Oaxaca Travel Diary

Our flight from New York through Mexico City to Oaxaca, with the connection, takes eight hours before we arrive at Hotel Camino Real Oaxaca. The spectacularly restored sixteenthcentury convent is laid out around several courtyards with breathtaking bougainvillea and hibiscus gardens and unique fountains, including one formerly used by the nuns to wash their clothes. There is a special sense of serenity here, no doubt due to its former tenancy.

After freshening up, we head to the hotel’s bar, Las Novicias, formerly the convent’s library, where we are surrounded by ancient texts. It’s our first opportunity to sample mezcal, the indigenous spirit of Oaxaca. Not to be confused with tequila—although it does come from the agave plant—mezcal is produced in a very different manner that results in a smoky, complex flavor unlike anything else.