Town Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca Municipality of Tlacolula de Matamoros Central Valleys of Oaxaca
Home of one of Oaxaca's oldest and biggest Sunday markets, and a Baroque chapel covered in gilded plasterwork.
From Oaxaca: 25 min by car (31 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to Tlacolula
Tours to Tlacolula
Day trips around Mitla sometimes stop in Tlacolula; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Hierve el Agua, Tlacolula Sunday Market & Weaving
★ 5.0 (57) · From US$108
How to get to Tlacolula
- From Oaxaca: about 25 min by road (~31 km)
- 12 km west of Mitla
- Nearest airport: Oaxaca (OAX), 47 min by car to Mitla
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Popular tours to Tlacolula
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
About Tlacolula
Tlacolula de Matamoros is the market town of the eastern valley, about 15 minutes west of Mitla on Highway 190. Most days it is an ordinary, busy town, but on Sundays it hosts one of the oldest and largest open-air markets in Oaxaca. Families from the surrounding Zapotec villages come in to buy and sell, and the streets around the church fill with stalls of chiles, bread, baskets, pottery, live turkeys, mezcal, textiles and plates of barbacoa. It is a market for local people first, which is what makes it worth the trip.
The town's other treasure stands at the edge of the market: the Dominican church of the Assumption and, inside it, the Capilla del Señor de Tlacolula. Added in the 17th century, the chapel is one of the richest Baroque interiors in the state, its vault and dome covered in gilded plaster flowers, its walls crowded with carved figures of martyred saints, mirrors, paintings and wrought ironwork. It holds a crucifix that people credit with many miracles, and on market day there is a steady line of devotees.
Tlacolula is also the municipal seat for the ruins of Yagul, and after the Spanish conquest it was settled by people moved down from that hilltop city.
How to get to Tlacolula
Drive from Oaxaca: 25 min, 31 km
Tlacolula is about 15 minutes west of Mitla on Highway 190, the road to Oaxaca City. Buses and colectivos between Oaxaca and Mitla stop in Tlacolula throughout the day. On Sundays traffic and parking near the market are heavy, so arrive early.
12 km west 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 Tlacolula
- Oaxaca · 31 km by road, 25 min
- Tuxtepec · about 170 km by road, ~2 h 30 min
- Salina Cruz · 214 km by road, 2 h 35 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in Tlacolula 2
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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Lambityeco · Archaeological site · 2 km from the centre
A small Zapotec site by the highway with two striking stucco masks of Cocijo, the rain god, at a noble's house. -
Yagul · Archaeological site · 3 km from the centre
A Zapotec hilltop city with a big ball court, a maze-like palace and a fortress lookout over the Tlacolula Valley.
Map of Tlacolula
Neighbourhoods and villages of Tlacolula
Part of Tlacolula or just outside it, closest first.
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Santa Ana del Valle · Town · 4 km from the centre
A Zapotec weaving village with a pioneering community museum and a church full of colonial saints.
Day trips and tours from Tlacolula
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Tlacolula 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 Tlacolula
- 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 Tlacolula.
Before you go to Tlacolula: hours, prices and tips
- Best time of day
- Go on a Sunday: the market is open daily, but on Sundays the tianguis spills across up to 12 blocks with more than a thousand vendors. Compare prices before buying. Tus Buenas Noticias · checked Oct 2026
- Rules
- Be respectful: the market is part of local daily life, not a show for tourists. There is a grill area where you can cook your own food. Food and Pleasure · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Tlacolula: what to see and do
Come on a Sunday to walk the market, the biggest in the valley.
Eat barbacoa with fresh tortillas at the market stalls.
Step into the Capilla del Señor de Tlacolula to see its gilded plasterwork and saints.
Buy pottery, baskets and mezcal straight from the villages that make them.
Plan your trip
Tours & activities
Day trips around Mitla sometimes stop in Tlacolula; 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 12 km more to Tlacolula, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Oaxaca (OAX), about 47 min by road from Mitla, the base for Tlacolula.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Mitla: download a map of the way to Tlacolula 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 Tlacolula mild
Tlacolula shares the climate of Mitla, 12 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Mitla
Weather in Tlacolula now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
Make Mitla your base
Tlacolula 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 · 38 km away
Near Tlacolula
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Something wrong or missing on this page? Suggest a fix or addition
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.