By road, Oaxaca and Jilotepec are about 340 miles (547 km) apart, or roughly 5 h 22 min of driving.
| Distance | 340 mi (547 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 5 h 22 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-190 → MEX-135D → MEX-150D → MEX-M40D |
| Mexican states on the route | Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 13.6 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.
How the Oaxaca to Jilotepec drive plays out
MEX-135D (151 mi) and MEX-M40D (109 mi) carry about 76% of the 340 miles. It runs through 5 states: Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-135D, MEX-150D and MEX-M40D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
Road-by-road breakdown: Oaxaca to Jilotepec
| 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 | 228–337 | 109 | Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico |
| local roads | 337–340 | 3 | State of Mexico |
- 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 336 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Oaxaca and Jilotepec
- 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), Museo Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos (mile 208), Casa del Alfeñique (mile 208), Cacaxtla (mile 222), Teotihuacan (mile 274), Tula (mile 322)
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
Locals call this Zapotec hilltop city Cerro de la Campana; it flourished between about 300 and 800 AD in the northern Etla Valley. Tomb 5, excavated in 1985, holds murals and stucco carvings counted among ancient Mexico's finest funerary art.
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.
Museo Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos
In Puebla's historic center, this national railway museum studies, preserves and shares Mexico's railroad heritage through exhibits on the history of the trains.
Casa del Alfeñique
Founded in 1926, the Museo Regional Casa de Alfeñique is a museum in the city of Puebla, housed in the building known as the Casa de Alfeñique.
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.
Teotihuacan
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.
Tula
Once the Toltec capital, the Tula archaeological zone is best known for its Atlantes, basalt warrior figures over four meters (13 feet) tall crowning the main pyramid. Visitors also see a ball court, the Burnt Palace and the Coatepantli wall, carved with snakes devouring skeletons.
More drives to Jilotepec
- Mexico City to Jilotepec
- Cuernavaca to Jilotepec
- Cuautla to Jilotepec
- Taxco to Jilotepec
- Pabellón de Arteaga to Jilotepec
- Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Jilotepec
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 Jilotepec?
About 5 h 22 min of driving without stops, over 340 miles.
What is the driving distance from Oaxaca to Jilotepec?
About 340 miles (547 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 Jilotepec?
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 Jilotepec?
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 (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Oaxaca to Jilotepec use?
In order: MEX-190, MEX-135D, MEX-150D and MEX-M40D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Oaxaca to Jilotepec?
Closest to the road: Suchilquitongo (archaeological site, mile 19, 0.4 mi from the route); Cacaxtla (archaeological site, mile 222, 2 mi from the route); Tula (archaeological site, mile 322, 1 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.