#8E5C3A
#B8785C
#E8C878
#2E1406
Background
Primary Accent
Secondary
Body Text

Oaxaca Mole Color Palette

#8E5C3A · #B8785C · #E8C878 · #2E1406

Fail
WCAG Grade
3.1:1
Contrast Ratio
1,030
Saves
2,780
AI Copies
AI Prompt

Use #8E5C3A as the background. Use #B8785C as the primary accent. Use #E8C878 as secondary. Use #2E1406 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Oaxaca Mole — mole, markets, meztizo.

Hex Codes, RGB & CMYK Color Values

Technical breakdown for the Oaxaca Mole color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).

Swatch Design Role HEX RGB CMYK HSL
Background
Luminance: 13.7%
142, 92, 58 0%, 35%, 59%, 44% 24°, 42%, 39%
Primary Accent
Luminance: 24.4%
184, 120, 92 0%, 35%, 50%, 28% 18°, 39%, 54%
Secondary
Luminance: 59.8%
232, 200, 120 0%, 14%, 48%, 9% 43°, 71%, 69%
Body Text
Luminance: 1.1%
46, 20, 6 0%, 57%, 87%, 82% 21°, 77%, 10%

Oaxaca Mole Tints & Shades

Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Oaxaca Mole palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.

#8E5C3A gently saturated orange
#B8785C gently saturated orange
#E8C878 saturated orange
#2E1406 saturated orange

Oaxaca Mole Palette Contrast Matrix (WCAG 2.1)

Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.

Text on Background Preview Ratio Grade Safe For
#2E1406 on #E8C878
Aa Sample Text
10.64:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#E8C878 on #2E1406
Aa Sample Text
10.64:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#2E1406 on #B8785C
Aa Sample Text
4.82:1 AA Body text, UI
#B8785C on #2E1406
Aa Sample Text
4.82:1 AA Body text, UI
#E8C878 on #8E5C3A
Aa Sample Text
3.46:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#8E5C3A on #E8C878
Aa Sample Text
3.46:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#2E1406 on #8E5C3A
Aa Sample Text
3.07:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#8E5C3A on #2E1406
Aa Sample Text
3.07:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#E8C878 on #B8785C
Aa Sample Text
2.21:1 Fail Decorative use only
#B8785C on #E8C878
Aa Sample Text
2.21:1 Fail Decorative use only
#B8785C on #8E5C3A
Aa Sample Text
1.57:1 Fail Decorative use only
#8E5C3A on #B8785C
Aa Sample Text
1.57:1 Fail Decorative use only

Oaxaca Mole Color Psychology & Meaning

Oaxaca is the culinary heart of Mexico, its markets stacked with moles, cheeses, and chocolate, and this palette is mole brown with chile red and gold. It feels rich and festive, the color of a city that tastes like a celebration.

Color Harmony: Analogous Scheme

The Oaxaca Mole palette is built using a analogous relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.

Hue Wheel

A analogous palette is often preferred by professional designers because it creates a calm, serene atmosphere by using neighboring colors.

History & Design Context

Oaxaca has been a Zapotec and Mixtec center for thousands of years, and its cuisine, with seven kinds of mole, is recognized by UNESCO as intangible heritage; the citys green sandstone and its Day of the Dead altars are equally famous.

Best Design Use Cases

Use the mole brown for hero surfaces, chile red for accents, gold for highlights, and deep brown for text.

Industries This Palette Suits

Cuisine, mezcal, tourism, craft, culture.

Colors That Pair Well With Oaxaca Mole

Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.

cyan-blue

directly opposite #B8785C on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy

yellow

30° beside #B8785C — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension

tinted neutral

a paper-white carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers

Using Oaxaca Mole Without Breaking Accessibility

  • Avoid #B8785C for small UI elements on #8E5C3A — at 1.6:1 it misses the 3:1 WCAG threshold; darken it with a shade from the ramp below.
  • Don't set body copy in #2E1406 on #8E5C3A — 3.1:1 fails WCAG AA; keep it for large decorative headings only.
  • Don't use #E8C878 behind body text — this light tone works better for surfaces, badges and dividers than for reading areas.

How to Implement the Oaxaca Mole Color Scheme

To use this Oaxaca Mole color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.

Option 1: CSS Variables

:root { 
  /* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'}  --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'}  --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'}  --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'}  --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}

Web Design Tip

Use #8E5C3A for the main background and #B8785C for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.

Accessibility Note

The contrast ratio between #2E1406 and #8E5C3A is 3.07:1 (Fail). Ensure your body text remains legible.

Oaxaca Mole Palette — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hex codes in the Oaxaca Mole color palette?

The Oaxaca Mole palette contains #8E5C3A, #B8785C, #E8C878, #2E1406. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.

Is the Oaxaca Mole color palette accessible (WCAG)?

Yes for its strongest pairings: #2E1406 on #E8C878 reaches 10.6:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.

What colors go well with the Oaxaca Mole palette?

Beyond its own four colors, #5C9CB7, #AC9E68, #EFEDEB extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.

What mood does the Oaxaca Mole palette create?

Oaxaca Mole reads as mole, markets, meztizo. Gently saturated orange drives the personality, grounded by gently saturated orange — a combination that works best when the mid-tone base gets most of the canvas.

Can I use the Oaxaca Mole color palette commercially?

Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Oaxaca Mole palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.

How do I add the Oaxaca Mole palette to Tailwind or CSS?

Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Oaxaca Mole's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.

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