Capulálpam de Méndez
A Zapotec 'Magical Town' in the northern mountains, surrounded by pine forests and red-tiled white houses, offering traditional herbal healing and eco-hikes.
Capulálpam lies about 70 km northeast of Oaxaca City in the Sierra Norte mountains, at an elevation of about 2,000 m. Mexico's tourism ministry has designated it a Pueblo Mágico, or Magical Town. The village keeps its mountain architecture of red-tiled white houses and its 18th-century Church of San Mateo. The community-run traditional medicine center offers herbal steam baths (temazcal) and healing treatments. The surrounding area has trails, streams, and lookout points. The mountain roads are winding, and the drive takes about 1.5–2 hours. You can visit on a day trip, or stay overnight to experience community ecotourism.
Opening hours
Open all day
Nearby sights
- Teotitlán del Valle
- Árbol del Tule
- Dainzú
- Yagul
- Tlacolula Sunday Market
- Barrio de Jalatlaco
- Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca
- Templo de Santo Domingo & Museum of Oaxacan Cultures