The Night of the Radishes

==================== When we first heard of La Noche de los Rabanos, we said this we gotta see! Every December 23, local artists throughout Oaxaca carve giant radishes into fantastic creations and exhibit them in the Zocalo (main square) in the center of Oaxaca city. There are traditional roots (forgive the pun) to this practice, but recently the government has taken to offering prizes for best exhibits in several categories, so the event is well populated.

Exhibitors start setting up in the late afternoon, so one has the chance to see most of the exhibits before the crowds start building. To see all the exhibits later means joining a line that winds around the Zocalo two or three times. We prefer to watch the later action from comfortable seats in one of the sidewalk cafes.