Oaxaca Pronunciation: How to Pronounce Oaxaca & Other Fun Facts About Oaxaca Mexico

Wondering how to pronounce Oaxaca in SPanish?

Of course you are! It is not the easiest word for English speakers to say correctly. While it looks like you’d say OH-ha-kah, the correct Oaxaca pronunciation is wah-HAH-kah. Want to hear it pronounced? Head here.

However, that’s not the only unique thing about Oaxaca — one of the top travel destinations in Mexico, specially for foodies and culture travelers. That’s right: Oaxaca is known as the Foodie Capital of Mexico!

This entire website is dedicated to the state of Oaxaca Mexico, including its capital city, Oaxaca de Juárez (AKA Oaxaca City), and the Oaxaca beaches like Puerto Escondido, Huautlco, Mazunte, Chacahua and Zipolite.

Want to learn more about Oaxaca beyond just the How do you pronounce Oaxaca? question. Then keep reading because this article is full of fun Oaxaca facts and other interesting information about Oaxaca Mexico.

Why is Oaxaca pronounced that way?

Here are a few more clarifications on how to say Oaxaca like a local, and how to pronounce each syllable in Oaxaca correctly:

• The “oa” at the beginning of Oaxaca is pronounced “wah.”
• The “x” is pronounced as an “h.”
• The following “a” has a short a sound, so it’s pronounced with an “ah” sound.

What is the Oaxaca Pronunciation?

Oaxaca Weather Averages

If you want to avoid the crowds, the Oaxaca busy season runs from about late-October for Day of the Dead, through mid-January.

Many also visit Oaxaca de Juárez (Oaxaca City) for the Guelaguetza in July, the second biggest Oaxaca festival.

Oaxaca City has a desert climate, so hot days and cool nights. The temperature in Oaxaca City fluctuates a lot, so be mindful and bring layers when packing for Oaxaca.

If you hate the heat, avoid the hottest months of April to May so you have an enjoyable Oaxaca vacation.

What is the Oaxaca Pronunciation?

1. Traditional Oaxacan Food

Traditional Oaxaca foods are unique and incredibly regional, and Oaxaca City is often called the Foodie Capital of Mexico. In fact, UNESCO declared all traditional Mexican food an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind in 2010.

Some of the best chefs in Mexico, like Alejandro Ruiz Olmedo of Casa Oaxaca, Enrique Olvera of Criollo Oaxaca, and Cecila Flórian from Las Quince Letras, have Oaxacan restaurants.

Oaxaca also has an exciting street food culture, as seen on Netflix’s Street Food: Latin America (Season 1, Episode 3, “Oaxaca, Mexico”). In it, you’ll see the Oaxacan tlayuda, memelas, quesillo (Oaxaca cheese), and more.

What is the Oaxaca Pronunciation?

2. Day of the Dead in Oaxaca

💀🌺💀 For a complete guide to attending the celebration, head to Day of the Dead in Oaxaca: Everything You Need to Know to learn more.

You can’t make a list of things Oaxaca is known for and not have Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) near the top of the list. In fact, Oaxaca is one of the best places to celebrate Day of the Dead in Mexico.

It is not only one of the biggest festivals in Oaxaca, but one of the biggest, most lively, fun and best festivals in Mexico — and most important holidays in Mexico.

What is the Oaxaca Pronunciation?

3. Beaches in Oaxaca

Want to check out the beautiful beaches in Oaxaca? You’re in luck — as there are plenty of good options for amazing Oaxaca beaches to explore.

Determining the best beaches Oaxaca has to offer is subjective to your needs and wants, but with so many options, there’s a perfect Oaxaca beach for everyone.

From the best surfing beaches in Oaxaca to the best swimming beaches in Oaxaca, the best beach to do the Oaxaca baby turtles release, to the only legal Mexico nude beach — it’s all on the Oaxaca Mexico Coast.

What is the Oaxaca Pronunciation?

4. Oaxaca Mezcal

Oaxacan mezcal is a distilled spirit that can be made from more than 30 varieties of the maguey (agave) plant. If mezcal sounds like tequila to you — it kind of is.

