I can’t believe it’s been more than 20 years since I was in Oaxaca (wa-HAH-ka) and I’ve never been back. I was so enchanted by it that I nearly bought a small house in the center of the city to use as a pied-à-terre. I didn’t. Oh well.

Number One Son was in high school, blond and blue-eyed. I remember walking down a street like the one above with him. He was talking animatedly about something, completely unaware of the Mexican girls gawking at him. When I caught their eyes, they blushed and laughed.

The city is known for its unique combination of Spanish colonial architecture and Mixtec and Zapotec cultural influences. It was, and I’m sure still is, a treasure trove of artifacts and opportunities, museums and art galleries, and craft stores of every sort. I bought a set of small paintings on tin that were made to beseech the saints for some desired good.

What to see in Oaxaca: 

* the Museo de las Culturas, one of Mexico’s best regional museums

* Museo Rufino Tamayo, including collections of pre-Columbian art once owned by the artist

* Monte Albán, one of the country’s most spectacular archeological sites

* the murals in Palacio de Gobierno

* Central de Abastos, a huge flea market on the outskirts of town

* Mercado Benito Juárez – a little touristy, but a great place to grab lunch and pick up some souvenirs