7 Things you Should NOT do in Oaxaca During Semana Santa

What this list is, and why it matters

Semana Santa in Oaxaca is not just a calendar week. It is a city wide rhythm shift. Streets change, crowds spike, and the historic center becomes a stage for faith, tradition, and family travel at the same time. That combination is exactly why visitors love it, and why the most common mistakes are predictable.

The advice below is built from personal experience and official public safety and traffic notices.. The goal here is simple: To help you enjoy the processions and the atmosphere without being the person who blocks a route, misses a booking, or gets stranded in a taxi loop while the city politely ignores your schedule.

1. Do not show up without booking your lodging

The biggest warning is not about crime or weather. It is about availability. Holy Week is a top domestic travel period, and Oaxaca City draws both religious visitors and vacation crowds. Most things stay open, but finding the right place to stay gets harder and more expensive the closer you get.

If you want to stay in the historic center, or in a specific neighborhood like Jalatlaco, book early and do not assume you can improvise. If you are late, you will still find something, but it might be far from the center, or priced like it comes with a free mezcal baptism.

2. Do not assume everything closes, and do not assume nothing closes

This is the classic Oaxaca Semana Santa confusion. Some people worry the city will shut down for the week. Others assume it is business as usual. Reality sits in the middle. Tourist facing businesses and markets usually keep operating, and many museums and restaurants aimed at travelers remain open.

What changes is the flow. Certain services can run on altered hours, banks and offices may close on key days, and the center can become temporarily inaccessible by car. Treat it like a festival schedule. Confirm hours for anything you cannot miss, and build flexibility into your day so you do not spend a holiday afternoon hunting for a specific errand.

3. Do not treat the Procesión del Silencio like a parade

Oaxaca’s Procesión del Silencio is one of the most striking public events of the week. It is also one of the easiest places for tourists to accidentally be disrespectful. The key word is silence. This is not a party procession. It is meant to be solemn. The quiet, the slow pace, and the devotional tone are the point.

Practical rule: if you are watching, become part of the silence. Keep conversations low, do not shout to friends across the street, and avoid standing in the route just to get a photo. If you take photos, be discreet and skip flash. People do not come here to be your vacation content. They come because it matters to them.

4. Do not drive through the historic center during peak events

Semana Santa is when Oaxaca’s center reminds everyone that it was built for walking, not for modern traffic. Official traffic operations and public safety notices commonly include temporary circulation controls around the Zocalo area, with specific streets managed to protect pedestrians and allow processions and crowds to move safely.

If you rent a car, use it for day trips, not for chasing center events. For processions and big church nights, plan to walk. If you need a taxi, accept that the driver may drop you a few blocks away because barriers and crowds are the boss, not your map pin.

5. Do not ignore basic church etiquette

Many Semana Santa experiences happen in and around churches. Even if you are not religious, the respectful move is to dress and behave as if the space matters, because it does to the people around you. Modest clothing, no loud talking, and remove hats or sunglasses inside.

If there is a prayer or a moment of silence, do not move around for the perfect angle. Stand still, watch, and wait for a natural break. Oaxaca is incredibly welcoming, but it is also very good at quietly judging you while smiling. Do not give it a reason.

6. Do not carry valuables like you are in an empty museum

Crowds create opportunity for petty theft in any city. Semana Santa concentrates people into tight spaces, especially in the evenings, and that is when distracted travelers are easiest to target. Official safety operations for the season exist for a reason. Use the same common sense you would use at any major festival.

Keep your phone and wallet in a secure pocket. Avoid hanging your bag behind you in packed streets. If you want to enjoy the night events, carry less, not more. Oaxaca is not asking you to be paranoid. It is asking you to stop advertising your passport and your cash to strangers.

7. Do not plan your entire trip around one restaurant with no backup

Semana Santa changes dinner dynamics. More visitors means more competition for popular tables, and locals also go out. Peak holiday periods are exactly when booking ahead helps, especially for the most famous spots and the most convenient dinner hours.

Make one or two reservations if there are places you truly care about, but keep the rest flexible. Oaxaca is built for delicious improvisation. Markets, small dining rooms, and neighborhood spots can be your best meals. The mistake is putting all your hopes into one table at one time, then acting surprised when half the city had the same idea.

A simple way to enjoy Semana Santa like a local observer

Choose one major event to witness with full attention, then spend the rest of the day wandering slowly. Walk more than you taxi. Eat earlier than you think. Carry less than you think. When you see something solemn, lower your volume and let it be what it is. That single attitude shift solves most Semana Santa problems before they start.