drawn inspiration for their geometric designs

  • Visit a renowned family of dyers and weavers in the famous rug-weaving village of Teotitlán del Valle and learn about cochineal dyeing, which is native to the area

  • Meet a highly-respected expert and champion of Oaxacan textiles who has been sourcing exceptional work for over 30 years

  • Meet individuals and organizations in Oaxaca City collaborating with traditional artisans in the area

  • Enjoy a private cocktail event at one of the city's most fashionable boutiques

  • Visit a maker of ceremonial beeswax candles

  • Visit a family of women potters who mine red clay near their village 

INTRODUCING OUR GUIDE

This is a special opportunity to dive deep into Oaxaca with a wonderful and knowledgeable guide. Originally from Mexico City, Ana Paula Fuentes (pictured below left) was the founding director of the Museo Textil de Oaxaca. She has deep connections in the artisan and design world. She has worked for several non-profit artisan cooperatives in Mexico and as a consultant on projects for international organizations and brands. Ana Paula is an avid photographer and a generous, warm host who will make you fall in love with Oaxaca!

Two women standing in front of a large display of hanging prickly pear cacti, smiling at the camera. One woman is younger with curly hair and wearing a pink embroidered blouse, the other is older with dark hair, wearing a red apron with floral embroidery over dark clothing. The background includes a wall with framed pictures and a basket on the ground.

MIXTECA HIGHLANDS

From Oaxaca, we'll drive north through Yanhuitlan, once a center for silk cultivation and trade, on our way to Tlaxiaco, our base for exploring the remote Mixteca region of western Oaxaca. This region is home to indigenous Mixtec and Trique communities who make and wear traditional textiles. You will learn to identify textiles and the villages they come from.

Highlights include:

  • Visit the cozy home and studio of a pair of potters who make charming, whimsical work

  • Venture off-the-beaten-track to experience rural life in Mexico inaccessible to most travelers

  • Visit a Mixtec village where women still wear distinctive, hand-embroidered blouses with figurative designs paired with pleated skirts and bright beaded necklaces

  • Visit a Trique village where women weave and wear spectacular full-length red huipiles

  • Meet a small cooperative of Mixtec weavers who are working to keep their traditional textiles alive

  • Meet a basket-weaver who makes baskets with leaves from the Desert Spoon plant

  • Meet a back-strap weaver who makes traditional handwoven belts

  • Enjoy home-cooked lunches at the homes of the artisans we’ll visit

  • On our way back to Oaxaca City visit the Centro de las Artes de San Augustin (CaSa)

We will be staying in basic (but clean and safe) accommodation & visiting poor, rural areas. Please come with a sense of adventure & also be aware that we will be driving on winding dirt roads. 

REQUEST THE FULL ITINERARY, ASK A QUESTION, OR SIGN UP

OPTIONAL POST-TOUR EXTENSION

A Natural-Dyeing Workshop, Dec 9-12, 2026

This is a special opportunity to learn natural dyeing from Demetrio Bautista, a master dyer from Teotitlán del Valle. Over three days, participants will learn to dye with cochineal, wild chamomile, zapote leaves and fruits, pecan leaves, huizache, lichen, marigolds and indigo. Guests will also have time to explore Teotitlán del Valle, a unique opportunity to experience village life in Oaxaca.

Close-up of a mortar and pestle with red herbal powder. Part of a clay pot with chopped herbs or dried flowers visible at the bottom.
A courtyard with potted plants, a white column, and a wooden door in the background, under a sky with clouds.
A small outdoor courtyard with a red brick wall featuring a triangular pattern, three potted trees, a stone column, and stone pavement.
A woman wearing traditional colorful clothing and yellow beaded necklace, holding a woven item outdoors with green trees and cloudy sky in the background.
Person sitting on a wooden bench, weaving palm leaves, with a basket of woven palm balls in front, wearing a straw hat and a navy floral shirt, outdoors on dirt ground.
Close-up of a crumpled white cloth with yellowish stains, laying on multicolored woven fabrics with green, blue, brown, and orange patterns.
“Touring the creative heart of Mexico, our amiable small group was introduced not only to immense visual beauty but also the welcoming makers of such splendid objects. Always well organized but not too exhausting, the tour exposed us to the delicious regional cuisine and an overview of the history of the area. I personally feel this tour was life changing. I have fallen in love with Mexico, an unexpected but wonderful outcome. It is a unique tour that can have that effect on a seasoned traveler!”
— Kathryn Harris
“Thank you so much for all your efforts to organize a beautiful and inspiring experience in Oaxaca. Your kindness and ability to bring together a lovely group of women is magical”
— Karen Gold