Walk Oaxaca's historic centre
Oaxaca is a colonial city of painted houses, green stone churches and some of the best markets in Mexico. FOG starts the map dark and clears only where you walk, and its compact grid is a pleasure to fill.
The grid
Oaxaca's historic centre, a World Heritage site, is a regular colonial grid of low houses painted in strong colours. The Zocalo, shaded by laurel trees, is the heart of it, with the cathedral beside it.
The Andador Macedonio Alcala, a pedestrian street, runs north from the cathedral to the Templo de Santo Domingo, a baroque church of green stone with a gilded interior and an ethnobotanical garden.
Markets and neighbourhoods
South of the Zocalo, the Benito Juarez and 20 de Noviembre markets sell chocolate, mole, chapulines and textiles, with a hall of grills filled with smoke. Jalatlaco, east of the centre, is a small quarter of cobbled streets and murals.
The Cerro del Fortin, west of the centre, has steps up to a viewpoint over the city. A day: the Zocalo, the markets, the Alcala to Santo Domingo, Jalatlaco, and up the Fortin.
Coverage
The centre is flat and gridded, so it fills in tidy blocks. Oaxaca is at around 1,550 metres, with warm days and cool nights.
The rainy season runs from June to September. The Day of the Dead, in late October and early November, fills the streets.
The character who walks with you
FOG puts a small explorer called Wander on your position. Pick one of five paths (two are free, three come with FOG Unlimited) and every two levels on a path hands you a new piece of gear, earned only by the ground you cover. Twenty five pieces in all, and none of them can be bought.
Under the character it is a plain, permanent record: every street you walk in Oaxaca is cleared and stays clear, the app works in the background, and the map is stored only on your phone with no account and no cloud. You can export it as GPX at any time.
Questions people actually ask
What is the Andador Macedonio Alcala?
A pedestrian street in Oaxaca from the cathedral to the Templo de Santo Domingo.
Is Oaxaca walkable?
Yes. The historic centre is a flat, compact grid.
Does it work with the app closed?
Yes. With background exploring on, FOG keeps clearing fog while the app is closed and the screen is off.
Start with a dark map.
FOG is free to explore. No account, no subscription, and your map never leaves your phone.
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