An Oaxaca day from seven moles to a mezcal bar

A covered market south of the zócalo. A tlayuda for breakfast from one of the morning stalls — crisp tortilla, beans, string cheese, cecina. Side of hot chocolate ground from Oaxacan cacao.

The central plaza under laurel trees. Marimba players, balloon sellers, the 16th-century baroque cathedral on one side. Walk the perimeter for ten minutes; the shoe-shine chairs are a decent bench.

A 16th-century Dominican church with a gold-leaf interior — sixty thousand pieces of gold leaf covering every stucco surface. The Jesse Tree on the entrance vault is the masterpiece. Ninety minutes.

A tasting flight of the seven moles of Oaxaca — negro, rojo, amarillo, verde, chichilo, manchamanteles, coloradito. Order the flight with chicken, or the vegetarian set with vegetables. Mezcal pairings for the adventurous.

A 2,500-year-old Zapotec capital on a levelled hilltop plateau, twenty minutes west of Oaxaca. Walk the Great Plaza, climb the stone steps of Building J to see the bas-reliefs. Ninety minutes; taxi arranges a return.

The main pedestrian lane from Santo Domingo back to the zócalo. Galleries selling contemporary Oaxacan art, Zapotec textile shops, boutique cafés. Walk slowly; the light on the ochre façades at dusk is the reason.

A small mezcalería on Calle García Vigil. Forty small-batch mezcals by the glass; the owners will explain region, agave variety, distillation. Orange slices and sal de gusano as the standard accompaniment.