About Mitla

Mitla is both a perfect base for exploring Oaxaca and an incredible destination in itself. Here are a few things we find captivating about the town.

First, the evidence of prehistoric life here is unmatched in this part of Mexico. In the caves of Mitla and Yagul, archaeologists have discovered the oldest cultivated squash and maize in the Americas, along with cave paintings. It’s for that reason that Mitla and Yagul have been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Second are the ruins that have become woven into the fabric of the town. In the waning days of Monte Alban in Oaxaca, Mitla rapidly grew into the center of the Zapotec theocracy. And the town developed a deep interrelationship with the nearby Oaxacan sites of Yagul, Caballito Blanco, Lambityeco, Loma Larga, and Matatlan. The stonework, tombs, and tunnels here are well worth at least an afternoon of exploration.

Third, Mitla is a place where traditional Zapotec culture and the old ways of Oaxaca survive—the clacking of looms at all hours, the Zapotec spoken in the Mitla market by women selling everything from homemade mole and tortillas to fresh gladiolus and copal incense, the myriad winter festivals, and the more spontaneous parties where bands and processions often materialize from nowhere.

Fourth is beauty of the Oaxaca countryside and the hiking. Just leaving the house, you enter a new ecosystem hiking up the ridge. The rock formations, cacti, cliffs, and caves never cease to inspire, and we continue to map new trails. We can offer some guided hikes (including an epic hike to Hierve el Agua and then a hidden waterfall and swimming hole two hours beyond). We can also offer suggestions and directions for self-guided exploration.

Fifth: Mezcal. Mitla and Matatlan are the epicenter of mezcal production in Oaxaca, with hundreds of small palenques and distilleries in the area. There are more than two dozen varieties of agave growing at the hotel, and we’re happy to provide recommendations for our favorite sampling spots.

That’s just Mitla. You’ll find much more to explore in just a one-hour radius of town: Oaxaca City, Hierve el Agua, the famed Sunday market in Tlacolula, rug weaving in Teotitlan del Valle and Santa Ana del Valle, red clay pottery in San Marcos Tlapazola, and our favorite church in Tlacochahuaya (just to name a few). You can also do a longer day trip to the mountain towns of Benito Juarez and Cuajimoloyas (the hike between the two is stunning).