Town Santa Cruz Tayata, Oaxaca Mixteca of Oaxaca
One of Mexico's smallest municipal seats: 114 people at 2,125 m; fiestas on the second Friday of Lent and 3 May.
From Huajuapan de León: 1 h 55 min by car (92 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Where to stay near Santa Cruz Tayata
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Tours to Santa Cruz Tayata
Day trips around Teposcolula sometimes stop in Santa Cruz Tayata; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Oaxaca City
Hierve el Agua 2.5 hours, Mitla, Tule, Rugs and Mezcal for a Day
★ 4.9 (1,558) · From US$70
How to get to Santa Cruz Tayata
- From Huajuapan de León: about 1 h 55 min by road (~92 km)
- Nearest airport: Oaxaca (OAX), 1 h 45 min by car to Teposcolula
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Tours from Oaxaca City, near Santa Cruz Tayata
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About Santa Cruz Tayata
Tayata is a municipal seat with only 114 inhabitants (2020 census), at 2,125 m in the south of the Mixteca, Tlaxiaco district. In 1930 it had 655 people and in 2005 just 23, and by 2010 it counted as the third-smallest municipal seat in the country, after Santa María del Rosario and Santa María Nduayaco. Most of the municipality's people live in La Estancia (about 299) and El Tejocote (24).
The landscape is oak, ocote and pine, with coyotes, foxes, rabbits, deer and armadillos in the forest. The Mixtec lived here before the conquest; under the Spanish it belonged to New Spain and, after the Bourbon reforms of 1786, to the Intendencia de Oaxaca. Only about 11% of the population speaks an indigenous language.
The biggest fiesta is the second Friday of Lent: it runs three days, Thursday to Saturday, with religious, cultural and sports events. The other is 3 May, the day of the Holy Cross, to which the village is dedicated. The settlement is small, with dirt tracks, and no tourist services are reported: it is a stop for those touring the Mixteca who want to see one of the country's smallest municipal seats.
How to get to Santa Cruz Tayata
Drive from Huajuapan de León: 1 h 55 min, 92 km
Santa Cruz Tayata is in the Tlaxiaco district, about 19 km from Teposcolula as the crow flies, so the road will be longer. From Oaxaca city the reference point is Teposcolula; one source puts the village about 140 km from the state capital. The access road into the village is dirt, as photos of the place show. We found no schedules or named bus or colectivo operator reaching the village: ask at the Teposcolula bus station or with taxis there. For a bed and a meal, Teposcolula is the practical base.
Directions to Santa Cruz Tayata on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Santa Cruz Tayata
- Huajuapan de León · 92 km by road, 1 h 55 min
- Tlapa · about 140 km by road, ~2 h 5 min
- Oaxaca · 149 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.
Before you go to Santa Cruz Tayata: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Main fiestas: second Friday of Lent (3 days, Thursday to Saturday) and 3 May. Hispanopedia · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Santa Cruz Tayata: what to see and do
Walk the village: it is small.
Look at the oak and pine mountainside from the entry road.
Come the second Friday of Lent for three days of religious, cultural and sports events.
Come on 3 May, the day of the Holy Cross.
Drop down to La Estancia, the most populated locality of the municipality.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Santa Cruz Tayata
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Santa Cruz Tayata.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Teposcolula sometimes stop in Santa Cruz Tayata; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at OAX (Oaxaca): about 1 h 45 min by road to Teposcolula, then 19 km more to Santa Cruz Tayata, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Oaxaca (OAX), about 1 h 45 min by road from Teposcolula, the base for Santa Cruz Tayata.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Teposcolula: download a map of the way to Santa Cruz Tayata before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Santa Cruz Tayata cool
Santa Cruz Tayata shares the climate of Teposcolula, 19 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Teposcolula
Weather in Santa Cruz Tayata now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Teposcolula
Teposcolula is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Santa Cruz Tayata, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Closest to Santa Cruz Tayata
-
Santa Catarina Tayata · Town · 2 km away
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Huamelulpan · Archaeological site · 6 km away
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San Martín Huamelulpan · Village · 6 km away
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San Juan Achiutla · Village · 7 km away
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San Miguel Achiutla · Landmark · 10 km away
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Santiago Yolomécatl · Town · 13 km away
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Tlaxiaco · Town · 15 km away
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Monte Negro, Tilantongo · Archaeological site · 25 km away
Near Santa Cruz Tayata
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.