Oaxaca Street Art
One of the reasons Oaxaca is so thoroughly identified with the arts is that the city abhors a blank wall. You’re immersed in art in Oaxaca not just through the shops and the surrounding artisan’s villages, but because the environment itself is a constant, kaleidoscopic blur of murals.
Historically, Oaxaca’s art scene, both street art and art art, has been protest focused, and that’s still the case today. In fact, one of Oaxaca’s best known artists is Francisco Toledo, a spiritual successor to José Guadalupe Posada, perhaps Mexico’s most revered illustrator. Both had incredibly varied careers, but are perhaps best known for their protest work.
In 1988, Toledo (who died in 2019) founded Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca, an art school and museum housing an astonishing collection of books and art, including Toledo’s own work, a substantial collection of Posadas, and many examples from the seminal 1930’s leftist collective LEAR: Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios.
While much of Oaxaca’s street art is simply beautiful, there’s plenty of protest work that calls back to Toledo, Posada, and the artists of LEAR. I had originally thought to separate out art that was commercial, i.e. meant to promote the business whose walls were adorned, from art that was unrelated to the building. But the more we saw and the more pictures we took, the more artificial that distinction seemed.
Instead, this is just broken down by neighborhood. There’s Oaxaca’s Centro district, and then two barrios just off the Centro that are specifically known for their murals. Enjoy.
Oaxaca Centro
The piece that most thoroughly captures the essence of Oaxaca for me: It’s undeniably art, but it’s also an adorable raccoon, willing to burn the whole thing to the ground. Oaxaca: a beautiful Fuck You. 
It may not be obvious, but this is a riff on the traditional calenda processions, which include dancers with firecracker laced bull figures on their heads 
I love this. Look closely and you’ll see that the flower planter on the top of the building spills over into the flowers on the mural. 
The back of the La Hormiga torta truck. 
Not sure about the significance, but papier-mâché old men aren’t uncommon in Oaxaca 
Voted Best Use Of Old Tires by… us. 
Maybe not technically street art, but definitely art, and parked on the street, so… 
Definitely on the street
Hey Mark,
Love the enormous variety & different styles. I can see why you chose Oaxaca first, seems right up your alley.
Tim Cooley
Tim, great to see you here. Thanks for following.
100% on Oaxaca. Art isn’t something you consume here, it’s just part of the environment, everywhere you look.
We fell in love when we were here just before lockdown, and nothing about being here again has changed our minds. It has San Diego’s weather, with a more attractive culture and better Mexican food. What’s not to love?