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How to Get to Atzompa from Oaxaca: Free Ruins, Green Pottery and Its Day of the Dead Cemetery
I live in Atzompa. The day here starts with smoke from the pottery kilns, continues with the sound of mototaxis, and ends, if you're lucky, with a coloradito at the market. Almost nobody from the city looks this way, but up on the hilltop there's a Zapotec city you can explore for free, with a view of the valley that most archaeological sites would envy.
Atzompa is the village of barro verde: cups, pots, bowls and figures you've probably already seen in some Oaxaca market without knowing where they came from. And on Day of the Dead, its cemetery lights up in a way that's more intimate and understated than Xoxo.
This guide is to help you get there easily, know where to go first, and not miss what's really worth seeing.
Before You Leave: Atzompa Is Not One Single Place
The village, the crafts market, the ruins (on the hilltop) and some workshops are spread out. The good news is that within the village everything is a mototaxi ride, for about $10 per trip. My tip: ask the first mototaxi driver for their WhatsApp so you can message them to pick you up at an agreed time.
Quick Summary
| Option | Where to board | Approx. cost | Time | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DiDi | From wherever you are | ~$160 | ~30 min | One-way only (see below) |
| Taxi | From the street | Max ~$200 during the day (negotiate) | ~30 min | All day |
| BinniBus RA-02 | Tinoco y Palacios & Independencia | $10 | ~50 min | 6:00–22:00 |
| Bus to Plaza Bella + mototaxi | Tinoco y Palacios | $10 + $10 | ~50 min | Bus until 9 pm |
| Colectivo | Central de Abastos | $15 | ~30–40 min | From 4:00 am to ~11 pm |
How to Get to Atzompa from Downtown
Option 1: DiDi (easiest for getting there)
A DiDi from downtown to Atzompa costs around $160, depending on the time and traffic, and takes about 30 minutes. If you prefer a street taxi, negotiate: during the day don't pay more than about $200. Note about the return: DiDi works for getting from downtown to Atzompa, but not for getting back from Atzompa to downtown. To return, use the BinniBus, colectivo or a taxi. All the details on apps and taxis are in my transport guide. What about Uber? It was announced in October 2026, but the Transportation Secretariat says it's not authorized. For now, stick with DiDi.
Option 2: BinniBus RA-02 (direct and cheap)
My favorite if you're not in a hurry — it drops you right in front of the crafts market.
- ▸Where to board: Tinoco y Palacios corner Independencia. Here's the stop on Google Maps.
- ▸Where to get off: in front of the Mercado de Artesanías de Atzompa.
- ▸Price: $10. Bring change.
- ▸Hours: 6 am to 10 pm.
- ▸Time: about 50 minutes.
- ▸On the return, you can get off in front of the Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños, across from the Cathedral. Here it is on Google Maps. The last return bus from Atzompa leaves around 9 pm.
Option 3: Bus to Plaza Bella + mototaxi
Take any bus that says "Plaza Bella", a shopping center at the entrance to Atzompa. They all pass along Tinoco y Palacios. Here's the stop on Google Maps.
- ▸Price: $10. Runs until 9 pm.
- ▸Get off at Plaza Bella.
- ▸Walk to the mototaxi stand and ask to be dropped at the Mercado de Artesanías de Atzompa. They charge $10; if they try to charge more, don't pay over $15.
- ▸Total time: about 50 minutes.
Option 4: Colectivo from the Central de Abastos
If you're already near Abastos, the colectivo is the fastest option.
- ▸Where to board: the parking lot of the second-class bus terminal at the Central de Abastos. Here it is on Google Maps.
- ▸Price: $15.
- ▸Hours: from 4 am until about 11 pm on weekdays. On weekends they run until 1 or 2 am, but after 9 pm the price goes up — in the early hours it's about $50 per person.
- ▸They leave when full. You can get off at the crafts market.
By Car
Atzompa is about 30 minutes from downtown, and the ruins have parking at the security checkpoint. If you want to visit Atzompa, Monte Albán and Xoxo in one day at your own pace, you can compare car rental prices in Oaxaca here.
