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Oaxaca City to Santiago Matatlán · 6 to 8 hours · Private group (max 6) · Moderate activity
A private agave experience that connects you with pulque, artisanal mezcal, and two Indigenous women producers whose voices are still too rarely centered in this industry.
During your private agave tour in Santiago Matatlán, you’ll experience:
👩🏽🌾 Meet two Indigenous women producers
Spend the day in two women-owned and women-run agave spaces, an uncommon chance to learn directly from hosts whose knowledge, work, and perspective deserve far more visibility.
🌵 Understand agave beyond mezcal alone
Begin with pulque before continuing into artisanal mezcal, giving you a wider and more grounded understanding of agave culture in Oaxaca.
🥃 Learn at the source
Go beyond tasting as you explore production, agave varieties, and local traditions with the people who live this work day by day.
🚐 Keep the day personal and unrushed
Because this is a private experience, you have more space to ask questions, connect naturally, and take in the day at a comfortable pace.
Private groups only. You can go solo or share costs with friends while keeping the experience personal, respectful, and closely connected to the women hosting you.
Simple, transparent pricing:
1. Reserve your date
Pay a deposit online to confirm your booking. Your deposit secures your private guide and transport for the day, along with advance preparation for the experience.
2. Local payment on the day
1000 MXN per person paid directly to your guide at the start of the tour.
This local payment is part of your overall tour cost and helps cover on-the-ground expenses, including costs that support the local hosts and cannot usually be prepaid in advance.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Meeting Point | Pickup at your hotel/Airbnb in Oaxaca City |
| End Point | Drop off at your hotel/Airbnb in Oaxaca City |
| Duration | 6 to 8 hours (depending on traffic and your own pace) |
| Physical Level | Moderate – this experience involves short-distance hiking around agave fields and hills in the sun |
| Cultural Rating | Moderate – a good balance of cultural interactions, and engaging with a local family of mezcal producers |
| Ages | 18+ (the trip includes alcohol) – younger must be accompanied by parent/guardian |
| Group Size | Private – Max 6 people per booking |
We believe agave becomes far more meaningful when guests can connect with the wider story behind it. In Oaxaca, that story reaches beyond mezcal itself and includes older traditions, rural knowledge, and the people who continue shaping agave culture in the present.
That is why we designed this experience around two women-owned and women-run visits in Santiago Matatlán. The day begins with pulque, a fermented agave drink that existed long before distillation processes arrived in Mexico. It continues into artisanal mezcal production with women sharing their own work, perspective, and experience in a region deeply connected to agave.
Our goal is for you to leave with more than a tasting memory. We want you to come away with a clearer understanding of agave in Oaxaca, a stronger connection to the women hosting you, and a deeper appreciation for the land, process, and traditions that continue to give these drinks their meaning.
Many mezcal experiences begin directly with the mezcal tasting. This one opens with pulque, which gives guests a fuller introduction to agave before distilled spirits ever enter the conversation. That change in format helps build a stronger sense of context from the start and gives the day a wider cultural lens.
You also spend the day in two women-led spaces, something still rare enough in the industry that it deserves to be seen and heard more clearly. Their visibility matters, and for guests it creates a more personal and grounded experience shaped by real knowledge, real persistence, and a perspective that is often missing from more standard versions of this kind of tour.
Because the experience is private, the day also feels less rushed and more connected. You have more room to ask questions, engage at your own pace, and absorb what you are seeing. By the time you taste a wide variety of mezcals, you already have a much deeper understanding of the people, practices, and agave traditions behind them.
Your day begins with pickup from your Oaxaca City hotel or Airbnb and a drive to Santiago Matatlán, one of the regions most strongly associated with mezcal production in Oaxaca. From there, the experience opens with a visit to a pulque farm, where you will learn about pulque as a fermented agave drink that predates Spanish distillation. For many guests, this first stop gives the rest of the day more depth because it places agave within a longer local story before mezcal becomes the focus.
