Town Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca Central Valleys of Oaxaca
A town that calls itself the world capital of mezcal, lined with family palenques where you can see agave being roasted and distilled.
From Oaxaca: 40 min by car (48 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
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Plan your visit to Santiago Matatlán
Where to stay near Santiago Matatlán
Don Aji Hotel · ★★★ · 5.9 km from the center Prices Hotel Don Cenobio Hotel · ★★★ · 6.7 km from the center PricesTours to Santiago Matatlán
Day trips around Mitla sometimes stop in Santiago Matatlán; 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 (1,557) · From US$70
How to get to Santiago Matatlán
- From Oaxaca: about 40 min by road (~48 km)
- 7 km south of Mitla
- Nearest airport: Oaxaca (OAX), 47 min by car to Mitla
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Tours from Oaxaca City, near Santiago Matatlán
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
About Santiago Matatlán
Santiago Matatlán, a few minutes south of Mitla on Highway 190, greets visitors with a roadside sign proclaiming it the world capital of mezcal, and it has a fair claim to the title. The hills around town are planted in rows of agave, mostly espadín, and the town has a very large number of registered palenques, as the small family distilleries are called. Many of them line the highway, and the smell of roasting agave often hangs over the road.
Visiting a palenque is the best way to understand what mezcal is. The hearts of the agave, called piñas, are roasted for days in a pit in the ground lined with hot stones, which gives mezcal its smoky taste. They are then crushed, often under a large stone wheel pulled by a horse, left to ferment in wooden vats and distilled in copper or clay stills. Most family distilleries will walk you through each step and finish with a tasting of different agaves.
Matatlán is an easy stop on the way to or from Hierve el Agua, and many day tours from Oaxaca City include it. If you plan to taste, have someone else drive.
How to get to Santiago Matatlán
Drive from Oaxaca: 40 min, 48 km
Matatlán is about 10 minutes south of Mitla on Highway 190, the road toward the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Many palenques are right on the highway. Buses and colectivos toward the Isthmus pass through, and taxis from Mitla make the short trip.
7 km south of Mitla
Directions from Mitla on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Santiago Matatlán
- Oaxaca · 48 km by road, 40 min
- Salina Cruz · 211 km by road, 2 h 35 min
- Tuxtepec · about 180 km by road, ~2 h 40 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Santiago Matatlán: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- The town's Feria del Mezcal is held together with the fiesta of its patron saint, Santiago Apóstol. Posta · checked Oct 2026
- Guide or tour
- Palenques offer agave-field walks, jima (harvest) workshops and guided tastings with master mezcaleros comparing espadín, tobalá, tepeztate and cuishe. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide Posta · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Santiago Matatlán: what to see and do
Visit a family palenque to see the earth ovens, the stone mill and the stills.
Taste mezcals made from different kinds of agave, wild and cultivated.
Walk or drive past the agave fields on the hills around town.
Take a photo under the welcome sign that calls Matatlán the world capital of mezcal.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Santiago Matatlán
Don Aji Hotel · ★★★ · 5.9 km from the center Find on Expedia Hotel Don Cenobio Hotel · ★★★ · 6.7 km from the center Find on Expedia Hotel Carmelita Mitla Hotel · ★★★ · 6.7 km from the center Find on Expedia Hotel El Pedregal Hotel · 1.3 km from the center Find on Expedia San Antonio Bouique Hotel · 5.4 km from the center Find on Expedia Mitla Hotel · 6.7 km from the center Find on ExpediaTours & activities
Day trips around Mitla sometimes stop in Santiago Matatlán; 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 7 km more to Santiago Matatlán, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Oaxaca (OAX), about 47 min by road from Mitla, the base for Santiago Matatlán.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Mitla: download a map of the way to Santiago Matatlán 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. Hotel names from OpenStreetMap.
Photos
When to go to Santiago Matatlán mild
Santiago Matatlán shares the climate of Mitla, 7 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Mitla
Weather in Santiago Matatlán now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
Make Mitla your base
Santiago Matatlán is an easy trip from Mitla, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Capulálpam de Méndez · Oaxaca · 49 km away
Closest to Santiago Matatlán
-
San Dionisio Ocotepec · Town · 8 km away · Oaxaca
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Hierve el Agua · Nature reserve · 11 km away
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San Isidro Roaguía · Village · 11 km away · Oaxaca
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San Baltazar Guelavila · Town · 12 km away · Oaxaca
-
Yagul · Archaeological site · 12 km away
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San Bartolomé Quialana · Town · 13 km away · Oaxaca
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Tlacolula · Town · 14 km away
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San Baltazar Chichicápam · Town · 16 km away · Oaxaca
Near Santiago Matatlán
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
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Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.