Mexico City to Oaxaca - The Drive

It can take as little as 4.5 hours and be traffic andthere's an open air marketplace. On Sunday there's an
problem free, but just as easily you can be met witheven larger series of temporary stalls selling crafts,
congestion and road repairs, extending the trip to sixplants, etc, two blocks down. In the same area is the
hours or more. On the other hand you can elect toarea known as Parián, and the Barrio de Artista,
increase the length of your journey by taking in a fewboth not to be missed. Of course there are nearby
select sites and some interesting scenery, including aruins and other sites, but for a brief stopover it's the
snow-capped volcano near Puebla and another peakdowntown that's the "must see." For a splurge spend
near the Orizaba / Córdoba cut-off.the night at Mesón Sacristía (written up in a
The first leg of the trip is from Mexico City to Puebla.coffee table book about the 1,000 best inns in The
The main problem you will likely face is leaving theAmericas) in Los Sapos. For economy, stay at Palas
nation's capital, along a thoroughfare known asor Palace, on 2 Oriente, a block from the zócalo
Zaragoza. Unless you happen to be starting out veryand about four blocks from Los Sapos.
early, or late at night, there will be congestion, so muchThe drive from Puebla to Oaxaca, without stopping
so that vendors of soft drinks and water, snacks,other that for a couple of pit stops, takes about three
freezees, and an array of other foodstuffs, will beand a half hours. However, during 2007 and at least
walking ever so slowly, meandering through the lines ofwell into 2008 there are two or three road construction
stopped traffic, plying their products. And therefore,sites which will slow you down. Again, be patient, turn
arriving at Puebla can take anywhere from one tooff your engine, and see what the vendors have to
three hours, the latter applying particularly duringoffer. And at the toll booths there will be even more
extended rush hours and on the weekends. The nameofferings, from uniquely Poblano sweets known as
of the game is patience, plain and simple. And if you'recamotes, to wholewheat tortillas, to puppies. Two
picking up a rental car at the airport, ask yourlanes become one and a half, as you approach the
attendant to draw a map, and regardless of its quality,turn-off to the right to continue on to Tehuacan and
at every opportunity ask other motorists andOaxaca. You'll see the breathtaking snow-capped
pedestrians how and when to turn onto Zaragoza.peak as you look ahead towards Orizába (but
Once on this "highway" your only difficulty will bedon't take that road or you'll end up in Veracruz).
getting off of it. To give you an even clearer picture ofNext there are two recommended stops, unless you
the congestion on Zaragoza, in 2004, while driving aalso want to spend time at Tehuacan. The first is at
three ton cub van on the roadway, the police wantedthe onyx / marble village of San Antonio Texcala.
to pull us over (for who knows what reason), theTake the second Tehuacan exit (after the Tehuacan
cruiser several vehicles back with siren blaring. Wetoll booth), onto highway 125 leading to Huajuapan.
elected to simply ignore the command and continue,After 6 km you'll arrive at the village, with five or more
hoping the traffic would never allow the police to catchfactory outlets where you can by almost anything into
up and they would eventually give up. It worked.which these stones can be shaped --- tequila sets,
Virtually the entire roadway from Mexico City toplates, sinks, lamps, tables, bowls, boxes, unicorns, fish,
Oaxaca is well-marked and -paved toll road. Signagehash pipes, and of course a number of diverse
is large and clearly lettered. However, a few keyornaments with religious imagery. Prices are about half
pointers are in order. You want to be where it saysof what you'll pay elsewhere.