As the day begins to unfold, you will be introduced to the roots of pulque, how it fits into local agave culture, and why it still matters. It is a meaningful way to start because it helps widen your understanding of agave beyond what most visitors encounter on a standard mezcal outing.
From there, you continue to a women-owned and women-run artisanal mezcal palenque, where the day moves deeper into agave varieties and the artisanal production process. Weather and time permitting, part of the experience may include heading out to see more of the agave landscape directly. When weather conditions are not right for that, you will still be introduced to the agave varieties at the palenque itself, so the educational side of the day remains strong and the experience stays complete.
During your time there, you may also be introduced to a prehispanic spirit-cleansing ritual, or limpia, connected to Zapotec tradition in this region. It adds another layer of understanding to the day and helps place mezcal within a wider local worldview rather than reducing it to a tasting alone. You will also enjoy a delicious traditional local meal and snacks during the experience.
By the time you sit down to taste a wide variety of mezcals, you will already have a much stronger understanding of the people, process, and agave traditions behind them. If something stands out and you would like to purchase bottles directly from the producers, you are welcome to do so. Cash is best, as card readers can be unreliable when the local data connection is poor, and there is never any pressure to buy.
If this sounds like the kind of mezcal experience you’re looking for, you can reserve your private tour using the booking section at the top of the page.
Santiago Matatlán is one of the places in Oaxaca most closely associated with mezcal production, which is exactly why this experience takes place here. It is known as the cuña de mezcal, or the “cradle of mezcal”, with about 50% of Oaxaca’s production (or 45% of global production) being made here.
That matters because the day is not only about tasting finished mezcal. It is about seeing how agave knowledge, production practices, and local identity continue to live together in a place where mezcal remains the rhythm of the region. Beginning with pulque and continuing into artisanal mezcal also helps show a wider agave story within one destination.
By spending time here with women leading both stops on the experience, guests come away with a more specific and more personal understanding of what makes Santiago Matatlán important. The place itself becomes part of the value of the day, giving more meaning to everything you learn and taste.
This mezcal tour works well for travelers who want more than a tasting and are curious about the people, process, and wider agave traditions behind what they are drinking.
It is a good fit for solo travelers, couples, groups of friends, and adult families looking for a private experience that feels personal rather than rushed. Because the day is private, it can suit a wide range of travel styles, whether you are joining alone, sharing the cost with others, or looking for a more meaningful way to spend time together in Oaxaca.
You do not need to be a mezcal expert to enjoy the day. Some guests join because they already love mezcal. Others come because they want a fuller introduction to agave, pulque, and local traditions in Oaxaca. As long as you are open to learning, spending time in a rural setting, and engaging with local hosts, this experience tends to stay with people long after the tasting ends.
What you need can vary a little by season, but this is a good starting point for most guests. Because your transport is private and secure, you can leave extra items in the vehicle when you do not need them.
Your experience includes the essentials needed to enjoy the day comfortably and gain a deeper understanding of agave traditions in Santiago Matatlán.
A few costs are kept separate from your booking so the experience can support local partners directly and remain flexible on the ground.
If this feels like the kind of mezcal experience you’re looking for, you can reserve your date with a deposit using the booking section at the top of the page.
Because this is a private tour, availability can be limited by guide, transport, and host scheduling. If you are already planning your Oaxaca dates, it is a good idea to book early and secure the day that works best for you.
Beginning with pulque helps place mezcal within a longer agave story. Pulque is a fermented agave drink that predates distillation in Mexico, so it gives useful cultural context before the mezcal portion of the day begins.
This day is built around context, connection, and learning at a more personal pace. You visit a pulque farm first, then continue to a women-run artisanal mezcal palenque, where the experience goes deeper into agave varieties, production methods, and local practices.
A limpia is a prehispanic cleansing ritual connected here to Zapotec tradition. When it is included as part of the day, it adds cultural context and helps guests understand mezcal within a broader local worldview.
