Which Mexican cheese is similar to mozzarella and often used for melting?

The Mexican cheese similar to mozzarella and often used for melting is Oaxaca cheese. Also called quesillo or queso de hebra, it is a white, semi-hard cheese with a moist, stringy texture that makes it especially useful in hot dishes.

Oaxaca cheese originated in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Its production uses a stretch-curd technique: the curd is heated and pulled into long ribbons, which are then wound into a ball resembling a skein of yarn. The method is related to the pasta filata process used for mozzarella, though the finished cheeses are not identical.

Oaxaca cheese is widely used in quesadillas, empanadas, and tlayudas, where it melts smoothly without losing its characteristic stretch. It is sometimes confused with asadero, a similar Mexican cheese from Chihuahua, but the two are made differently. Panela, cotija, and queso fresco are also Mexican cheeses, yet they are not the classic mozzarella-like melting cheese described here.