Town 20 km northwest of Mitla
The Zapotec weaving village of the valley: family workshops making wool rugs on foot looms with natural dyes.
Teotitlán del Valle sits at the foot of the Sierra Juárez, a few kilometers off the highway between Oaxaca and Mitla. It is one of the oldest Zapotec towns in the valley, Zapotec is still the everyday language for most people, and almost every family seems to have a loom. The town is famous for its wool rugs, woven on wooden foot looms in patterns that mix old Zapotec fretwork, like the designs on the walls of Mitla, with newer motifs.
The best weavers still dye their own wool with natural colors: cochineal from the insects that live on nopal cactus for reds and pinks, indigo for blues, pomegranate rind for yellows and walnut shells for browns. Many workshops are part of the family home, and if you ask, weavers will often show you how the dyes are made and how a rug comes together, without pressure to buy.
In the center, the church of the Preciosa Sangre de Cristo was built by the Spanish on top of a Zapotec temple, and carved stones from the older building can still be seen in its walls. Across the plaza, the community museum tells the town's history, and the market fills up early each morning. Above the town rises El Picacho, a sacred hill where people climb for prayers each May 3.
What to see and do
Visit a weaving family's workshop to watch the foot looms and the natural dyeing.
Look for the carved Zapotec stones set into the walls of the church of the Preciosa Sangre de Cristo.
Stop at the community museum on the main plaza.
Have breakfast at the market early in the morning, when it is busiest.
Getting there
Teotitlán is about 25 minutes from Mitla by car: head west on Highway 190 toward Oaxaca and take the signed turnoff north, about 4 kilometers up to the town. Buses between Oaxaca and Mitla stop at the turnoff, where shared taxis usually wait to take people up to the center.
20 km northwest of Mitla
Directions from Mitla on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Weather mild
Teotitlán del Valle shares the climate of Mitla, 20 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.
Make Mitla your base
Teotitlán del Valle is an easy trip from Mitla, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
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Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.