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    Fireworks torito during the patron saint fiesta of San Pablo Etla, Oaxaca

    Photo by Clau García, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    San Pablo Etla

    Town San Pablo Etla, Oaxaca Central Valleys of Oaxaca

    Town in the Etla valley a few minutes from Oaxaca city, founded in 1686 and now home to over 4,000 people.

    From Oaxaca: 15 min by car (12 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Where to stay near San Pablo Etla

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    Tours to San Pablo Etla

    Day trips around Capulálpam de Méndez sometimes stop in San Pablo Etla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.

    Day Trip around Dominican Route in a private service for your family or friends ★ 5.0 (1) · From US$268
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to San Pablo Etla

    • From Oaxaca: about 15 min by road (~12 km)
    • Nearest airport: Oaxaca (OAX), 1 h 27 min by car to Capulálpam de Méndez
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    Popular tours to San Pablo Etla

    Day Trip around Dominican Route in a private service for your family or friends ★ 5.0 (1) 9–10 h From US$268

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About San Pablo Etla

    Founded in 1686 by Antonio Abellán y Carrasco de Groza, San Pablo Etla is one of the towns of the Etla valley, in the northwest of the Valles Centrales. The name joins the patron saint, Paul, with "Etla", which in Nahuatl is explained as "place where beans abound". It stands at roughly 1,623 metres and its municipality borders the state capital, Oaxaca de Juárez.

    The censuses tell the recent story well. In 1900 there were 354 people, in 1930 974, and in 1950 the figure dropped to 547. From 1980 (783 inhabitants) growth was rapid: 1,902 in 1990, 2,479 in 2000, 3,658 in 2010 and 4,703 in 2020. The town has grown because of its closeness to the city, about ten kilometres away in a straight line.

    The patron saint's fiesta is celebrated with plenty of fireworks; one photograph of the town on Wikimedia Commons shows a firework torito during the patronal feast.

    Do not confuse it with Villa de Etla, the district seat, about 17 km from the capital, where the Dominican ex-convent of San Pedro y San Pablo, completed in 1636, stands. San Pablo Etla is a separate municipality and does not have that convent.

    How to get to San Pablo Etla

    Drive from Oaxaca: 15 min, 12 km

    San Pablo Etla is about 10 km in a straight line from Oaxaca city (roughly 10 minutes by car, longer in traffic), in the Etla valley. Its municipality borders Oaxaca de Juárez, and Villa de Etla, the district seat, is about 17 km from the capital along the same northwest axis.

    From the city, a car or taxi is the easiest way. By public transport, colectivos to Etla leave from Oaxaca (a Wikivoyage guide mentions colectivos to Etla and Zimatlán without giving the exact stop); ask on board whether they pass through San Pablo Etla or drop you at the junction.

    If you arrive from farther away, Oaxaca's first-class bus terminal is on Calzada Niños Héroes de Chapultepec, on Highway 190 north of the centre; from there a taxi takes you to the town. Check the travel time on a map before leaving.

    Directions to San Pablo Etla on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Where to stay Hotels in San Pablo Etla Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in San Pablo Etla. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to San Pablo Etla

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Visiting San Pablo Etla: what to see and do

    See the patron-saint fiesta of St Paul, with its firework torito.
    Walk the plaza and the town church.
    Continue to Villa de Etla for the Dominican ex-convent of San Pedro y San Pablo.

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    Places to stay in San Pablo Etla

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Pablo Etla.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips around Capulálpam de Méndez sometimes stop in San Pablo Etla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.

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    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at OAX (Oaxaca): about 1 h 27 min by road to Capulálpam de Méndez, then 37 km more to San Pablo Etla, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Oaxaca (OAX), about 1 h 27 min by road from Capulálpam de Méndez, the base for San Pablo Etla.

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    Travel insurance

    Medical and trip cover for Mexico, by the week or month.

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    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Capulálpam de Méndez: download a map of the way to San Pablo Etla before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

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    When to go to San Pablo Etla cool

    San Pablo Etla shares the climate of Capulálpam de Méndez, 37 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Capulálpam de Méndez

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Capulálpam de Méndez

    Stone church of San Mateo with its two red-domed towers, Capulálpam de Méndez, Oaxaca cool
    Oaxaca Capulálpam de Méndez

    Capulálpam de Méndez is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San Pablo Etla, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near San Pablo Etla

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.