"cuota" and not "libre," the former being the toll roadNext is the Museo de Agua, or water museum,
and the latter the much slower, single lane highway.actually a misnomer because it is so much more. Take
"Autopista" is invariably the toll road. En route to Pueblathe well-marked next exit after your return to the
you'll see signs directing you to the city, and then fromautopista, for Sangabriel and Chilac. There will also be
Puebla, the signage will indicate Oaxaca. The highwayssignage for the museum. You'll be given a tour (in
are either two lanes each way, a lane and a half, or aSpanish) in the main building, and of the outside
single lane. However, custom dictates that cars goingsurrounding landscapes. You'll learn how progress is
slower move to the right and onto the paved shoulderbeing made to teach villagers in desolate regions
when they see you coming, so regardless of the typewhere water is scarce and soil fertility is lacking, to
of highway, most of the time you should be able to goconserve and recycle water; to use compost, worm
at the speed to which you are accustomed. Thereculture and other techniques to enrich the land; and to
are, however exceptions as with any rule. Sometimes,grow and market nutritious produce such as amaranth.
for example, large tractor trailers are too wide toIn terms of the land and townscapes, near Tehuacan
move over enough to let you pass. But when they seeyou'll see long narrow white-topped buildings where
that the roadway ahead is clear, they'll put on thepoultry is produced and then trucked throughout the
left-hand signal, telling you it's okay to pass on the left ...state of Puebla and further abroad. There will be a
assuming you trust them. A solid center line tends tocouple of locations demarcated as stops for tourists
be suggestive only and you'll quickly learn that withto pull over and appreciate and photograph the deep
cars moving over to the right for you, you can passvalleys and high mountaintops. Long well-marked
notwithstanding the solid line ... except when there's aexpansion bridges serve to showcase the valleys and
significant curve, peak or valley up ahead. There aremountains. You'll pass over a geological fault. There will
many gas stations along the entire route, most ofbe several kilometers of impressive "telephone pole"
which now have "The Italian Coffee Company"cactus. Close to the approach to Oaxaca you'll see
franchises alongside, with clean washrooms. Creditvendors on each side of the highway selling brightly
cards are generally accepted for filling up, and now ascolored miniature wooden trucks.
well at the many toll booths ... except when theThe last toll booth is called Huitzo. About 15 - 20
system has broken down.minutes further you'll approach Oaxaca. A few
Leaving Mexico City you'll pass through a number ofminutes after entering the city, you'll be given two
stretches of comedors along each side of theopportunities to turn to the left (one of the signs is
highway. You'll gradually ascend, through a number ofdifficult to interpret), but unless you've been provided
easy curves, leaving the smog of the valley behind.with specific instructions to get to your hotel or B & B,
The scenery is nothing special, but the ease with whichand know it's in a northern suburb, best is to just keep
you'll be able to negotiate the curves at a reasonabledriving straight, eventually entering onto a one-way
speed will more than make up for the non-descriptstreet which will lead you to the core of the
landscapes. The curves and valleys will become moredowntown area and the zócalo.
dramatic, to the extent that there will be a red line onUntil 1995 when the toll road opened all the way from
the pavement demarcating how vehicles with failingthe capital to Oaxaca, for much of the route you were
brakes should proceed, leading them off the pavementrequired to travel along secondary roads and
and onto a roadway ending at a soft a embankmenthighways, pretty well doubling the length of the drive.
of straw.Now you have the benefit of a much shorter and
You will see at least a couple of exits to downtowndefinitely a safe trip along quality well-marked
Puebla, marked as "Puebla Centro." Puebla makes forpavement, with the added feature of the option of
a great stopover for a day or two, if you're in no greatgetting off the main highway and venturing into some
rush to get to Oaxaca. It's large and sprawling, but thevillages to take in additional sites, scenery and local
downtown core is quaint, small and full of interestingculture. The only cautionary note is to not drive outside
shops, crafts, restaurants and clean, inexpensive hotels.of any major urban center, and in particular on the
Within a couple of blocks of the zócalo are goodhighways or even toll roads, at night, unless absolutely
hotels, an extensive pedestrian walkway with manynecessary. Lighting tends to be lacking or insufficient,
shops, and Los Sapos, a few streets filled with crafts,and laws regarding impaired driving are rarely
antiques and collectibles. Arrive on a weekend andenforced.