By road, Oaxaca and Calpulalpan are about 256 miles (412 km) apart, or roughly 4 h 5 min of driving.
| Distance by road | 256 mi (412 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 4 h 5 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-190 → MEX-135D → MEX-150D → MEX-M40D → MEX-136 |
| Mexican states on the route | Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 10.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
Driving this route in a car with U.S. plates
| Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) | Required: this route is outside the zones where U.S.-registered cars can skip the temporary import permit (Baja California, Baja California Sur and part of Sonora) |
|---|---|
| Mexican auto insurance | Required for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you drive |
Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.
The Oaxaca–Calpulalpan drive in a few lines
MEX-135D (151 mi) and MEX-150D (69 mi) carry about 86% of the 256 miles. It runs through 3 states: Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-135D, MEX-150D and MEX-M40D. Of the 8 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Oaxaca to Calpulalpan
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-190 | 2–7 | 5 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-135D | 7–158 | 151 | Oaxaca, Puebla |
| MEX-150D | 158–227 | 69 | Puebla |
| connecting roads | 227–228 | 1 | Puebla |
| MEX-M40D | 228–246 | 18 | Puebla, Tlaxcala |
| connecting roads | 246–247 | 1 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-136 | 247–255 | 8 | Tlaxcala |
| local roads | 255–256 | 1 | Tlaxcala |
- Mile 107 of this route: Oaxaca → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 232 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Oaxaca and Calpulalpan
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Suchilquitongo (mile 19)
- Nature and outdoors: Benito Juárez National Park (mile 7), Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (mile 116)
- Museums and history: Suchilquitongo (mile 19), Museo del Valle de Tehuacán (mile 130), Capilla del Arte (mile 208), Cacaxtla (mile 222), Xochitecatl (mile 223)
Benito Juárez National Park
Just north of Oaxaca City, Benito Juárez National Park covers about 2,737 hectares of pine and oak forest. Trails wind through the woods, including La Coronilla, a moderate loop of roughly 5 km.
Suchilquitongo
Tomb 5 at Cerro de la Campana, excavated in 1985, holds murals and stucco carvings ranked among the finest funerary art of ancient Mexico. The Zapotec site crowns a hill in the northern Etla Valley.
Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve
This arid valley straddling Puebla and Oaxaca joined UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2018 as a mixed site. It is a major center of cactus diversity and preserves ancient canals, wells, terraces and dams built to manage scarce water.
Museo del Valle de Tehuacán
Inside an 18th-century former Carmelite convent in Tehuacán, the Valley of Tehuacán Museum opened in 2002 and focuses on the history of corn and its ties to the valley's early peoples.
Capilla del Arte
Capilla del Arte is a cultural space of the Universidad de las Américas Puebla in the old Las Fábricas de Francia building, with a contemporary art gallery and a reading nook.
Cacaxtla
Built on a hill rising above the Tlaxcala-Puebla valley, Cacaxtla is known for its pre-Hispanic murals on the Gran Basamento, a large platform now sheltered under a roof. INAH manages it together with nearby Xochitécatl.
Xochitecatl
Xochitécatl is a pre-Hispanic archaeological site in the state of Tlaxcala. INAH runs it together with nearby Cacaxtla as a single zone, and the Xochitécatl site museum displays finds from the area.
Exconvent of Santa María Magdalena
The former convent of Santa María Magdalena (Exconvento de Santa María Magdalena) is a 17th-century Baroque church built by the Dieguino friars, still in use as a Catholic temple of the Archdiocese of Puebla.
Once you reach Calpulalpan
Tecoaque
Near Calpulalpan in western Tlaxcala, Tecoaque is a Mesoamerican archaeological site once inhabited by the Acolhua, one of the three groups that made up the Aztec Empire.
More drives to Calpulalpan
- Mexico City to Calpulalpan
- Pachuca to Calpulalpan
- Tepotzotlán to Calpulalpan
- Toluca to Calpulalpan
- Cuautla to Calpulalpan
- Cuernavaca to Calpulalpan
From Oaxaca to other places in Mexico
- Oaxaca to Orizaba
- Oaxaca to Córdoba, Mexico
- Oaxaca to Cholula
- Oaxaca to Zacatelco
- Oaxaca to Chiautempan
- Oaxaca to Apizaco
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Oaxaca to Calpulalpan?
About 4 h 5 min of driving without stops, over 256 miles.
What is the driving distance from Oaxaca to Calpulalpan?
About 256 miles (412 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
Do I need a permit to drive my U.S. car from Oaxaca to Calpulalpan?
Yes. A temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) is required for a U.S.-registered car on this route, which is outside the zones where it can be skipped. Mexican auto insurance is required for every vehicle.
Is it safe to drive from Oaxaca to Calpulalpan?
The U.S. State Department rates Oaxaca Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Oaxaca to Calpulalpan use?
In order: MEX-190, MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D and MEX-136. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Oaxaca to Calpulalpan?
Closest to the road: Suchilquitongo (archaeological site, mile 19, 0.4 mi from the route); Xochitecatl (archaeological site, mile 223, 2 mi from the route); Exconvent of Santa María Magdalena (convent, mile 228, 2 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.