A popular place to taste and buy artisan mezcal right next to the fields where they grow the agave. Granted, it's a hot spot on the tour-bus circuit (if you're on a tour you'll probably stop here), but the smoky-flavored mezcal is authentic and the terracotta-shaded hacienda with its bar, mill, traditional ovens and fermentation plant is more rustic than industrial. Free explanations of the mezcal-making process are given throughout the day. Afterward you can get tipsy tasting it.
El Rey de Matatlán
Valles Centrales
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca
13.92 MILES
Got two hours? You'll need it for the Museum of Oaxacan Cultures, housed in the beautiful monastery buildings adjoining the Templo de Santo Domingo. This…
16.23 MILES
The former capital of the Zapotec people is today an illustrious ruin, but for over a thousand years it served as the second-largest ceremonial site in…
18.78 MILES
Natural springs have never looked this good. Set in truly ethereal surroundings amid low brush-covered mountains, Hierve El Agua (meaning 'the water boils…
13.91 MILES
Gorgeous Santo Domingo is the most splendid of Oaxaca’s churches, with a finely carved baroque facade and nearly every square centimeter inside decorated…
11.97 MILES
Second only to Monte Albán in their importance, though not as old, the ruins of ancient Mitla date from the final two or three centuries before the…
17.83 MILES
If you like your pre-Hispanic Mexican ruins suitably ‘ruined’ and crowd-free without compromising on authenticity or spectacular setting, opt for Atzompa…
Centro de las Artes de San Agustín
20.84 MILES
Pretty San Agustín's large, early-20th-century textile mill has been superbly restored as the Centro de las Artes de San Agustín (CaSa), a spectacular…
8.11 MILES
Visitors flock to the village of El Tule to behold El Árbol del Tule, which is, by some counts, the fattest tree in the world. California's General…
Nearby Valles Centrales attractions
1. Centro Cultural Comunitario de Teotitlán del Valle
2.44 MILES
A new cultural center with exhibits focused primarily on, you guessed it, all things weaving. Definitely worth a peek if you want to learn more about…
2. Museo Comunitario Balaa Xtee Guech Gulal
2.47 MILES
Facing the Mercado de Artesanías on the central plaza, this interesting community-run museum displays local archaeological finds as well as exhibits on…
3. Iglesia Preciosa Sangre de Cristo
2.56 MILES
From the plaza, steps rise to this handsome 17th-century church with a fine broad churchyard and colorful 18th-century frescoes inside. It was built atop…
4. Museo Comunitario Shan-Dany
3.6 MILES
This is a good little community museum in the village of Santa Ana del Valle, 33km southeast of central Oaxaca, with exhibits on local textiles, history,…
4.19 MILES
Tlacolula's main church is notable for its ornate baroque side-chapel, known colloquially as the Capilla de la Plata (Silver Chapel), a dazzling riot of…
5.72 MILES
If you want photos of Zapotec ruins without hordes of tourists milling around in the background, Yagul is your kind of place. The ruins (known as 'Pueblo…
7. Prehistoric Caves of Yagul & Mitla
7.34 MILES
Approaching Yagul from the main road, you can make out a large white rock painting of a person/deity/tree/sun on a cliff face on the Caballito Blanco rock…
8.11 MILES
Visitors flock to the village of El Tule to behold El Árbol del Tule, which is, by some counts, the fattest tree in the world. California's General…