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Mitla Oaxaca and Guide for your visit

Mitla Oaxaca is one of the most important destinations when traveling in the state of Oaxaca, in fact, it is considered a magical town in Mexico.

I’m going to be very honest here, what is really worthwhile about Mitla is the archaeological zone, let’s say that it is its main attraction and that is why it is considered a magical town.

This guide is for you to know what to visit in San Pablo Villa de Mitla, how to get there and what to enjoy in this place.

🤓Whatdoes Mitla mean?

This word comes from the Nahuatl language and means “place of the dead”, and clearly honors the name because tombs have been found that surely belonged to priests or great personages of the place.

So let’s start by sharing what to do in Mitla Pueblo Magico.

Mitla Archaeological Zone

Mitla Oaxaca

This is the main attraction of the town and is known to have been the second most important ceremonial center for the Zapotecs.

What makes this place unique are its Grecas, geometric figures that were used to decorate Zapotec buildings and that you will hardly find anywhere else.

The archaeological site of Mitla Oaxaca is small and beautiful. Our recommendation is to try to use a guide to explain what you are seeing, as it is a reality that there is not much written information.

Archaeological zone of Mitla

Visiting hours: Monday to Sunday from 8:00 to 17:00 hours.

Please note: to visit the archaeological site we recommend using a tour or a guide. Visiting this place is worth it when you have someone to explain what you are seeing and the history of the place. Visiting it just to see and take pictures is not worth it.

▷Recommended tour: Tour to Mitla, Hierve el Agua, Teotitilán and the Tule Tree.

Mitla Prices

Costs of the Mitla Archaeological Zone:

  • Entrance fee: $85 pesos per person.
  • Guide: $600 pesos

What to do in Mitla Oaxaca

Apart from visiting the archaeological site of mitla these are some other things you can do

  1. Visit the San Pablo Apostle Church: Beautiful temple of the XVI century located next to the Zapotec-Mixtec zone.
  2. Go to the Frisell Museum: The Museum of Mitla Pueblo Magico houses more than 40,000 archaeological pieces of the Zapotec culture.
  3. Taste the mezcal: Another important attraction in Mitla Oaxaca that you have to visit are the mezcal distillery workshops, an authentic drink of this region.
  4. Visit the Tule tree: It is not in the magical town but it is close by, so if you have time to spare you should consider visiting it.

Mitla Oaxaca How to get there

We have 3 options to get to Mitla from Oaxaca:

Mitla Oaxaca Tour

It is a great option if you are looking for comfort and want to visit Mitla and other tourist sites in 1 day. We recommend this excursion: Tour to Mitla, Hierve el Agua, Teotitilán and the Tule Tree.

For families, tourists, couples it is a great option.

How to get to Mitla by public transportation

Obviously, public transportation will be the cheapest way to get there. It involves more effort and more time, but it can be done.

What you must do to get there by public transportation is:

  1. You should look for the collective cabs in the center of Oaxaca: We recommend that you ask at the tourist modules to find out where the collective cabs to Mitla leave from, you can find one near the temple of Santo Domingo and another in the main square of Oaxaca.

In any case, you can go to the central bus station, the collective cabs are close by.

How to get to Mitla by car

Whether you have your own car or you decide to rent one, what you should do:

  1. From the city of Oaxaca you must take the international highway/ Oaxaca Tehuantepec.
  2. At kilometer 39.9 you should take the International towards Insurgentes and there you will meet Mitla.

The truth is that the signs are clear so it is not complicated to get there. As we always say, use your cell phone’s GPS to avoid problems.

Tips for visiting the archaeological zone of Mitla

Where to stay? Our recommendation is to stay in the city of Oaxaca and seek to visit Mitla from there. If you don’t have accommodation yet, we recommend you to look for hotels here

When to visit the magical town? Actually any date is good, but if you can go in low season, all the better.

Where to eat? Don’t worry too much about food on your visit to this magical town, finding a restaurant or food stand is easy.

Oaxaca attractions to consider on your trip

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