The Atzompa Archaeological Site (Free)
Very few people know that admission is free. Open every day from 8 am to 4 pm, with last entry at 3 pm. Go early — there's little shade and the morning light makes the stones look their best. How to get up: a mototaxi or taxi will drop you at the security checkpoint, which is as far as they can go. Before that there's another security gate. From the checkpoint to the ruins is about 1 km, a slightly steep uphill walk. Take it easy, bring water and a hat. What it is: Atzompa was a satellite city of Monte Albán, built for the Zapotec nobility between 650 and 900 AD, on the summit of Cerro El Bonete. From the top you can see Monte Albán, about 4 km away, and half the Oaxaca valley. Its name translates as "at the top of the water." What not to miss:
- ▸The ball court: the largest in the entire Monte Albán area, 45 by 22 meters, with niches in the corners for offerings. Believed to have been reserved for rulers.
- ▸Plazas A, B and C, the Casa de Oriente and Building 16.
- ▸The pottery remains: in Plaza C they found a kiln and large jars. The barro verde tradition goes back much further than you'd think.
- ▸The view. Sit under a copal tree for a moment and take in the valley.
The Barro Verde: What Makes Atzompa, Atzompa
Pottery here isn't a souvenir — it's the livelihood of almost the entire village. The clay comes from San Lorenzo Cacaotepec and is worked as a family. Pieces are shaped (many still on a foot-powered wheel), left to rest for eight days, fired once without glaze and then a second time with the glaze that gives them that brilliant green. From the houses you can see the smoke from the kilns.
The green glaze arrived with the Spanish in the 16th century, but the pottery tradition dates back to the time of Monte Albán. Great master potters worked here, like Teodora Blanco, known for her "dolls" and her pastillaje work, and Dolores Porras, who revolutionized Atzompa pottery with bright colors and mermaids. An honest tip before you buy: the traditional green was made with greta, a lead-based glaze. Since the nineties, lead-free glazes exist and many workshops already use them. If the piece is for cooking or serving food, ask what glaze they use. For decoration, there's no issue. What to look for: cups, plates, pots, bowls and "barro bordado" pieces — the green pineapples with hand-applied flowers and leaves.
The Crafts Market
📍 Mercado de Artesanías de Atzompa, right where the BinniBus drops you.
Here you'll find the work of many village families on display and for sale. You won't see the artisans at work here, but don't be afraid to ask about their workshops — everyone has one, and many offer a class or will show you how they work. Buying here means buying directly from the person who made it.
Workshops: Casa Blanco
If you're visiting one workshop, make it Casa Blanco, arte popular. They have a very distinctive ceramic style, shared within the family, and offer classes so you can make your own piece. Many visitors remember it as one of their favorite stops in Oaxaca, and later recognize their pieces in galleries around the city. Knowing who made it, and in which house, is priceless.
📍 Casa Blanco on Google Maps
Fell in love with the pottery but it won't fit in your bag? Our little shop carries locally-made pieces. What you buy there keeps the cultural calendar free.
The Community Museum
📍 Museo Comunitario de Atzompa
On your way back from the ruins, stop at the community museum. It's free and open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. It's the place to make sense of what you just saw up top and understand how the barro verde connects Atzompa today to the one over a thousand years ago.
The Food Market: Where to Eat
Opens from 7 am, and after 6 pm there's not much left, so arrive earlier. If you can't find it, ask your mototaxi driver to take you. There are antojitos, barbacoa, moles, coloradito, enchiladas, menudo, nicuatole, tejate, fresh juices, traditional sweets, fruit and vegetables. I always end up with a coloradito or some entomatadas. Sit down, order what you see the locals eating, and you won't go wrong.
Cooking with Minerva López
If you want to take something from Atzompa home that won't break in your bag, learn to cook with Minerva López. She doesn't consider herself a chef — she's a traditional home cook, full stop. Her kitchen is in Atzompa, but not in the center of the village — it's behind Plaza Bella. Absolutely worth the extra trip.
So you know what you're getting into: don't expect a restaurant-style class with fancy equipment. This is wood-fire cooking — metate, comal and outdoor fogón, the way people cook at home here. The experience starts by going to buy ingredients at the Central de Abastos, Oaxaca's most important market, which I visit every week. And there are vegan options.
You can book the traditional cooking class with Minerva López here.
A Day in Atzompa: My Itinerary
1. 9:00 am: arrive by BinniBus or colectivo at the crafts market. 2. 9:15 am: mototaxi to the security checkpoint (ask for their WhatsApp) and walk the kilometer up. 3. 9:30–11:30 am: archaeological site. 4. 12:00 pm: head back down and stop at the community museum. 5. 1:00 pm: lunch at the food market: coloradito or entomatadas. 6. 2:30 pm: visit Casa Blanco or a workshop from the market. 7. Before 9 pm: return by BinniBus, or by colectivo until 10 pm.
