Oaxaca, Mexico.

WITH Oaxaca's imposing Baroque churches, plant-filled courtyards and shady plazas perfect for people-watching, it's tempting to see the city as a photogenic relic of Mexico's colonial past. But Oaxaca City, the capital of one of the country's poorest states and a college town teeming with students, isn't quaint or stagnant; it's a small but dynamic city, still emerging economically from the social unrest that put it in the international spotlight, and crippled its tourism industry, in 2006. That uprising -- a protest by striking teachers that was met with police violence and led to a protracted conflict -- is now history, but its legacy is everywhere in a streetscape of politically inspired stencil art, which has turned adobe walls and concrete sidewalks into a public gallery. Combined with the city's long-established studio art scene, a vibrant cafe culture, a mescal-fueled night life and one of Mexico's most exciting regional cuisines, Oaxaca is as cosmopolitan as it is architecturally stunning. Friday [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]