The Traveler’s Guide to Teotitlán Del Valle – Oaxaca’s Rug Village

Deep within the Sierras, resting under the scorching sun of the Oaxacan Central Valley, sits the small village of Teotitlán. For centuries, the streets of Teotitlán del Valle have been filled with families practicing the local craft–weaving Zapotec rugs with foot looms, turning the wool endless shades of gold, red, and green with pecans, alfalfa, and the powder of tiny cochineal bugs.

Luckily for travelers in Oaxaca, Mexico, a visit to Teotitlán is as easy as an afternoon trip. As the historical center of this art form it is certainly the place to go to learn more about Zapotec textiles, and hey, you might as well buy a tapete or two while you’re at it! In this traveller’s guide, I’ll share everything you need to know to plan your own day trip to Teotitlán del Valle from Oaxaca.

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Guided Tours to Teotitlán del Valle

If you’re short on time or simply don’t want to DIY, here are a few guided tours to explore Teotitlán del Valle!

🌵 El Tule, Teotitlan Village & Mezcal Tour – Explore the diversity of Oaxaca on this tour, with a stop in Teotitlán.
💧 Hierve el Agua & Teotitlán del Valle – Visit Oaxaca’s petrified waterfall on your way to Teotitlán.
🎨 Arts and Crafts Tour of Oaxaca – Explore 3 unique traditional crafts in Oaxaca, including textiles in Teotitlán.

What are Zapotec Textiles?

If you’ve spent any time in Mexico, you’ve likely encountered Zapotec textiles, whether you knew it or not! Characterized by their bold colors and large geometric prints, these textiles originate from the Zapotec people, an indigenous group from Mexico concentrated in the state of Oaxaca. Established in 1465, Teotitlán del Valle is one of the earliest towns to be founded by the Zapotec people in all of Mexico, and the birthplace of this traditional art form.

For centuries, Zapotec designs have been used to tell stories, each symbol carrying a deep meaning and tradition. These textiles have expanded across the state of Mexico, but hold their roots in the Zapotec peoples of Oaxaca and the tiny pueblo of Teotitlán. The weavers of Teotitlán del Valle have been practicing and perfecting the craft for centuries, making each textile truly one of a kind.

Why Visit Teotitlán Del Valle?

So why visit Teotitlán when the streets of Oaxaca City are already filled with Zapotec tapetes of every shape and size? The answer is simple–to truly experience the history and understand the process of creating the intricate, colorful textiles, a visit to Teotitlán is an absolute must. It was here the craft was born–and here that most rugs you see piled high in Oaxaca’s Zócalo originate.

A walk through Teotitlán gives visitors a deeper look into the familial tradition, cultural impact, and element of storytelling that these textiles hold, and allows visitors to connect with the artists themselves. Not to mention, if you’re interested in purchasing woven textiles while in Oaxaca, you’ll pay half the price in Teotitlán that you’ll pay trying to haggle at the central market. Come for the bargain, stay for the culture and stories you will inevitably find woven into each rug.

How to Get to Teotitlán Del Valle

Teotitlán del Valle is located about 30 kilometers from Oaxaca City Center, making it easy to access by bus, taxi, or colectivo for a day or afternoon trip. 

By Bus

For around 15 pesos one-way ($0.75 USD) one can take the bus from Oaxaca City to Teotitlán. The bus schedule in Oaxaca isn’t an exact science, but look for a bus heading to Tlacolula or Mitla — both larger towns in which Teotitlán is on the way. Buses operate regularly throughout the day. When getting on a bus towards one of these towns, be sure to ask the driver to drop you at Mezcal Don Agave, where Avenida Benito Juarez connects with the Pan American Highway 190.

From this point, it’s about 4 kilometers to the center of Teotitlán, so while there are often colectivos or tuk tuks waiting to chauffeur visitors for around 10 additional pesos ($0.50 USD), be prepared that you may have to walk a bit. The road into Teotitlán is home to many small family-operated textile businesses, so it can actually be a unique look into how textiles are made before entering the town center.

There are plenty of places to catch buses in Oaxaca City, but I recommend the stop beside Estádio Eduardo Vasconcelos. You can also catch the bus at Mercado de Abastos, Chedraui Reforma, and Macroplaza Oaxaca.

By Colectivo

For around 30 pesos one-way ($1.50 USD) one can take a colectivo to Teotitlán. A colectivo is a ride-share, so you will be sharing the vehicle with others (sometimes with up to 6 people in the car–three in the front seats, three in the back!) It can definitely be an interesting experience for those used to more tame driving, especially with the amount of speed bumps on Highway 190, but it’s a great way to save a little cash and see how the locals live.

