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Mitla Archaelogical Ruins - Oaxaca - Mexico

​Posted: April 23 2021 | Tagged: Mexico

After you have toured the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Monte Alban and been on a Mezcal Tour in Oaxaca, why not take a bus east and backpack the ancient Mitla Ruins Archeological Site. It's an easy half-day trip, and you can get there using public transportation.
Mitla Archeological site
The Mitla Archeological site, located in the modern municipality of San Pablo Villa de Mitla is the second most important archaeological site in Oaxaca State after Monte Alban and the most important site of the Zapotec culture.

The Zapotec name is Lyobáa, identified as 'resting place' or 'grave'. In Nahuatl, the language of the Mexica, it means 'place of the dead'.
​
The Templo Católico de San Pablo Villa de Mitla built in the late 16th Century on a pre-Hispanic platform using materials from the temples they destroyed:
Templo Católico de San Pablo Villa de Mitla
Templo Católico de San Pablo Villa de Mitla
Templo Católico de San Pablo Villa de Mitla
Templo Católico de San Pablo Villa de Mitla
Patio de las Grecas (images 1, 2 & 3):
How to Visit The Archaeological Site of Mitla - Oaxaca
How to Visit The Archaeological Site of Mitla - Oaxaca
zona arqueológica mitla
Patio de las Columnas (images 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8):
zona arqueológica mitla
zona arqueológica mitla
zona arqueológica mitla
zona arqueológica mitla
zona arqueológica mitla
Entrance to the tombs, sadly off limits just now:
Picture
Patio de las Tumbas (images 10, 11 & 12 exterior view):
zona arqueológica mitla
zona arqueológica mitla
zona arqueológica mitla

How to get to Mitla from Oaxaca:

It is very easy to get to Mitla from Oaxaca by bus. There is no need to take a tour.

There is one blog post I found, that even before I visited, I could see that the blogger did not actually go there.

The site is NOT as they quoted, 3 miles to the west of the town, nor near the junction with the main highway and said blogger enclosed no photos. What a twat! Why do they even bother? Anyone with a pea-sized brain can see they wrote bollocks by just having a look at Google Maps.

NomadicBackpacker is the site you need to be using. I only blog about places I have visited. Period.

The place to catch the bus to Mitla in Oaxaca is on the highway, about 500 metres east of the ADO Bus terminal, just before McDs.
Here is my Oaxaca - Mitla Bus:
Oaxaca Mitla bus
bus to Mitla from Oaxaca
Fare @April 2021, 20MXN. Journey time, 54 minutes. Pay the driver. Distance is 40km +/-.

Exact location of the ​Zona Arqueológica de Mitla:

So best ignore all the other blogs with their bullshit intel. On the map below you can clearly see the location of the Zona Arqueológica de Mitla in relation to the rest of the town of Mitla.

I got off at the spot marked on the map below and walked the short distance north to the Zona Arqueológica de Mitla:
Bus stop in Mitla
On the way in, there is a sanitiser control point just after you turn off the highway:
How to Visit The Archaeological Site of Mitla - Oaxaca
Mitla ticket
Mitla map
If you are good with logistics, you could combine your trip to Mitla with a visit to The Arbol de Tule, where I visited and blogged about back in January.

​But be warned, the Oaxaca - Mitla bus uses the highway thus by passing the town of Tule, so you'd need to walk a bit.

If you need a place to stay in Oaxaca, I stayed a month at The Andaina Hostel. ​

Related Posts:

Previous Post: ​How to get to Tepoztlan from Mexico City
Next Post: ​Where am I going with NomadicBackpacker?

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  • HOME
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    • ATM fees
    • Travel Essentials
    • Favourites
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  • Regions
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