Town San Antonio de la Cal, Oaxaca Central Valleys of Oaxaca
Central Valleys town next to Oaxaca city, settled by lime burners; fiesta of San Antonio Abad every 17 January and a name for tlayudas.
From Oaxaca: 5 min by car (5 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to San Antonio de la Cal
Where to stay near San Antonio de la Cal
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in San Antonio de la Cal.
Tours to San Antonio de la Cal
Day trips around Mitla sometimes stop in San Antonio de la Cal; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
How to get to San Antonio de la Cal
- From Oaxaca: about 5 min by road (~5 km)
- Nearest airport: Oaxaca (OAX), 47 min by car to Mitla
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About San Antonio de la Cal
San Antonio de la Cal is in the Central Valleys, in the Centro district, a few minutes from the city of Oaxaca. The municipality covers only about 11 km², and the town itself about 4, which makes it one of the most densely populated in the state: in 2020 the town had 24,419 people and the municipality 26,282. It is now practically a suburb of the metropolitan area, but it keeps its own fiesta and its own history.
Its origin goes back to the 15th century, when families from Santa Catarina Minas, in Ocotlán, settled where there were limestone deposits. They burned the stone to make lime, which was their main living until recently and gave the town its name. A local tradition says the image of San Antonio Abad appeared on one of three large fig trees in the centre, and the church was built there, a church with 16th-century origins. The municipality also has a 20th-century bridge connecting it to the highway to Oaxaca city and a monument to Hidalgo on the municipal esplanade.
The patron's fiesta is on 17 January and is announced a few days earlier with a convite: mototaxis, mayordomos with calenda figures, giants, fireworks, pyrotechnic baskets and the fiesta queen go through the streets. People eat zegueza and dance sones and jarabes, and locals call it "the land of tortillas clayudas". Other dates are the Dulce Nombre (2 January) and the Fiesta del Consuelo on Ash Wednesday.
It is a half-hour stop to see the church, the plaza and the atmosphere of the convite, and to eat tlayudas and tejate, rather than a day trip.
How to get to San Antonio de la Cal
Drive from Oaxaca: 5 min, 5 km
San Antonio de la Cal is about 4 km southeast of the centre of Oaxaca city, roughly 5 minutes by car or taxi depending on the route and traffic, which at rush hour can stretch it considerably. Vive Oaxaca describes it as a town a few minutes from Oaxaca. Access is by the road leaving the city, and a 20th-century bridge connects the municipality to it.
Because it is part of the metropolitan area, the simplest way is a taxi from the centre, a mototaxi within town (decorated ones lead the January 17 convite) or the city's local transport; no source I opened gives a fixed numbered route, so ask in the centre or at your lodging for the van that goes to San Antonio de la Cal.
From Oaxaca you can continue to Mitla, the nearest pueblo in our guide, about 38 km as the crow flies, roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour by road, approximate.
Directions to San Antonio de la Cal on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San Antonio de la Cal
- Oaxaca · 5 km by road, 5 min
- Huajuapan de León · 175 km by road, 2 h 25 min
- Tehuacán · 218 km by road, 2 h 30 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in San Antonio de la Cal 6
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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Andador Macedonio Alcalá · Landmark · 4 km from the centre
Oaxaca's green-stone pedestrian street, car-free since 1985, running five blocks from the Zócalo to Santo Domingo past museums and galleries. -
Barrio de Jalatlaco · Landmark · 4 km from the centre
Oaxaca's first Barrio Mágico: cobbled lanes, adobe and cantera houses, street murals and the 18th-century church of San Matías. -
Mercado 20 de Noviembre · Landmark · 4 km from the centre
Oaxaca's food market, two blocks south of the Zócalo: mole, tlayudas, pan de yema with chocolate and the smoky Pasillo de Humo grill aisle. -
Mercado Benito Juárez · Landmark · 4 km from the centre
Oaxaca's oldest covered market, an 1894 iron hall a block from the Zócalo selling mole, quesillo, chocolate, crafts and fresh juice. -
Museo Textil de Oaxaca · Landmark · 4 km from the centre
Free textile museum in an 18th-century cochineal merchant's house in Oaxaca's centro, with rotating shows of huipiles, rebozos and dyes. -
Zócalo de Oaxaca · Landmark · 4 km from the centre
Oaxaca's shady, car-free main square, laid out in 1529, with an art nouveau bandstand, café arcades, the cathedral and the Alameda de León beside it.
Map of San Antonio de la Cal
Neighbourhoods and villages of San Antonio de la Cal
Part of San Antonio de la Cal or just outside it, closest first.
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Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán · Town · 3 km from the centre
Oaxaca city's southern neighbour, famous for the candlelit Day of the Dead vigils in its old and new cemeteries on the night of 31 October. -
Santa Lucía del Camino · Town · 4 km from the centre
City 3 km east of Oaxaca, with 45,895 people in 2020 and the second-highest density of any municipality in the state.
Day trips and tours from San Antonio de la Cal
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from San Antonio de la Cal 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 San Antonio de la Cal
- The nearest airport is Oaxaca (OAX).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and December.
- 7 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 San Antonio de la Cal.
Before you go to San Antonio de la Cal: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Fiesta of San Antonio Abad on 17 January, announced by a convite a few days earlier; Dulce Nombre on 2 January; Fiesta del Consuelo on Ash Wednesday. Vive Oaxaca · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting San Antonio de la Cal: what to see and do
Step into the church of San Antonio Abad, with 16th-century origins.
Walk the plaza and the monument to Hidalgo on the municipal esplanade.
Cross the 20th-century bridge toward the Oaxaca highway.
Come on 17 January for the patron's fiesta, and a few days earlier for the convite.
Go on Ash Wednesday for the Fiesta del Consuelo.
Try tlayudas, zegueza and tejate.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Antonio de la Cal
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Antonio de la Cal.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Mitla sometimes stop in San Antonio de la Cal; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at OAX (Oaxaca): about 47 min by road to Mitla, then 38 km more to San Antonio de la Cal, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Oaxaca (OAX), about 47 min by road from Mitla, the base for San Antonio de la Cal.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Mitla: download a map of the way to San Antonio de la Cal before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Antonio de la Cal mild
San Antonio de la Cal shares the climate of Mitla, 38 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Mitla
Weather in San Antonio de la Cal now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Mitla
Mitla is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San Antonio de la Cal, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Capulálpam de Méndez · Oaxaca · 40 km away
Near San Antonio de la Cal
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.