Mitla
Zona Arqueológica de Mitla
The Zapotec 'City of the Dead', famous in Central America for its wall surfaces of geometric fret patterns mosaicked from hundreds of thousands of carved stone pieces. A colonial church was built directly on top of the ruins.
Mitla means 'place of the dead'. It was an important Zapotec religious center that flourished from 900 to 1521 CE. The highlight is the Group of the Columns, where the courtyard walls are covered with precisely cut small stone pieces, laid without mortar to form 14 fret-pattern designs. Their scale is unique in Mesoamerica. You can also enter the underground cross-shaped burial chambers. The Spaniards tore down part of the temples and used the stone to build the Church of San Pablo on the site, creating a striking layering of colonial and pre-Columbian architecture. Admission is collected by INAH and costs about 90-100 pesos. The site is about 45 km southeast of Oaxaca city, in the town of Mitla. You can take a bus to Mitla or join a day tour. The town has stalls selling mezcal and textiles.
Opening hours
Daily 8:00am–5:00pm (check INAH announcements)
Nearby sights
- Santiago Matatlán
- Yagul
- Hierve el Agua
- Tlacolula Sunday Market
- Teotitlán del Valle
- Dainzú
- Árbol del Tule
- San Martín Tilcajete