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    Arco de entra Pueblo Parres el Guarda, Ciudad de México

    Photo by Sta Ursula Xitla, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Parres El Guarda

    Village Tlalpan, Ciudad de México Municipality of Tlalpan Valley of Mexico Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl Northern Morelos

    A Tlalpan pueblo originario at nearly 3,000 m on the old Cuernavaca road: hacienda ruins, lamb barbacoa and a stop on the railway bikeway.

    From Cuernavaca: 45 min by car (32 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Where to stay near Parres El Guarda

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    Tours to Parres El Guarda

    Day trips and guided outings from Tepoztlán often include Parres El Guarda; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Tours from Cuernavaca 3hr Cooking Class in Cuernavaca 8 Recipes and Bottomless Drinks From US$59
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    How to get to Parres El Guarda

    • From Cuernavaca: about 45 min by road (~32 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (MEX), 1 h 25 min by car to Tepoztlán
    Rent a car at MEX Flights to MEX

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Tours from Cuernavaca, near Parres El Guarda

    3hr Cooking Class in Cuernavaca 8 Recipes and Bottomless Drinks 4 h From US$59
    3h Cuernavaca Food Tasting with 32 Authentic Mexican Flavors 3 h From US$69
    Xochicalco Archaeological Guided Tour 5 h From US$84

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Parres El Guarda

    Parres El Guarda is one of Tlalpan's pueblos originarios, at the far south of Mexico City and nearly 3,000 metres up. It borders Santo Tomás Ajusco, San Miguel Topilejo and San Salvador Cuauhtenco, and faces Estado de México and Morelos (Tres Marías). About 3,200 people live here. The name joins two stories: the surname of Juan de las Fuentes Parres, who bought the hacienda in 1890, and the guard post on the Camino Real to Acapulco that once stood here. The hacienda, built between 1800 and 1810, was a rest stop for travellers bound for Cuernavaca, and Maximilian and Carlota are said to have stopped there in 1867. Only ruins remain.

    The village grew around the México-Cuernavaca railway, opened in 1897, and again when the México-Acapulco highway opened on 11 November 1927: travellers had to come through and stopped for barbacoa of criollo lamb cooked in an earth oven, which earned it the nickname pueblo barbacoyero. They still eat it that way, with consommé, quesadillas and mushroom soup. Beside the road stands the Monumento al Campesino Sacrificado (1954), a woman holding her dead son, by Francisco Arturo Marín. The Guadalupe chapel was started in 1915 from adobe and straw and rebuilt in 1954.

    The big feast is 12 December, with a flower portal, chinelo dancers and a rodeo. On 3 May, Santa Cruz day, the crosses are taken down for renewal and people climb Cerro Tulmiac with a brass band. During Holy Week, on Wednesday, villagers walk to the shrine at Chalma. The village is also a stop on the Cuernavaca railway bikeway.

    How to get to Parres El Guarda

    Drive from Cuernavaca: 45 min, 32 km

    By road, the access is Carretera Federal 95 (México-Cuernavaca, the free road), which runs through the village; from the Zócalo it is about 39 km and aprox. 50 minutes with no traffic, and from Metro Tasqueña about 30 km and aprox. 40 minutes. By public transport: RTP route 134-A runs from Estadio Azteca (a Tren Ligero station) to Parres. Buses to Cuernavaca, including Pullman de Morelos's MiBus service, leave from the Terminal Central de Autobuses del Sur (Tasqueña); ask to be dropped at Parres. Enlaces Terrestres México-Cuernavaca also runs Estadio Azteca / Metrobús La Joya to Parres and Tres Marías, already in Morelos. La Joya is a Metrobús Line 1 station. Microbuses and buses also link the village with Metro Tasqueña. The nearest town is Topilejo, about 8 km away, and Tres Marías lies just across the line in Morelos.

    Directions to Parres El Guarda on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Where to stay Hotels in Parres El Guarda Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Parres El Guarda. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to Parres El Guarda

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Parres El Guarda: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    The Parres Barbacoa Fair was held at the Kiosco del Pueblo (Hidalgo street) in July 2022, 9:00-19:00; dates change each year. Uno TV · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    Patron feast of Santa María de Guadalupe on 12 December; Santa Cruz on 2-3 May; Barbacoa Fair; Holy Week with a pilgrimage to Chalma. Wikipedia (es) · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Parres El Guarda: what to see and do

    See what is left of the El Guarda hacienda (1800-1810), with its Santa Veracruz chapel.
    Stop at the Monumento al Campesino Sacrificado (1954), beside the ejido office.
    Step into the Santa María de Guadalupe chapel, rebuilt in 1954.
    Look at El Palomito volcano from the village, to the southeast.
    Eat criollo lamb barbacoa from an earth oven, with consommé.
    Ride a stretch of the Cuernavaca railway bikeway: a bike station sits about 15 minutes before the Morelos line.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Parres El Guarda

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Parres El Guarda.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Tepoztlán often include Parres El Guarda; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at MEX (Mexico City): about 1 h 25 min by road to Tepoztlán, then 18 km more to Parres El Guarda, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (MEX), about 1 h 25 min by road from Tepoztlán, the base for Parres El Guarda.

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    Travel insurance

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    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Tepoztlán: download a map of the way to Parres El Guarda before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

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    When to go to Parres El Guarda mild

    Parres El Guarda shares the climate of Tepoztlán, 18 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Tepoztlán

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tepoztlán

    Tepoztlán's cliffs rising behind a white colonial church, Morelos mild
    Morelos Tepoztlán

    Tepoztlán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Parres El Guarda, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near Parres El Guarda

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.