Zócalo

Zócalo is bordered on the n. by Calle Miguel Hidalgo and on the s. by Calle Valerio Trujano/Vicente Guerrero. Indian laurel trees shade the city's main square, fountains add a soothing burble and a wrought-iron gazebo and bandstand stands at the center. Early evening, when a formal flag-lowering ceremony is performed and people start to gather, is a good time to arrive.

The Zócalo really comes alive at dusk. Street musicians and dancers engage in impromptu performances. Food and handicraft vendors hawk ice cream, roast corn, pineapple chunks, chorizo (sausage), musical instruments, balloons, children's toys and tin skeletons dancing on the end of sticks. Band concerts—from brass to marimba to Oaxacan rock—take place regularly.