Town San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, Oaxaca Central Valleys of Oaxaca
Municipal agency of San Lorenzo Cacaotepec at 1,596 m, a short drive from Oaxaca city, with a Friday market and a July fair for Santiago.
From Oaxaca: 15 min by car (14 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to Santiago Etla
Where to stay near Santiago Etla
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Santiago Etla.
Tours to Santiago Etla
Day trips around Capulálpam de Méndez sometimes stop in Santiago Etla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
How to get to Santiago Etla
- From Oaxaca: about 15 min by road (~14 km)
- Nearest airport: Oaxaca (OAX), 1 h 27 min by car to Capulálpam de Méndez
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About Santiago Etla
Santiago Etla, also called Santiaguito Etla or Santiago Cacaotepec Etla, is a municipal agency of the municipality of San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, in the Etla district, at about 1,596 metres above sea level. It lies a few kilometres from Oaxaca city and very near the start of the Oaxaca-Mexico City toll road: according to Wikipedia the village sits about 500 metres past where the superhighway begins. INEGI counted 4,374 residents in 2010, and it feels like a valley village that has grown up against the city.
Its recent history turns on land. On 7 March the community remembers the "day of the ejido", when the sergeant and revolutionary Faustino G. Olivera Chávez helped it win back its lands from the hacendados; the primary school carries his name. The date remains part of the village calendar.
The main fiesta is for the patron saint, Santiago Apóstol, whose day is 25 July; it is held on the nearest weekend with religious, sporting and cultural events. Midweek the village is quiet, and on Fridays a market sets up beside the primary school with food and everyday goods. There are schools from preschool to secondary, basketball and football courts, a medical unit and a day centre for older adults.
It is not a destination for monuments. People come to see how a village in the Etla valley lives a step from the state capital, to catch the Friday market or the July fiesta, and to use it as a base for the nearby Sierra Norte.
How to get to Santiago Etla
Drive from Oaxaca: 15 min, 14 km
Santiago Etla is about 12 km from Oaxaca city in a straight line; by road it is about 19 km and about 19 minutes by car (fromto.travel). Take Federal Highway 190 north through the Etla valley, and the village lies about 500 metres past the start of the toll road to Mexico City (Wikipedia). There is no direct bus from Oaxaca: services leave from Highway 190 by the Mercado Zonal and reach the entrance of Etla by the Benito Juárez monument, and from there you continue by taxi or mototaxi; the source estimates 1 h 24 min with changes. In the village there are intercity taxis and mototaxis. In Etla, ask drivers which combi goes on to Santiaguito, since we have no confirmed route. Coming from elsewhere, Capulálpam de Méndez, the nearest pueblo in the Sierra Norte, is about 40 km as the crow flies; by road it is longer, so count on an hour or more.
Directions to Santiago Etla on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Santiago Etla
- Oaxaca · 14 km by road, 15 min
- Huajuapan de León · 160 km by road, 2 h 15 min
- Tehuacán · 202 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 Santiago Etla 1
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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San José Mogote · Archaeological site · 2 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 Santiago Etla
Neighbourhoods and villages of Santiago Etla
Part of Santiago Etla or just outside it, closest first.
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San Pablo Etla · Town · 3 km from the centre
Town in the Etla valley a few minutes from Oaxaca city, founded in 1686 and now home to over 4,000 people. -
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 Santiago Etla
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Santiago 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 Santiago Etla
- 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 Santiago Etla.
Visiting Santiago Etla: what to see and do
Stop at the Friday market beside the primary school.
Come the weekend nearest 25 July for the fiesta of Santiago Apóstol.
Note 7 March, the day of the ejido.
Walk the streets around the centre.
Continue on into the Sierra Norte, to Capulálpam de Méndez.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Santiago Etla
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Santiago Etla.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Capulálpam de Méndez sometimes stop in Santiago 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 Santiago 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 Santiago Etla.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Capulálpam de Méndez: download a map of the way to Santiago Etla before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Santiago Etla cool
Santiago 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 Santiago 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 Santiago Etla, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Mitla · Oaxaca · 52 km away
Near Santiago Etla
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.