This tour is still classified as moderate. Weather and timing can affect whether part of the day includes walking around the agave areas, but the overall experience remains designed for guests with a reasonable level of mobility.
Not at all. Some guests join because they already enjoy mezcal, while others come because they want a more grounded introduction to agave traditions in Oaxaca. The day is designed to be meaningful for both.
Yes. If you find something you love, you are welcome to purchase bottles directly from the producers. Cash is best, as card connection can be unreliable, and there are no guarantees that a card reader will work on the day.
Yes, it can be a great fit for older travelers or mixed-age groups, especially because it is private and moves at a more personal pace. That said, this experience still has a moderate physical level, so a reasonable level of mobility is important.
If someone in your group would prefer a mezcal experience with different pacing or emphasis, our Ancestral Mezcal Tour or Pechuga Mezcal Tour may also be worth considering.
To make planning a little easier, we’ve included an interactive accommodation map below where you can compare hotels and short-term stays in and around Oaxaca City.
Enter your travel dates and number of guests to explore options from trusted platforms such as Booking.com, Hotels.com, and VRBO, along with reviews, prices, and availability. We’ve also marked the center of Oaxaca City to help you choose a stay that keeps you closer to many of the cultural experiences and historic areas guests often want to explore.
Please double-check the currency displayed, as it may vary depending on your device settings or the platform you’re viewing.
For every TRiP taken with WSE Travel, we donate 2% of the total sales price to an environmental or community-based project in the country you are visiting.
It is one of the ways we aim to ensure that travel has a more positive impact on the places and people that make these experiences possible. When you join this experience, your booking helps support not only local hosts and guides but also wider efforts to protect and strengthen the destination itself.
This is part of our wider commitment to Travel Responsibly & Impact Positively (TRiP), which sits at the heart of how we design our experiences and partnerships.
To learn more about the projects supported through this experience, please visit our Mexico TRIP projects.
All tours, services, and experiences booked through Where Sidewalks End are subject to our Terms and Conditions, which are modeled after the policies used by many travel services, such as flights, hotels, and tour operators.
At Where Sidewalks End, a reservation is more than a transaction. It is a direct commitment involving local professionals who rely on this work as a primary source of income. This includes guides, artisans, drivers, and other local partners who reserve their time specifically for your experience.
In many of the destinations where we operate, labor protections and fair wage commitments are upheld by local laws, and we are both ethically and contractually required to honor those commitments. Once a booking is confirmed, the service providers connected to your experience are financially compensated for reserving their time, even in the event of cancellation. This helps ensure fair and dignified treatment for everyone involved in delivering your experience.
All bookings are subject to the following terms:
More than 14 days’ notice
Your payment will be placed into a Lifetime Deposit (Safety Deposit Box). This can be:
Refunds are not available unless Where Sidewalks End cancels your booking due to reasons beyond your control.
7-14 days’ notice
A 50% rebooking fee will apply. This helps offset the compensation obligations to your dedicated team of local guides and service providers, who have reserved their day exclusively for your private tour and may not be able to secure alternate work on short notice.
Less than 7 days’ notice
The full cost of the tour is retained to pay the locals contracted in full. As this is a private experience, your local team’s time is fully dedicated to your booking. A new team will be hired for any future rebooking.
These policies are a compassionate extension of our official Terms & Conditions, designed to support both our guests and the ethical standards of responsible tourism.
Because life can be unpredictable, and because we are required to uphold our commitments to local partners, all guests must either:
We highly recommend SafetyWing Nomad Insurance, trusted by many global travelers for its flexible and affordable coverage.
Travel insurance can help protect you from financial losses related to:
If you choose to travel without travel insurance, you will be required to fill out a Liability Waiver Form at the beginning of your trip.
We deeply appreciate your understanding and support of ethical tourism. Your booking directly sustains local communities and helps preserve cultural traditions in meaningful and lasting ways.
