Town Reyes Etla, Oaxaca Central Valleys of Oaxaca
Seat of a small Etla valley municipality at 1,635 m, 18 km from Oaxaca, beside the Señor de las Peñas sanctuary and its fifth-Friday-of-Lent pilgrimage.
From Oaxaca: 20 min by car (20 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to Reyes Etla
Where to stay near Reyes Etla
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Reyes Etla.
Tours to Reyes Etla
Day trips around Capulálpam de Méndez sometimes stop in Reyes Etla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
How to get to Reyes Etla
- From Oaxaca: about 20 min by road (~20 km)
- Nearest airport: Oaxaca (OAX), 1 h 27 min by car to Capulálpam de Méndez
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About Reyes Etla
Reyes Etla is the seat of one of the smallest municipalities in the Etla district of Oaxaca's Central Valleys, at about 1,635 m above sea level and roughly 18 km from the state capital. The 2020 census counted 2,367 people in the town itself, up from 1,074 in 1950 and just 798 in 1900, so growth has been slow and mostly recent. The municipality covers around 24 km² of nearly flat ground with a few rock outcrops and quarries, and is crossed by the Atoyac river and the Asunción stream.
The name joins two things: Reyes, for the Three Kings, its patron saints, and Etla, a Nahuatl word usually read as the place where beans abound. The patron feast falls on 6 January. The municipal monograph records that the town hall was founded in 1850 in a shingle-roofed building, and that a new adobe one went up in 1875 with separate cells for men and women. Today the municipal palace is a two-storey building with a front arcade on the town square.
The biggest draw is the sanctuary of Las Peñitas, on the edge of town, where the Señor de las Peñas is venerated. Local tradition says Christ left the print of a foot and a knee on the mogotes, the low rocky hills around the church, and every fifth Friday of Lent processions and pilgrims arrive from across Oaxaca and beyond to keep their promises. A plaque beside the church gives 1636 as the year it was built. The mogotes are also listed as an archaeological zone, though not an excavated one open to visitors.
For a traveller, Reyes Etla works as a quiet stop in the Etla valley, next door to Villa de Etla and its market. The other big dates are 1 and 2 November, for All Saints and Day of the Dead.
How to get to Reyes Etla
Drive from Oaxaca: 20 min, 20 km
Reyes Etla is about 18 km from Oaxaca city, roughly 30 minutes by car, in the Etla valley. Leave on federal highway 190 toward Mexico City and continue to Villa de Etla; Reyes Etla sits right beside it, to the west by municipal boundaries. Colectivos and buses to Villa de Etla leave the city through the day (the first-class terminal is at Calzada Niños Héroes de Chapultepec 1036, and shared taxis to Etla valley towns leave from the central terminal); from Villa de Etla a short taxi reaches Reyes. Check the exact colectivo route locally, as we found no published timetable. By car it combines easily with San Agustín Etla and Villa de Etla in one day.
Directions to Reyes Etla on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Reyes Etla
- Oaxaca · 20 km by road, 20 min
- Huajuapan de León · 153 km by road, 2 h 10 min
- Tuxtepec · about 160 km by road, ~2 h 20 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in Reyes Etla 1
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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San José Mogote · Archaeological site · 4 km from the centre
The Etla valley's first large Zapotec village, older than Monte Albán, with a restored mound and a small community museum.
Map of Reyes Etla
Neighbourhoods and villages of Reyes Etla
Part of Reyes Etla or just outside it, closest first.
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Villa de Etla · Town · 1 km from the centre
Etla valley market town with a 1636 Dominican church and a Wednesday market known for quesillo, tamales and goat barbacoa. -
Soledad Etla · Town · 4 km from the centre
Municipal seat in the Etla valley at 1,590 m, with an 1721 church, about 19 km from Oaxaca city and frequent shared transport.
Day trips and tours from Reyes Etla
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Reyes Etla and tours that leave from it.
Times marked ~ are estimated from the distance. Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Before you go: getting to and around Reyes Etla
- The nearest airport is Oaxaca (OAX).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and December.
- 2 of the places on this page are more than 3 km from the centre: take a taxi, a ride-hailing app or a local bus.
- For day trips a rental car gives the most freedom; the tours above leave from Reyes Etla.
Before you go to Reyes Etla: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Feasts: the Three Kings on 6 January, the Señor de las Peñas on the fifth Friday of Lent and All Saints on 1 and 2 November. EcuRed, Reyes Etla · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Reyes Etla: what to see and do
Visit the sanctuary of Las Peñitas and the Señor de las Peñas church, with its 1636 plaque.
Look over the mogotes where, tradition says, Christ's footprint and knee mark remain.
Come on the fifth Friday of Lent, when the pilgrimages arrive.
Walk the square and the two-storey municipal palace.
Join the feast of the Three Kings on 6 January.
Continue to neighbouring Villa de Etla on a Wednesday for its market.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Reyes Etla
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Reyes Etla.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Capulálpam de Méndez sometimes stop in Reyes Etla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at OAX (Oaxaca): about 1 h 27 min by road to Capulálpam de Méndez, then 40 km more to Reyes Etla, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Oaxaca (OAX), about 1 h 27 min by road from Capulálpam de Méndez, the base for Reyes Etla.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Capulálpam de Méndez: download a map of the way to Reyes Etla before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Reyes Etla cool
Reyes Etla shares the climate of Capulálpam de Méndez, 40 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Capulálpam de Méndez
Weather in Reyes Etla now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Capulálpam de Méndez
Capulálpam de Méndez is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Reyes Etla, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Mitla · Oaxaca · 57 km away
- Teposcolula · Oaxaca · 80 km away
Near Reyes Etla
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.