Much like how champagne is essentially a sparkling wine from the city of Champagne, France, tequila is a kind of mezcal from the city of Tequila, Mexico. If Tequila, Mexico, is the home of tequila, Oaxaca is the home of mezcal.

To show how much Oaxacans love their mezcal, there’s this common saying: Para todo mal, mezcal. Para todo bien, también. This means, “For everything good, mezcal. For everything bad, mezcal as well.”

What is the Oaxaca Pronunciation?

5. Oaxaca Art

Visitors will discover the most incredible Mexican folk art in Oaxaca — from black pottery and fantastical animal sculptures called alebrijes, to artisan cheese, Oaxaca mezcal and the famous Oaxacan rugs (tapetes).

You can find locally-made handicrafts in most Oaxaca markets, but art lovers will really enjoy taking a tour of the Oaxaca Ruta de Artesanías (Oaxaca Art Town Route).

Each of these Oaxaca art towns is like a unique art gallery, and they only make one craft in each town. They are all unique, but three must-visit Oaxaca art towns are San Bartolo Coyotepec, San Martín Tilcajete and Teotitlán del Valle.

What is the Oaxaca Pronunciation?

⚠️ For a deep dive into this topic and a Oaxaca safety guide, check out Is Oaxaca Safe to Travel to Right Now?

Oaxaca City is the country’s 67th largest city, with a population of about 275,000. However, it has managed to retain a humble, pueblo vibe. (Note: The word pueblo means “small town.”)

The beaches of Oaxaca are also considered safe, especially Huatulco, which has basically no crime at all. Other beaches like Mazunte, Chacahua, San Agustinillo and Zipolite are also very safe.

Now, that’s not to say bad things don’t happen in Oaxaca; they do.

However, if you take the same general travel precautions you would anywhere else — ie. stay aware of yourself, your belongings and your surroundings — you should be safe traveling to Oaxaca Mexico.

What is the Oaxaca Mexico Pronunciation?

You can always venture off the beaten path in Oaxaca to avoid the more touristic places. These Oaxaca artisan towns make for interesting place to stay for travelers who want to immerse themselves in real Oaxaca culture.

What is the Oaxaca Pronunciation?

However, many visitors could spend a week in Oaxaca City — especially art, food and culture lovers — and still wish their trip was longer! There are plenty of things to see in Oaxaca, and great Oaxaca day trips just outside the city.

The best things to do near Oaxaca include exploring Hierve el Agua in San Lorenzo Albarradas, Monte Alban Ruins, San Agustín Etla, Teotitlán Del Valle and San Pablo Villa de Mitla, a Oaxaca pueblo magico (magic town).

What is the Oaxaca Pronunciation?

There’s everything from rich history, colorful festivals, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, locally-made Oaxacan mezcal, beautiful nature, colonial towns, indigenous artisan communities, and yummy Oaxacan food.

As you’ll usually need to take at least two flights to Oaxaca, Mexico, or even a flight and a bus, you might still be wondering if traveling to Oaxaca is worth it.

I hope this guide to Oaxaca made it clear that FU+K YES IT IS!

Final Thoughts: What is the Oaxaca Pronunciation?

In case you missed it in the opening paragraph, the correct Oaxaca pronunciation is wah-HAH-kah. While it does look like you pronounce Oaxaca as oh-ha-kah, that is definitly not the correct Oaxacan pronunciation!

Beyond the correct pronunciation of Oaxaca, I hope this article shined a light on the amazing state of Oaxaca Mexico — a mecca for foodies, art lovers, nature lovers and culture travelers.

To sum it up: Oaxaca is food, festivals and fun! If you want to know more, check out these other Oaxaca blogs:

• What is Oaxaca Known For?
• Best Festivals in Oaxaca Mexico
• 30+ Traditional Foods from Oaxaca
• Day of the Dead in Oaxaca Mexico
• Top 25 Mezcals from Oaxaca Mexico
• What Are Alebrijes: A Guide to Oaxaca’s Colorful Art
• Famous People from Oaxaca Mexico
• 7 Moles of Oaxaca: The Best Oaxaca Food