By road, Salina Cruz and Ixcateopan are about 525 miles (845 km) apart, or roughly 10 h 36 min of driving.
| Total distance | 525 mi (845 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 10 h 36 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-185 → 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 21.0 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 Salina Cruz to Ixcateopan drive plays out
MEX-190 (176 mi) and MEX-135D (151 mi) carry about 62% of the 525 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.
Roads you'll take from Salina Cruz to Ixcateopan
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEX-185 | 0–11 | 11 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-190 | 11–172 | 161 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-135D | 172–323 | 151 | Oaxaca, Puebla |
| MEX-150D | 323–367 | 44 | Puebla |
| MEX-190 | 367–382 | 15 | Puebla |
| local roads | 382–393 | 11 | Puebla |
| PUE 438D | 393–427 | 34 | Puebla, Morelos |
| MEX-94D | 427–465 | 38 | Morelos |
| connecting roads | 465–469 | 4 | Morelos |
| local roads | 469–477 | 8 | Morelos |
| MEX-95 | 477–495 | 18 | Morelos, Guerrero |
| connecting roads | 495–498 | 3 | Guerrero |
| MEX-92D | 498–503 | 5 | Guerrero |
| local roads | 503–525 | 22 | Guerrero |
- Mile 272 of this route: Oaxaca → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 419 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
- Mile 490 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)
Places worth a stop between Salina Cruz and Ixcateopan
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Yagul (mile 145), El Palmillo (mile 146), Suchilquitongo (mile 184)
- Nature and outdoors: Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (mile 280), Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 492)
- Museums and history: Guiengola (mile 18), Yagul (mile 145), El Palmillo (mile 146), Suchilquitongo (mile 184), Museo del Valle de Tehuacán (mile 295), Historic centre of Puebla (mile 382), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 429)
Guiengola
Guiengola is a Late Postclassic Zapotec archaeological site near Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, on high ground above the Tehuantepec River and known as a fortified settlement.
Yagul
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.
El Palmillo
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.
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.
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.
Las Pilas archaeological site
Set inside a bathing park in Jonacatepec, Las Pilas was a ceremonial center devoted to water, where inhabitants built channels to collect and store underground water for irrigation; burials were found within the channel system.
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.
When you get to 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 Salina Cruz to other places in Mexico
- Salina Cruz to Capulalpam de Méndez
- Salina Cruz to San Juan Chamula
- Salina Cruz to Ocosingo
- Salina Cruz to Tapijulapa
- Salina Cruz to Huamantla
- Salina Cruz to Ixtenco
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Salina Cruz to Ixcateopan?
About 10 h 36 min of driving without stops, over 525 miles.
How far is Ixcateopan from Salina Cruz by car?
About 525 miles (845 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 Salina Cruz 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 Salina Cruz 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 Salina Cruz to Ixcateopan?
In order: MEX-185, 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.
Where can you stop on the way from Salina Cruz to Ixcateopan?
Closest to the road: Yagul (archaeological site, mile 145, 0.9 mi from the route); El Palmillo (archaeological site, mile 146, 0.2 mi from the route); Suchilquitongo (archaeological site, mile 184, 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.