Oaxaca to Ezequiel Montes Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 13 October, 2026

Plan on about 6 h 36 min of driving for the 401-mile (645 km) trip from Oaxaca to Ezequiel Montes, before any stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Oaxaca — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Querétaro — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Querétaro is the Mexican state that contains Ezequiel Montes. See the full advisory for current details.
Benito Juárez National ParkSuchilquitongoTehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere ReserveMuseo Poblano de Arte VirreinalTeatro de la Ciudad de PueblaXochitecatlTeotihuacanAtlantean figuresGalería LibertadOaxacaEzequiel Montes
Route from Oaxaca to Ezequiel Montes with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance401 mi (645 km)
Time at the wheel, no stops6 h 36 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-190 → MEX-135D → MEX-150D → MEX-M40D → MEX-57D → MEX-120
Mexican states on the routeOaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro
Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap)MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-57D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 16.0 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.

What the drive from Oaxaca to Ezequiel Montes is like

MEX-135D (151 mi) and MEX-M40D (106 mi) carry about 64% of the 401 miles. It runs through 6 states: Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-135D, MEX-150D and MEX-M40D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

Which roads connect Oaxaca and Ezequiel Montes

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Oaxaca
MEX-1902–75Oaxaca
MEX-135D7–158151Oaxaca, Puebla
MEX-150D158–22769Puebla
connecting roads227–2281Puebla
MEX-M40D228–334106Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico
MEX-57D334–37743Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro
MEX-120377–40023Querétaro
local roads400–4011Querétaro
  • Mile 107 of this route: Oaxaca → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 232 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
  • Mile 255 of this route: Tlaxcala → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 263 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 275 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 292 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 306 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 335 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 368 of this route: State of Mexico → Querétaro (state line)

What to see on the way from Oaxaca to Ezequiel Montes

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Suchilquitongo (mile 19), Galería Libertad (mile 390)
  • Nature and outdoors: Benito Juárez National Park (mile 7), Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (mile 116)
  • Museums and history: Suchilquitongo (mile 19), Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal (mile 208), Xochitecatl (mile 223), Teotihuacan (mile 274), Galería Libertad (mile 390)

Benito Juárez National Park

Mile 7 · National park · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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

Mile 19 · Archaeological site · 0.4 mi from the route

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

Mile 116 · Biosphere reserve · 7 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In 2018 UNESCO inscribed the arid Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, which spans Puebla and Oaxaca, as a mixed World Heritage site. A major center of cactus diversity, it also keeps ancient canals, terraces and dams.

Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal

Mile 208 · Museum · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Puebla's San Pedro Museo de Arte, formerly the Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal, opened in 2000 and focuses on New Spanish painting, with galleries for permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Teatro de la Ciudad de Puebla

Mile 208 · Theater · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

The Teatro de la Ciudad is a performance venue on the Portal Hidalgo, in the historic center of the city of Puebla.

Xochitecatl

Mile 223 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

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.

Teotihuacan

Mile 274 · Historic site · 13 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built between the 1st and 7th centuries AD, this UNESCO-listed ancient city lines the Avenue of the Dead, where you can walk between the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.

Atlantean figures

Mile 322 · Sculptures · 1 mi from the route

Crowning the main pyramid at the Tula archaeological zone, these basalt sculptures of Toltec warriors stand more than four meters tall in what was once the Toltec capital; the nearby Wall of Snakes shows carved serpents devouring skeletons.

Galería Libertad

Mile 390 · Art museum · 0.4 mi from the route

Run by Querétaro's state culture department, Galería Libertad is a public gallery in the historic center of Santiago de Querétaro devoted to exhibiting, promoting and teaching the visual arts.

More drives to Ezequiel Montes

From Oaxaca to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Oaxaca to Ezequiel Montes?

About 6 h 36 min of driving without stops, over 401 miles.

How far is Ezequiel Montes from Oaxaca by car?

About 401 miles (645 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 Ezequiel Montes?

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 Ezequiel Montes?

The U.S. State Department rates Oaxaca Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Querétaro 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 Ezequiel Montes use?

In order: MEX-190, MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-57D and MEX-120. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

Where can you stop on the way from Oaxaca to Ezequiel Montes?

Closest to the road: Suchilquitongo (archaeological site, mile 19, 0.4 mi from the route); Atlantean figures (sculptures, mile 322, 1 mi from the route); Galería Libertad (art museum, mile 390, 0.4 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.