Foody Sunday at the Tlacolula Market

Oaxaca’s Sundays move at a different rhythm, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the Tianguis de Domingo in Tlacolula de Matamoros. While most visitors stay close to Oaxaca City on weekends, this market, about 30 kilometres east, offers one of the region’s most authentic cultural experiences. It is one of the oldest continuously operating markets in Mesoamerica, a place that has served as a weekly gathering point for generations. It only happens on Sundays, which makes it easy to miss, but spending a morning here quickly shows why it deserves a place on any traveller’s list.

We came with a mission, the kind you can only have on a Sunday in Tlacolula, to try the traditional barbacoa. Here, barbacoa is a weekend ritual, lamb slow-cooked in an underground pit until tender, served with consomé, handmade tortillas and fresh salsas. Before we even reached the barbacoa stalls, the market pulled us in with its energy.

One of our first stops was the small comedor of Doña María, who had just turned 80. She has run her little restaurant inside the market for forty years, and is now teaching her young nephew how to take over when the time comes. She served us steaming coffee (in bowls bigger than our hands!) with a piece of sweet bread, a small pause in the middle of the market’s movement.

From there the market opened up into a maze of colour, sound and movement. Families from surrounding Zapotec communities arrived with baskets of produce, textiles, pottery and tools. Somewhere between the fruit stalls and the woven-rug section, we stumbled upon one of Tlacolula’s best kept secrets, artisanal mezcal sold straight from never-before-used gasoline tanks. It sounds unconventional, and it is, but it is also one of the best deals in the market, a favourite insider tip for anyone looking to take home a bottle with character.

Eventually we made our way to the barbacoa stands, long tables filled with clay pots, smoky consomé and stacks of warm tortillas. The dish lived up to its reputation. The lamb was rich and tender, the broth full of flavour, and the atmosphere around the tables felt like a weekly reunion. Paired with a local favourite Victoria Cerveza, it is easy to understand why locals plan their entire Sunday around coming here to eat.

We ended our visit the same way many Oaxacan families do, with nieves, the region’s traditional hand-churned ice creams. Made with fruit, nuts or local favourites like leche quemada, nieves are light, refreshing and the perfect finish to a warm market day.

Experiences like this are why we spend time exploring beyond the usual routes. The Tlacolula Sunday Market is lively, welcoming and deeply rooted in local tradition. It is a reminder that Oaxaca’s most memorable moments often happen outside the city, in places where food, culture and community come together.

For travellers looking for an insider’s look into lesser-known corners of Oaxaca and Mexico, Sundays in Tlacolula are hard to beat.