Town Santa María Atzompa, Oaxaca Central Valleys of Oaxaca
A potters' town 5 km northwest of Oaxaca, famous for jade-green glazed cookware, with a communal crafts market and family workshops.
From Oaxaca: 10 min by car (9 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to Santa María Atzompa
Where to stay near Santa María Atzompa
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Santa María Atzompa.
Tours to Santa María Atzompa
Day trips around Capulálpam de Méndez sometimes stop in Santa María Atzompa; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Day of Dead in Oaxaca
★ 5.0 (2) · From US$127
How to get to Santa María Atzompa
- From Oaxaca: about 10 min by road (~9 km)
- Nearest airport: Oaxaca (OAX), 1 h 27 min by car to Capulálpam de Méndez
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Popular tours to Santa María Atzompa
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
About Santa María Atzompa
Santa María Atzompa sits in the hills about 5 km northwest of Oaxaca city, at around 1,580 m, below the ruins of the Zapotec city of the same name. It has grown into one of the capital's suburbs: the 2020 census counted 28,586 people in the town and 41,921 in the municipality. The original settlement was founded as a satellite of Monte Albán, and potters here have been working clay since that time.
Atzompa is known across Mexico for its green glazed pottery. Lead glazing arrived in the 16th century, after the Spanish conquest, and by the mid-20th century the town was the valley's main source of cookware, sending pots, casseroles, comales and jugs to the rest of Mexico and to the United States. Clay is brought from San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, about 4 km away; pieces are shaped, left to dry, fired once, dipped in glaze and fired again. Many potters also "embroider" their pieces with applied flowers and leaves (pastillaje), which gives the town its well-known green pineapple jars. The lead glaze became a health problem and hurt exports, so in the 1990s the government developed a lead-free glaze, and today some workshops use non-toxic formulas.
Teodora Blanco, called the first great Oaxacan potter, made her figurative "muñeca" jars here, and Dolores Porras, who worked in her workshop, introduced multicoloured pieces with a white glaze from the 1980s. A communal crafts market, opened in the 2000s, sells work by many families, with artisans taking turns behind the counter and each piece labelled with its maker. Around the plaza with its kiosk and fountain stand the parish church and the municipal palace. The town celebrates the Assumption on 15 August and marks Day of the Dead from midnight on 31 October.
How to get to Santa María Atzompa
Drive from Oaxaca: 10 min, 9 km
Atzompa lies about 5 km northwest of central Oaxaca; by car or taxi the trip takes 20–30 minutes depending on traffic. Taxis from the centre are the simplest option. Colectivos (shared taxis) also serve the town; they show their destination on the windscreen, but stands and routes change, so ask locally before setting out.
Directions to Santa María Atzompa on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
From the nearest cities to Santa María Atzompa
- Oaxaca · 9 km by road, 10 min
- Huajuapan de León · 167 km by road, 2 h 20 min
- Tehuacán · 210 km by road, 2 h 25 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in Santa María Atzompa 1
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
-
Zona Arqueológica de Atzompa · Archaeological site · 3 km from the centre
Monte Albán's hilltop satellite city above Santa María Atzompa, with the largest ball court in the Monte Albán area and free entry.
Map of Santa María Atzompa
Neighbourhoods and villages of Santa María Atzompa
Part of Santa María Atzompa or just outside it, closest first.
-
San Jacinto Amilpas · Town · 2 km from the centre
Urban municipality hugging Oaxaca City at 1,600 m, from 861 people in 1940 to nearly 17,000 now. Church of 1800 and a fiesta on 17 August. -
Viguera · Town · 4 km from the centre
Locality in Oaxaca de Juárez at 1,622 m, north of the capital; it grew from 260 people in 1900 to 8,506 in 2020.
Day trips and tours from Santa María Atzompa
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Santa María Atzompa 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 Santa María Atzompa
- The nearest airport is Oaxaca (OAX).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and December.
- 1 of the places on this page is 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 Santa María Atzompa.
Before you go to Santa María Atzompa: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- The Assumption fiesta is 15 August; Day of the Dead runs from midnight on 31 October to 2 November; Las Posadas in December. Wikipedia (Santa María Atzompa) · checked Oct 2026
- What to bring
- Ask whether a piece is lead-free if you plan to cook in it; some workshops now use non-toxic glazes. Food and Pleasure · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Santa María Atzompa: what to see and do
Browse the communal crafts market, where every piece is labelled with its maker.
Visit a family workshop to watch pots being shaped, glazed and fired.
Buy green-glazed casseroles, jugs or a pastillaje pineapple jar.
Stroll the main plaza with its kiosk, fountain and municipal palace.
Climb to the Atzompa archaeological zone on the hill above town.
Come for the Assumption fiesta on 15 August.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Santa María Atzompa
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Santa María Atzompa.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Capulálpam de Méndez sometimes stop in Santa María Atzompa; 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 41 km more to Santa María Atzompa, 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 Santa María Atzompa.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Capulálpam de Méndez: download a map of the way to Santa María Atzompa before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Photos
When to go to Santa María Atzompa cool
Santa María Atzompa shares the climate of Capulálpam de Méndez, 41 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 Santa María Atzompa 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 Santa María Atzompa, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Mitla · Oaxaca · 48 km away
Near Santa María Atzompa
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.