Boutiques in Oaxaca: Trendy to Traditional
Oaxaca has an incredibly rich and unique shopping scene, but as of 2023, not one good shopping guide to the city. So here it is: my fully self-discovered Shopping Guide to Oaxaca!
Fun fact about me: before beginning this full-time travel adventure, I owned a tiny handmade boutique in Boston, Massachusetts (Somerville, for my locals). I spent years obsessing over shop design. Now when I travel, I’m always on the hunt for the cutest, trendiest, most unusual retail stores and experiences.
I also spent many MANY years selling at makers markets in Boston so I absolutely cannot (will not) resist a handmade market. I truly believe that the best travel souvenirs are those handmade by local makers or designed by independent artists.
Rocinante
I’m going to go ahead and name this the absolute best and most unique shop in Oaxaca City. First, the shop decor is perfection: hand-painted walls and paper sculptures hanging from the ceiling. The shop itself is an experience.
The clothing is next level. The Rocinante designers combine traditional artisan craft with contemporary silhouettes and themes. The result is a colorful high-end collection of one of a kind dresses, skirts, tops, hair pieces and other projects. For OOAK, the price range of $100 – $250 is very fair.
Fun Fact: “Rocinante” is the name of Don Quixote’s horse
Juana La Vintage (there are two)
I could not resist the branding of this little shop. It’s just too fun and the clothing is exactly what you’d hope for in a funky vintage collection.
Punto 20
This cute boutique downtown in really well curated and leans trendy versus traditional. I loved their clothing selection and, in particular, the altered tees.
Chocolatl Oaxaca
This shop is gorgeous from any angle. It’s also a great place to stock up on Mexican chocolate for souvenirs that you may or may not forget to gift…
What makes Mexican chocolate different? The cacao nibs are stone ground which makes for a rougher texture. And almost all Mexican chocolate contains cinnamon and most incorporate ground nuts like almonds.
Marias Arte & Diseño
This little shop is a maze of fun and delightful handmade gifts. It’s centrally located near Santo Domingo Church, so you’ll end up walking by multiple times. It’s impossible to not fall in love with something here. I loved the earrings, some of the unique wall hangings and the pillows. Make sure you get all the way to the back room.
Habitáculo Diseño + Arte
This shop has an elevated selection of ceramics, jewelry, accessories and home goods. The design and curation is clean, almost Scandinavian. This is the shop that inspired me to put together a list of the best shopping in Oaxaca.
Cerámica Cuarto Suspiro
This might just be the most interesting ceramics shop I’ve been to anywhere in the world. Open mouths sculpted onto the sides of tea cups, clay bat heads, a fully articulated octopus crawling up a vase, mushrooms sprouting from the handle of a mug… It’s impossible to describe so you should just go.
El Cuarzo
I don’t know, sometimes you just want to go to where the cool kids shop? This is a skater shop with sneakers and crop tops and bucket hats with spray paint and skateboards upstairs.
Taller Grafico
Oaxaca City is well-known for it’s graphic arts scene. The city walls are plastered with stickers and posters, both for activism and for fun. If you want to bring home a piece of Oaxaca, the perfect souvenir is a numbered edition print from a talented local artist.
Taller Grafico is an artist collective featuring the work of many artists of varying artistic styles. You can find everything from stickers and pins to large and intricate multi-color prints for decorating your walls.
Gogui Handmade
This itty bitty shop has a variety of both traditional and more contemporary handmade goods. It’s also in an adorable shared courtyard with a coffee shop and other shops and galleries. It’s a quiet respite in the middle of the city.
Muchitos
Muchitos is a clothing and accessories brand near Zocalo. Their clothing is a modern take on traditional embroidery and artisan decorated goods, but I love their shoes. A whole section of the shop is dedicated to sandals, mules, wedges, cloth flip flops and more.
Once in Oaxaca
This little atelier/studio on the edge of the Jalatlaco neighborhood features one artist’s rendering of scenes from Oaxaca. I think the artist is actually an Australian who lives in Oaxaca now, but his style is hand drawn and he really captures some of the best visuals that you’ll enjoy on your trip through this beautiful city.
Plus the Jalatlaco neighborhood has incredible street art.
Artisan Markets in Oaxaca
No Shopping Guide to Oaxaca is complete without noting the incredible markets in Oaxaca. These are great for traditional handmade goods like textiles and pottery, but also goodies like Mexican chocolate and candies. We go into more detail on the markets and what you’ll find in our Market Guide to Oaxaca.
But, there are also several daily street fairs in the Santo Domingo neighborhood. These are fun because they slant a little hipper and you can meet and support local artists. It’s hard to miss the market right next to Santo Domingo Church or Gurrión Garden.
A favorite is the makers market at Plazuela de Carmen Alto for trendier goods like graphic tees.
The market at Jardín Labastida is art-focused: drawings, paintings and printmaking. Google locations are linked here:
Shopping in the Villages of Oaxaca Valley
The markets in Oaxaca have a nice selection of handmade gifts but if you want to go straight to the source head outside of Oaxaca City to the artisan villages. There you’ll find the largest selection and the most unique finds at the best price.
You may also get to see demonstrations of how the artists work. We talk about the most popular artisan villages in our Guide to Best Day Trips in Oaxaca.