Colectivos usually congregate near bus stops, so the places mentioned above would all be great spots to catch a colectivo out to Teotitlán. You’ll know a car is a colectivo and not a taxi by its appearance–colectivos are always red and white, with the name of the town they are traveling towards posted in the front windshield. You’ll occasionally see colectivos driving around the city center as well, so make sure to look out for a colectivo heading towards Tlacolula or Mitla to make sure it’s heading the right direction. 

By Taxi

For around 400 pesos ($20.00 USD) you can get a private taxi out to Teotitlán. You’re paying the bigger bucks, so a taxi can be expected to take you right into the town center in the least amount of time. For additional fees, some taxi drivers will provide their services for a full day. This can be a good option if you’re interested in visiting Tlacolula, Yagul, or any other nearby sites as well as Teotitlán, as your taxista will wait for you at sites and collect you once you’re finished to take you to the next location.

Catching a taxi is easy from almost anywhere in Oaxaca City. Taxistas are abundant in the Centro around the Zócolo, but you’re likely to snag a better deal if you walk a few blocks from the city center and hail down a driver. Taxi’s will always have a “taxi” sign affixed to the top of their car and a posted license in the front seat. Never accept a ride from a driver that is not an official licensed taxi.

Things to do in Teotitlán Del Valle

Once you’ve made it to Teotitlán, you’ll immediately notice a quiet that is rare to find in the bustling streets of Oaxaca. Besides the occasional shout of a vendor selling nieve or the ringing of church bells from the nearby iglesia, the town has a sense of peace and tranquility that will transport you back hundreds of years.

Teotitlán is one of the oldest towns in the state of Oaxaca, and one of the first founded by the Zapotec people. Originally called Xaquija, or “celestial constellation,” the name is based upon a Zapotec idol that existed here, a large stone split down the middle and called “The Stone of the Sun.” Zapotec legend shares that a god came from the heavens in the form of a bird accompanied by a constellation of stars to found the temple here, the ruins of which can still be observed underneath the Iglesia Preciosa Sangre de Cristo off the center square. (via: Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México Oaxaca Teotitlán del Valle)

Here are a few things you can’t miss when visiting Teotitlán del Valle in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Visit The Community Museum

To explore more history of Teotitlán, start your day off by visiting the Museo Comunitario – Bala Xtee Guech Gulal (name meaning: “in the shadow of the old village people). Be sure to have 15 pesos ($0.75 USD) on hand to enter, a measly fee when you see the amount of work and history collected in this museum. Much of this information doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world–when I asked the man working the front desk if I could continue reading more anywhere online, he promptly informed me that nothing was digitized. At the time of writing, the museum doesn’t even have a web page.

Beginning with their Zapotec origins, the museum follows the story of Teotitlán. The story begins with Zapotec traditions, displaying archeological findings and exploring La Danza de la Pluma, a ritual dance telling the story of the Spanish inquisition of the Aztecs.

The museum continues by exploring the history of textiles in Teotitlán, one rooted in interaction with the Aztec empire as during the 15th century the residents of Teotitlán would send measures of embroidered cloth to Tenochtitlan as a form of tax to Montezuma. Continuing on, the museum explores the process involved in creating the textiles, from the creation of the wooden looms to the methods used to achieve certain colors. Lastly, visitors can explore more modern Mexican traditions, such as the history of wedding festivities in the region.

Explore La Iglesia Preciosa Sangre de Cristo

Once you’ve wandered through the community museum, walk five minutes over to the main plaza to visit La Iglesia Preciosa Sangre de Cristo. This colonial style cathedral is a centerpiece of town and has been long before the Spanish invasion–in fact, it was built right upon a Zapotec ceremonial site.

As you walk through the cathedral, you’ll notice the contrast of the old and even older–Zapotec carved stones interlaid within the foundation and walls of the church. It’s an interesting opportunity to see two histories of Mexico side-by-side and to reflect on the sacredness the site has held for people of many different beliefs. 

Large and speckled with shady spots, the main plaza overlooking the cathedral is a great place to stop and rest your feet before exploring more of Teotitlán. There will likely be plenty of vendors nearby–try a nieve de leche quemada con tuna for a true taste of Oaxaca.

Shop For Textiles in Teotitlán

What most visitors come to Teotitlán for is to Shop for Textiles. There’s truly no shortage of places to shop and if you’re anything like me, the sheer amount of options can be a bit overwhelming. From more curated stores with unique woven items to tiny stands with jorongos fresh off the looms, you could spend the whole day sorting through textiles of every color. While exploring is part of the fun, I recommend choosing a spot and sticking with it if you are looking to purchase a textile, as most vendors offer similar prices and styles.