☕ Was this guide useful? I write it from Atzompa — literally. Buy me a mezcal if it helped you discover my town.
Day of the Dead in Atzompa
The big night is October 31st. From sunset until the dawn of November 1st, families arrive at the cemetery with cempasúchil, candles, copal, bread and chocolate. They cover the graves in petals and flower crosses, eat beside their loved ones and talk to them, while children play along the paths. It's the most intimate and understated of the cemeteries visited that night — less festive than Xoxo, more silence and more candlelight.
- ▸Colectivos: some will take you to your destination at a special price, around $200. Negotiate from there — the later it is, the higher the price. Better with a group.
- ▸Taxis: around $300 is fair.
- ▸DiDi doesn't work for getting from Atzompa back to downtown.
- ▸To get off the beaten path: this Day of the Dead tour of San Jacinto Amilpas and Atzompa cemeteries brings you close to family vigils, Zapotec cosmology and the role of glazed pottery in ofrendas, with traditional Day of the Dead food and ancestral mezcal.
- ▸To see Atzompa and Xoxo in one night, with marigold field photos: this cemetery sightseeing tour is my favorite.
- ▸If you have limited days: Night of the Beyond covers Xoxo, Atzompa and San Jacinto on the 31st, with dinner, mezcal and return to your hotel.
- ▸If you want to honor someone: build an altar and decorate your pan de muerto, with visits to cemeteries including the Panteón General. If this year you miss someone, it can help you let go, even if you're not religious or not from here. I tell you how to experience it with respect in my deep Day of the Dead guide.
- ▸If your time is limited and you want everything arranged: the 4-day Day of the Dead tour includes Mitla, Teotitlán, Xoxo on the 31st and the Atzompa archaeological site on November 1st, with alebrijes and a comparsa. Only if your days are truly limited — if you're staying longer, take it slowly.
Combine It With
- ▸Monte Albán: Atzompa was its sister city. Do them on separate days or the same morning by car: how to get to Monte Albán.
- ▸Xoxocotlán, especially on Day of the Dead: how to get to Xoxo.
- ▸More plans: my what to do in Oaxaca guide.
Tips
- ▸Bring cash in small bills — mototaxis, the market and workshops rarely take cards.
- ▸Water and a hat for the ruins.
- ▸Ask a mototaxi driver for their WhatsApp.
- ▸Ask about lead-free glaze if the piece is for cooking.
- ▸If you're concerned about safety, read my guide Is Oaxaca safe?.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to Atzompa from downtown Oaxaca?
By BinniBus RA-02 from Tinoco y Palacios corner Independencia ($10, 6:00 am–10:00 pm), by bus to Plaza Bella plus mototaxi ($10 + $10), by colectivo from the Central de Abastos ($15), or by DiDi (around $160).How much does it cost to enter the Atzompa archaeological site?
It's free. Open 8:00 am–4:00 pm, with last entry at 3:00 pm.How do I get up to the Atzompa ruins?
By mototaxi or taxi to the security checkpoint, then about 1 km on foot, with a slight incline.Does DiDi work in Atzompa?
For getting from downtown to Atzompa, yes. For getting from Atzompa back to downtown, no — use BinniBus, colectivo or a taxi.Where can I buy barro verde in Atzompa?
At the crafts market or directly from workshops like Casa Blanco. Ask about lead-free glaze if the piece is for cooking.Which night should I go to the Atzompa cemetery for Day of the Dead?
October 31st, from sunset until the dawn of November 1st.Atzompa is not a stop on the way to somewhere else. It's a village that has been working clay for over a thousand years and still cooks on a wood fire. Go up to the ruins, buy from the person who made the piece, eat at the market, and if you can, stay to watch the smoke from the kilns at dusk. I'll be here.
More guides you might find useful
- ▸How to Get to Monte Albán — the mother city you can see from Atzompa's ruins
- ▸How to Get to Xoxocotlán — the cemeteries on Day of the Dead and how to get back after midnight
- ▸Day of the Dead in Oaxaca — Deep Guide — history, cemeteries, muerteadas and comparsas
- ▸Oaxaca Transport Guide — DiDi, BinniBus, taxis and colectivos
- ▸What to Do in Oaxaca — the full guide to the city and the valleys
- ▸Is Oaxaca Safe? — neighborhoods and what to keep in mind
☕ Was this guide useful? I write it from Atzompa — literally. Buy me a mezcal if it helped you discover my town.
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— mish Dary, Director · Qué Onda Oaxaca