If you have any questions or need help rescheduling, please contact us. We’re always happy to assist.
Scott Kimes –
I loved how I learned about more than mezcal on this tour.
We started off with an interactive tour of an agave field with that doesn’t produce mezcal but produces something just as amazing- pulque (fermented honey water from the agave plant). Later, we got to drink 7 different kinds of pulque. The owner, Reina, was really gracious to share her story and her knowledge around making pulque.
Then we went to an artisanal Mezcal distiller for most of the day that was amazing for a lot reasons. You get to learn about the steps for making mezcal in a way that doesn’t rely on modern machines. Lidia, the owner, made us memelas for lunch, and then we got to try 9 different mezcals with her providing insights into what goes into making each Mezcal. This my favorite way to do a mezcal tasting. We weren’t rushed and we got to learn about one distillery in-depth.
Our guide, Octavio, was most of the reason the tour was so good. His great relationships with Lidia and Reina allowed us to experience more at each place than we would have on our own. He is very involved in the mezcal industry, so his passion and knowledge was present in all our conversations throughout the day. This made it so fun and enjoyable to learn from him.
Alejandria Solis –
This experience was a life changing one. I cannot imagine a better way to enjoy mezcal and appreciate Oaxacan culture than this! Our tour guide was excellent and so knowledgeable, and meeting the producers of the mezcal was eye opening as to how labor intensive the process is-it requires such passion and talent! On top of everything, I feel so good contributing positively to local businesses. The food we were provided was DELICIOUS, cooked with care by the family of one of the makers and felt so intimate and special. I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in mezcal or Oaxacan culture in general! Had the best time!
Gloria A (verified owner) –
This was my first time in Mexico and Oaxaca, and I knew very little about mezcal, so this tour was the perfect fit for me as it featured many of the things I was curious about. It was such a great experience not only to learn about Oaxacan culture and all about mezcal but to see how much care was put into selecting every part of this tour.
They helped me understand the culture and history of mezcal and the huge difference between the big industry and the small family artisanal productions, which, in this case, was even more interesting because we went to a female-owned distillery. With them, the highlight was being lucky to get a traditional “limpia” ceremony that I had only heard before but had never seen or experienced personally. Driving and walking around the agave fields was so much fun! I’ve learned to like mezcal and we surely got to try a good amount during the day.
Having lunch with the family was so nice and we could see in detail not only how they produced their mezcal, but also traditional drinks and delicious grilled meat.
I enjoyed it so much that this was a private tour, and we were only a small group, so we could truly enjoy every activity without rushing. I loved the day, and I absolutely recommend this day tour!
Sarah –
If you like mezcal you really must do a mezcal tasting and/or tour when in Oaxaca. But if you want to really understand the long history of mezcal and how important it is to the Oaxacan people then this is the tour you should do. I visited Oaxaca a few years ago and we rented a car and went to a couple of the large distilleries outside the city. It was fun and definitely added to my love of mezcal, however, it wasn’t a unique or special experience. When I came to Oaxaca this time, I wanted to learn more about the sacred tradition of mezcal and what it means to the Oaxaca people, so I went with some friends on this private tour and I’m so glad I did. We were driven out to the agave fields and participated in a limpia ceremony (cleansing) using mezcal and an assortment of fresh herbs and pink peppercorn leaves. Then we learned about the cultivation and production of artisanal mezcal as it has been done by families like this one for generations. One of the cool and unique things about this family is that the mezcal maestros are the women of the family. Traditionally mezcal making is very much a man’s world so this is very special to see. After a tasting of several of their mezcals we were taken to another village where a very small family mezcal operation hosted us for a traditional, delicious lunch. And of course, a tasting of their own mezcal. It was an amazing day that was worlds apart from my first mezcal tour experience. I highly recommend doing this private tour and skipping the big mezcal producers.