Olfactory Notes From the Field: Oaxaca

A magical place filled with aromatic delights.

We landed in Oaxaca at 6:20pm just as the sun was setting over the Sierra Madre mountains. This city in the southern part of Mexico sits in a valley 5,085 ft (1,550m) above sea level, which is significantly higher than the 39 ft (12m) of my hometown, so it makes you breathe (and smell) a little differently.

The airport is small and instead of disembarkin…