Visit Oaxaca in Spanish Class

This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.

For a few years, I taught with a textbook that had a whole unit based in Oaxaca, Mexico. During that time, I wrote a few blog posts about the activities I used, and I figured it was time to bring them all together in one place. If you’re planning to visit Oaxaca in Spanish class, or just want to infuse more culture into your unit, this post has you covered with fresh ideas your students will love.

Introduce your students to Oaxaca through Instagram

Social media is one of my favorite tools for teaching culture because it’s so real and current. If you’re planning to visit Oaxaca in Spanish class, consider starting with Instagram. From markets to murals, the visuals are a goldmine. You can project the posts and prompt students to describe what they see, talk about colors, clothing, foods, or even just practice location phrases like “a la izquierda” or “encima de.”

Social media, Youtubers (speaking of, check out my Youtube here!), and bloggers are becoming my favorite. Because they document EVERYTHING. Everything. And because they document and share everything, it’s easier to find and share it with your classes! Check out this post for using Instagram posts as you visit Oaxaca in Spanish class.

Prepositions in Spanish and Google Maps

Our Oaxaca unit also covered our prepositions of location and giving directions. A fun way to tie this in was to use Google My Maps to put the students “in” the city for real and help them look at where places are located as they explore the city! Learn more about this activity here.

QR Code Interpretive Reading Activity

Send your students on an adventure through the city! Students read the directions and follow the information to go from place to place in the city. This activity builds off of the prepositions activity described above, so students are somewhat familiar with the map and digging deeper into it! Read the post here.

La Ciudad de Oaxaca Cultural Reading & Activities

Bring your students to Oaxaca with a printable and digital cultural lesson! Students explore the infographic or Google Slides, then answer the comprehension questions or complete the graphic organizer. It’s a great option to help your students explore the city!

Build a Cultural Adventure

To make your unit really come alive, bring your students along for an interactive journey. When you visit Oaxaca in Spanish class, don’t stop at the textbook. Use Google My Maps and QR code scavenger hunts to help students navigate the city as if they were really there. This helps reinforce vocabulary for directions and prepositions while keeping things fun and hands-on.

Wrap things up with a cultural reading activity and a graphic organizer or even a student-created travel guide. The key is giving students a reason to interact with the material in different formats and from different angles.

Have you ever tried to visit Oaxaca in Spanish class with your students? If so, I’d love to hear what worked well for you. Share your favorite ideas or drop a link to your own resources in the comments.

Visiting Oaxaca in Spanish Class

I hope these ideas for Oaxaca are helpful to you as you plan engaging cultural content! If you have a similar unit, I’d love to hear what other activities, strategies, or twists you use in your own classroom to help students explore and connect with Oaxaca or other Spanish-speaking regions. Sharing ideas helps us all grow, so feel free to drop a comment or tag me if you try something new!