Visit to the archaeological site of Mitla, not Mexico

The ancient Zapotecs who inhabited Oaxaca named that town Lyobaa, “house of tombs”. In Náhuatl, the language of the Aztecs, it was known as Mictlán, “place of the dead”. Located about 60 km from the state capital, the small town of San Pablo Villa de Mitla still preserves remnants of those times, not only in the traditions and conversations of residents that often take place in the Zapotec language. There still stands one of the main pre-Hispanic ceremonial sites of these people who were once a prosperous empire.

It is believed that, with the decline of Monte Albán as a political and religious center of Zapotec culture, Mitla came to occupy this prestigious place, having 10,500 inhabitants at its peak – which lasted until the arrival of the Spanish -, and functioned as a religious and military center for many of the communities settled in the Oaxaca Valley and the Sierra Madre. Today, it is possible to get a glimpse of that time by visiting the remaining monuments, which are, for the most part, buildings that had administrative functions.

Among them, the Church Group stands out, named after a Catholic temple, the San Pablo Póstol, built on the ruins of a Zapotec temple dedicated to the god Corzana. The Columns group of ruins, a large chamber with monolithic columns that were used to support the roof, is another that is well preserved. One of them is known as the “Column of Life”. They say that whoever hugs her can find out how much time is left in their life. I cannot verify the legend, as I prefer my future to be a mystery.

But the ruins of Mitla are distinguished from other archaeological sites by their colors and mosaics. The dry green of the landscape contrasts with the earthy red that adorns the buildings that have stood the test of time. In the northern part of the park, the complex carved stone designs are unique to this archaeological site and mark the places where a large number of tombs of members of the most powerful classes of Zapotec society were found, such as kings and priests. Some chambers are connected by small, narrow, low and dark corridors.

In addition to the ruins that are protected by the boundaries of the archaeological park, the town of San Pablo Villa de Mitla is full of them and some are even mixed into the homes of residents, who even use them as building materials. Recently, the Mexican Government has been working to identify and preserve this historic space.

Visit to Mitla – Practical Information

Operation and price: The Mitla archaeological site is open every day from 7am to 5pm. Entrance costs 65 pesos per person.

How to get there from Oaxaca: You need to take a bus that runs along Avenida 175, which is outside the historic part of Oaxaca, but close enough to walk. There are several points on this avenue, but one option is to take them at the intersection with Calle Bustamante. The buses come with a sign on the front saying “Mitla” and cost 20 pesos. The journey takes less than an hour.

Expert say: Don’t forget to stroll through the typical crafts market that takes place daily outside the park and, perhaps, take home a piece with the beautiful flower embroidery that is characteristic of the state of Oaxaca. When I was there, I bought a bag that was a hit when I returned home.

If you want to have lunch in Mitla, on the main street there are several local restaurants serving typical dishes from the region, such as mole and pozole.

Combining Mitla and Hierve el Água on the same day: If you only have time to visit one archaeological site during your stay in Oaxaca, Monte Albán is undoubtedly much more interesting. However, the visit to Mitla goes very well with the trip to Hierve el Água and it is very easy to do both on the same day. This is because, to get to the petrified waterfalls from Oaxaca, you have to take a bus that stops right at the entrance to the town of Mitla and, from there, take one of the pickup trucks that go up the mountain. So, what a lot of people do when they get off the bus is enter Mitla and walk along the main avenue for about 15 minutes to the park entrance (it’s all very well signposted and anyone on the street can tell you where it is). Visit and return the same way to take the truck to Hierve el Água.

If you decide to do this, I suggest leaving Oaxaca early to visit Mitla in the morning and thus make better use of the time for both tours, as the last trucks leave Hierve el Água at 5:30 pm and you may have to wait a little while to go up to there as they require a group of at least five people to go out. Unless, of course, you want to pay for the missing seats (it’s 50 pesos per person, or R$10, to go up whenever you want).

Sign up for our newsletter