Getting the Oaxaca Pronunciation Right (How to Pronounce Oaxaca & Other Oaxaca Fun Facts)
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, Huatulco, 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.
What is the correct Oaxaca pronunciation?
It’s wah-HAH-kah (not OH-ha-kah), and the stress in the word Oaxaca is on the second syllable.
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.
Want to hear Oaxaca pronounced?
Here’s an audio file courtesy of Wikipedia that will let you hear the word Oaxaca spoke aloud.
This should help clear up the What is the proper pronunciation of Oaxaca? question once and for all!
Oaxaca Map
The southern edge of the state sits on the Pacific Ocean. Oaxaca City is the state’s capital city, and located about six hours south of Mexico City.
You can book direct flights to Oaxaca from Mexico City, Guadalajara, and a few other cities in Mexico. However, it’s not always common to find direct flights from the U.S. or Canada.
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.
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 Celia Florián 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 cheese pronunciation?
The correct Oaxaca pronunciation is wah-HAH-kah, so that’s how you’d say the “Oaxaca” in Oaxaca cheese. In Oaxaca, this cheese is known as quesillo (kay-SEE-yo), not queso Oaxaca.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Best Oaxaca Airport transportation
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 definitely 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:
