Oaxaca to Comitán Road Trip: Route, Tolls & Stops

By admin, 13 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Oaxaca to Comitán is 413 miles (664 km), about 7 h 29 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Oaxaca — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Chiapas — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Chiapas is the Mexican state that contains Comitán. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
DainzúEl PalmilloYagulMitlaHierve el AguaSt. Mark's Cathedral, Tuxtla GutiérrezRegional Museum of Anthropology and History of ChiapasZoológico Miguél Álvarez del ToroCasa Na BolomOaxacaComitán
Route from Oaxaca to Comitán with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance by road413 mi (664 km)
Time at the wheel, no stops7 h 29 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-190 → MEX-190D → MEX-185D → MEX-200
Mexican states on the routeOaxaca, Chiapas
Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap)MEX-190D, MEX-185D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 16.5 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

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 insuranceRequired 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.

How the Oaxaca to Comitán drive plays out

MEX-190D (190 mi) and MEX-190 (146 mi) carry about 81% of the 413 miles. It runs through 2 states: Oaxaca, Chiapas. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-190D and MEX-185D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 5 are within a mile of the road.

Road-by-road breakdown: Oaxaca to Comitán

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–44Oaxaca
MEX-1904–2521Oaxaca
connecting roads25–283Oaxaca
MEX-190D28–133105Oaxaca
MEX-185D133–16229Oaxaca
MEX-190162–21250Oaxaca
MEX-200212–24432Oaxaca, Chiapas
MEX-190D244–30157Chiapas
MEX-190301–31514Chiapas
local roads315–3249Chiapas
MEX-190324–3295Chiapas
MEX-190D329–35728Chiapas
MEX-190357–41356Chiapas
  • Mile 231 of this route: Oaxaca → Chiapas (state line)

Places worth a stop between Oaxaca and Comitán

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Dainzú (mile 13), El Palmillo (mile 20), Yagul (mile 21), Mitla (mile 25), Regional Museum of Anthropology and History of Chiapas (mile 321)
  • Nature and outdoors: Hierve el Agua (mile 38)
  • Museums and history: Dainzú (mile 13), El Palmillo (mile 20), Yagul (mile 21), Mitla (mile 25), St. Mark's Cathedral, Tuxtla Gutiérrez (mile 321), Regional Museum of Anthropology and History of Chiapas (mile 321), Casa Na Bolom (mile 359)
  • With kids: Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro (mile 324)

Dainzú

Mile 13 · Archaeological site · 0.6 mi from the route

About 20 km southeast of Oaxaca city, Dainzú is a Zapotec archaeological site, an ancient village that developed earlier than nearby Monte Albán and Mitla and was later contemporary with them.

El Palmillo

Mile 20 · Archaeological site · 0.1 mi from the route

On a hilltop in the eastern Tlacolula arm of the Valley of Oaxaca, El Palmillo is a Classic Period Zapotec archaeological site just south of Mitla and east of Monte Albán.

Yagul

Mile 21 · Archaeological site · 0.9 mi from the route

On a rocky hill in Oaxaca's Tlacolula Valley, Yagul is a Zapotec site whose builders linked platforms by paths. Explore the Palace of the Six Patios, a ball court, tombs and a fortress wall with lookouts.

Mitla

Mile 25 · Archaeological site · 0.3 mi from the route

Mitla, the key site of Zapotec culture and Oaxaca's second major archaeological site after Monte Albán, lies 44 km from Oaxaca City at the upper end of the Tlacolula Valley.

Hierve el Agua

Mile 38 · Waterfall · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

About 70 km east of Oaxaca City, Hierve el Agua's two cliffs rise 50 to 90 meters above the valley, draped in near-white travertine formations that look like waterfalls.

St. Mark's Cathedral, Tuxtla Gutiérrez

Mile 321 · Cathedral · 1 mi from the route

Tuxtla Gutiérrez Cathedral, dedicated to St. Mark, is the Catholic church that serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Tuxtla in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas.

Regional Museum of Anthropology and History of Chiapas

Mile 321 · Museum · 0.7 mi from the route

Two main halls cover Chiapas's Mesoamerican archaeology and the state's history since the Spanish conquest at this regional museum of anthropology and history in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro

Mile 324 · Zoo · 2 mi from the route

Tuxtla Gutiérrez's zoo, named for Miguel Álvarez del Toro, dates back to 1942, when it opened as the Zoológico de Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Casa Na Bolom

Mile 359 · Museum · 1 mi from the route

Once the home of archaeologist Frans Blom and photographer Gertrude Duby Blom, Casa Na Bolom in San Cristóbal de las Casas occupies an 1891 building and shows pre-Hispanic, textile, ethnographic and colonial collections.

Arriving in Comitán

Casa Museo Belisario Domínguez

Museum · in Comitán

The Casa Museo Belisario Domínguez occupies the house where Dr. Belisario Domínguez Palencia was born and spent much of his life.

Museo Rosario Castellanos

Museum · in Comitán

Comitán de Domínguez's Museo Rosario Castellanos (MUROC), opened in November 2017, is devoted to the life and work of writer Rosario Castellanos.

Museo Arqueológico de Comitán

Museum · in Comitán

Opened in 1993 in Comitán de Domínguez, Chiapas, this archaeological museum covers pre-Hispanic cultures of the Chiapas Highlands, the Maya, trade routes and hunter-gatherer groups.

More drives to Comitán

From Oaxaca to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to drive from Oaxaca to Comitán?

About 7 h 29 min of driving without stops, over 413 miles.

How far is Comitán from Oaxaca by car?

About 413 miles (664 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 Comitán?

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 Comitán?

The U.S. State Department rates Oaxaca Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Chiapas Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Oaxaca to Comitán use?

In order: MEX-190, MEX-190D, MEX-185D and MEX-200. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

Where can you stop on the way from Oaxaca to Comitán?

Closest to the road: Dainzú (archaeological site, mile 13, 0.6 mi from the route); El Palmillo (archaeological site, mile 20, 0.1 mi from the route); Mitla (archaeological site, mile 25, 0.3 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.