Plan on about 6 h 38 min of driving for the 360-mile (580 km) trip from Oaxaca to Ixcateopan, before any stops.
| Distance | 360 mi (580 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 6 h 38 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-190 → MEX-135D → MEX-150D → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MEX-95 → MEX-92D |
| Mexican states on the route | Oaxaca, Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-94D, MEX-95D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 14.4 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
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–Ixcateopan drive in a few lines
MEX-135D (151 mi) and MEX-150D (43 mi) carry about 54% of the 360 miles. It runs through 4 states: Oaxaca, Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-135D, MEX-150D and MEX-94D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Oaxaca to Ixcateopan: the road sequence
| 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 | 158–201 | 43 | Puebla |
| connecting roads | 201–202 | 1 | Puebla |
| MEX-190 | 202–217 | 15 | Puebla |
| local roads | 217–228 | 11 | Puebla |
| PUE 438D | 228–262 | 34 | Puebla, Morelos |
| MEX-94D | 262–300 | 38 | Morelos |
| connecting roads | 300–304 | 4 | Morelos |
| local roads | 304–312 | 8 | Morelos |
| MEX-95 | 312–331 | 19 | Morelos, Guerrero |
| connecting roads | 331–333 | 2 | Guerrero |
| MEX-92D | 333–338 | 5 | Guerrero |
| connecting roads | 338–339 | 1 | Guerrero |
| local roads | 339–360 | 21 | Guerrero |
- Mile 107 of this route: Oaxaca → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 254 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
- Mile 324 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)
Stops between Oaxaca and Ixcateopan
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Suchilquitongo (mile 19), Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco (mile 339), William Spratling Museum (mile 339)
- Nature and outdoors: Benito Juárez National Park (mile 7), Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (mile 116), Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 327)
- Museums and history: Suchilquitongo (mile 19), Historic centre of Puebla (mile 217), Chalcatzingo (mile 262), Xochicalco (mile 312), Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco (mile 339), William Spratling Museum (mile 339)
Benito Juárez National Park
Pine and oak forest covers about 2,737 hectares in Benito Juárez National Park, a short way north of Oaxaca City. Among its trails is La Coronilla, a loop of around 5 km at moderate difficulty.
Suchilquitongo
From around 300 to 800 AD, a Zapotec city thrived on a hilltop in the northern Etla Valley. Locals know the site as Cerro de la Campana.
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.
Historic centre of Puebla
Laid out from scratch in 1531, Puebla's UNESCO-listed core is a grid of tile-covered houses, colonial churches and the 16th–17th-century cathedral, with the old archbishop's palace that houses the Palafox Library, established in 1646.
Chalcatzingo
At the foot of Cerro Chalcatzingo in eastern Morelos, this early site is known for stone reliefs carved mainly between 700 and 500 BC, some among the region's earliest stone sculpture and several in Olmec style, spread across the hillside.
Xochicalco
A fortified hilltop city that thrived between about 650 and 900, Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you can see the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpent with its carved reliefs, ball courts, an underground observatory and a site museum.
Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park
Protected as a national park since 1936, this area near Taxco centers on the Cacahuamilpa caverns, where a guided route of about 4 km passes chambers up to 80 meters high, decorated with flowstone and floor-to-ceiling columns.
Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco
Silver baron José de la Borda paid for Santa Prisca with the bonanza from his San Ignacio mine in Taxco, and the church was dedicated in 1759, the same year his nearby house on the plaza was finished.
William Spratling Museum
Taxco's archaeological museum grew from the collection of William Spratling, the American who revived the town's silver craft in the 1930s. It shows pre-Hispanic pieces, including Olmec and Mezcala-style works, plus a gallery on silversmithing.
Once you reach Ixcateopan
Ixcateopan
Some 36 kilometers from Taxco in the rugged mountains of northern Guerrero, the ruins at Ixcateopan de Cuauhtémoc belong to a city that served as an important regional ceremonial center.
More drives to Ixcateopan
- Tlaltizapán to Ixcateopan
- Tepoztlán to Ixcateopan
- Metepec to Ixcateopan
- Oaxtepec to Ixcateopan
- Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan
- Zacualpan de Amilpas to Ixcateopan
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 does it take to drive from Oaxaca to Ixcateopan?
About 6 h 38 min of driving without stops, over 360 miles.
What is the driving distance from Oaxaca to Ixcateopan?
About 360 miles (580 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 Ixcateopan?
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 Ixcateopan?
The U.S. State Department rates Oaxaca Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Guerrero Level 4: Do Not Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Oaxaca to Ixcateopan?
In order: MEX-190, MEX-135D, MEX-150D, PUE 438D, MEX-94D, MEX-95 and MEX-92D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Oaxaca and Ixcateopan?
Closest to the road: Suchilquitongo (archaeological site, mile 19, 0.4 mi from the route); Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco (church, mile 339, 0.4 mi from the route); William Spratling Museum (museum, mile 339, 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.