The spot we chose was a hole-in-the-wall room a few blocks from the main plaza, run by a woman named Rufina. She had been making rugs since she was 12, and had learned from her mother, who had learned from her grandmother. She told us that as a child, her role was washing the wool–an important task to ensure it holds color properly. Using a thin reed basket, Rufina would soak the wool in the river, use a rock to scrub out any dirt, and then lay it on a palm mat in the sun to dry and be dyed. 

We purchased a small floor rug from Rufina, about 5 feet long. The orange and pink colors in our rug were made from nuez, or pecans, and the shades achieved by boiling different colored wools in different dye solutions, sometimes for days at a time. Rufina informed us that a rug of that size took generally 7 days to a month to create–and that was just the weaving. To learn more about the creation process behind these Zapotec rugs, check out my article on rug production in Teotitlán del Valle.

Watch a Rug-Making Demonstration

One way to truly understand the time and skill necessary to create these textiles is to check out a Rug-Making Demonstration. There are plenty of demonstrations happening around the central plaza in Teotitlán, or you can venture to a place like Casa Don Juan for a more in-depth demonstration of the full process. 

We spoke with an artisan working on her loom near the central plaza. She demonstrated how the wool was spun into yarn and then wound onto spools to be woven on the loom. Her loom was nearby with a partly finished sarape in progress and she kindly demonstrated, with incredible precision and speed, how the different colors can be woven together to create an image. Nearby, she had bowls filled with different ingredients used to make natural dyes–tree barks for brown, indigo for blue, and surprisingly, dried pomegranate shells for a deep yellow.

Visit the Teotitlán del Valle Market

While the market in Teotitlán might not be as large as those in Oaxaca City, the mercado de Teotitlán del Valle it is still worth a visit while in town. Make sure to try some quintessential Oaxacan dishes — I recommend the memelas, thick, masa-based tortillas often topped with beans, cheese, and salsa. You’ll find plenty of vendors selling other Oaxacan staples, or can pick up the ingredients to make a Oaxacan dish of your own!

Keep in mind that many vendors at the central market come from the surrounding valley, so both English and Spanish can be sparse. The indigenous language of the Zapotecs is Zoogocho Zapotec, or Diža’xon, and this language is still widely spoken in Teotitlán. Keep an ear out as you explore, it’s amazing to hear this language spoken!

Buying a Rug in Teotitlán del Valle

If you’re interested in purchasing Oaxacan rugs, Teotitlán is the best place to do it. Not only will you find better prices than the upcharged textiles in Oaxaca’s Central Plaza, but you can assure your money is going directly into the hands of the artisans who made them.

For most people in Teotitlán del Valle, rug-making is their full-time job and how they support their families. Please keep this in mind and be respectful if you plan to purchase a textile.

The Cost of Traditional Textiles

Depending on the size and intricacy, prices for rugs in Teotitlán del Valle vary, but generally are between $75-$500. I know what you’re thinking–especially if you’ve been traveling in Latin America for a while, it’s a steeper price than most souvenirs you can find at many central markets. However, it’s important to note the time, energy, and craftsmanship that goes into making these rugs. For that reason alone a visit to Teotitlán will give you a new perspective on the handicraft you are buying, as well as provide you the opportunity to get to connect with the craftsman personally.

My rug, about 5 feet by 3 feet in size, cost me 2,000 pesos ($100 USD), which was about a $30-$40 difference from textiles of similar sizes I had found in Oaxaca Centro. For me, the opportunity to explore this beautiful town and hear the artisan’s stories was priceless and my rug is truly something I will treasure forever. For those who are on a bit more of a budget, most vendors also sell small coasters and table mats for lower prices.

The Best Way to Pay

While some vendors accept cards, not all do. Come prepared to pay with cash, or ask your vendor ahead of time before you fall in love with a textile (and they take them all off the shelf to show you!)

I generally recommend cash as a rule of thumb in Mexico, even with bigger purchases. In Teotitlán, where you’re buying a textile directly from an artist, the credit card fees can make a big difference to a small vendor. Paying with cash ensures you know exactly where your money is going and who it is supporting.

Know Before You Visit Teotitlán

Remember that while you are a tourist (and potentially a customer) in Teotitlán, and for those that you are interacting with, this is their life and income. While you may have haggled for prices at the central market or around Mexico, this is not the time to try and snag a deal. You’re already paying a more affordable price than you will likely find anywhere else in the world, so be respectful of the artisan’s time and income. 

Part of the experience of visiting Teotitlán is getting to come face to face with these incredible artisans and hearing their stories. To truly get the most out of your visit, try to make an effort to speak to those who have made these textiles their whole lives, and their families before them. Rugs in Teotitlán del Valle are not just a handicraft, but a way of life for many families and have been for centuries. You are sure to leave with a deep respect for this ancient craft, and hopefully with a few rugs in tow!

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