Oaxaca now and then

Ted. Judy and I first visited Mexico in 1976. We stayed in a little fishing village on the Pacific called San Blas. We loved it but life was very primitive. 

Us then

We have visited Mexico several times since then and have always enjoyed it. We first came to Oaxaca in 2017 and it is now our favorite place. This is our third visit and we have noticed quite a few changes in just over six years. 

First of all, the Mexican economy survived the pandemic and appears to be thriving. Their peso is one of the few currencies we have seen to actually strengthen against the dollar in recent years. It’s up about 10% from 2017. 

Secondly, more and more folks are discovering the magic of Oaxaca. There were 429,000 arrivals at the airport in 2017. In 2022, the most recent year for which there is good data, 1.3 million people arrived at the airport. 

Many of the visitors seem to be Mexican tourists from elsewhere in the country. Oaxaca is a hot destination world wide and now the city even has those red “hop on - hop off” tourist buses that we see around the world. 

From the local’s perspective, that means jobs and a growing middle class. We now see “help wanted” signs and prices are rising. One of our favorite coffee shops has added two new branches. A restaurant that we like now has three branches plus a bed & breakfast! 

The city is cleaner with less trash and graffiti and fewer street dogs. 

The pups from 2017 are all grown up!

Our cell phone signal is much stronger and available everywhere. Oaxaca is quieter at night with fewer barking dogs, rockets and sirens. The younger people we encounter proudly show off their improving English language skills. 

Now that there are even more Airbnb's to meet the growing demands of visitors from Canada, the US and Europe unintended consequences have arisen. Some neighborhoods are definitely gentrifying and I fear that the locals are being forced to move to the surrounding villages to find affordable housing. 

Judy has noticed a decline in the availability of handcrafted clothing. Much of what she sees is obviously mass produced. We wonder if the young people are no longer interested in learning the old crafts such as weaving, wood carving and pottery making.

What has not changed, though, is the politeness of the local people and their incredible work ethic. And of course, there is the vibrant beauty of the region; the cuisine, music and art. On the whole, it’s better and, so far, we don’t mind sharing it with other visitors.

Here's a video clip of a wedding we watched from a roof top restaurant. If the clip doesn't show up in your email, just go to losingsightshore.blogspot.com.