MAZUNTE, Mexico | In the small Mexican beach town of Mazunte, there are no cruise ships calling, no college-age hooligans binge drinking and no towering hotels in all-inclusive resorts.

None of that.

Instead, in this sunbathed town on the Pacific Coast of the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, locals come to dip in the ocean. Fishermen unload cases of sharks in the morning. Kids play beach soccer, with sticks in the sand for goals. Dirt roads lead to the shore. Locals lounge on hammocks, their houses a few hundred yards from the beach.

“I didn’t want to go to Cabo San Lucas and drink my face off in an all-inclusive resort,” said Sarah Evans, 41, from British Columbia, while she sunbathed. “It’s tranquil here. But it’s not exactly off the beaten path. There’s a lot of tourists here.”

There are the ruins of ancient civilizations. Monte Alban, the center of the Zapotec civilization, sits atop a hill in the valley just outside the city, with towering stone buildings and pyramids. On the other side of the valley, the ruins at Mitla feature the remains of the Mixtec civilization.

“Oaxaca state is a very diverse state,” said Erika Ruiz Ojeda, a Spanish teacher in Oaxaca City. “I think no town is like the other. Each town is special and unique.”

In the center square of Oaxaca City, the Zocalo, locals and travelers sip hot chocolate or beer. Mariachi bands, Andean musicians, marimba players and others offer music for tips. Locals stroll the wide plaza. Young couples canoodle.