San Pablo de Mitla is a town and
municipality in
Mexico which is most famous for being the site of the
Mitla archeological ruins. It is part of the
Tlacolula District in the east of the
Valles Centrales Region. The town is also known for its handcrafted textiles, especially embroidered pieces and
mezcal. The town also contains a museum which was closed without explanation in 1995, since when its entire collection of
Zapotec and
Mixtec cultural items has disappeared. The name “San Pablo” is in honor of Saint Paul, and “Mitla” is a hispanization of the
Nahuatl name “Mictlán.” This is the name the
Aztecs gave the old pre-Hispanic city before
the Spanish arrived and means “land of the dead.” It is located in the Central Valleys regions of
Oaxaca, 46 km from the
city of Oaxaca, in the District of Tlacolula.