Town Xochimilco, Ciudad de México Municipality of Xochimilco Valley of Mexico
Xochimilco's farming town below Teuhtli volcano: chinampas still worked, a patron-saint fiesta on 12 March and marigold fields for Day of the Dead.
From Mexico City: 35 min by car (27 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Tours to San Gregorio Atlapulco
Day trips around Tepoztlán sometimes stop in San Gregorio Atlapulco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Mexico City
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How to get to San Gregorio Atlapulco
- From Mexico City: about 35 min by road (~27 km)
- Nearest airport: Mexico City (MEX), 1 h 25 min by car to Tepoztlán
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Tours from Mexico City, near San Gregorio Atlapulco
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About San Gregorio Atlapulco
San Gregorio Atlapulco is one of Xochimilco's original villages, on the south shore of the old lake at about 2,246 m, right below the Teuhtli volcano. Its Nahuatl name is usually rendered as "where the water hovers" or "in the lands of mud". The Xochimilca held the area from early times, it came under Tenochtitlan in 1430, and the colonial town was founded in the mid-16th century, with both 1550 and 1555 cited as the date.
What sets it apart is that people still farm on chinampas here. The canals and plots grow lettuce, radishes, spinach, coriander and parsley, four or five harvests a year, plus medicinal plants, and many families sell their produce at the Central de Abasto. It is daily, unromantic work, and few young people want to inherit it. To see the chinampas and the marigold fields, walk out from the Puente de Urrutia: in the Day of the Dead season (2026 edition) the Sendero de las Almas links the bridge with the town and with San Luis Tlaxialtemalco, free, on weekends.
In the centre, the civic plaza sits at the corner of Avenida México Oriente and Avenida Cuauhtémoc, with statues of Zapata and Cuauhtémoc and a 2002 mural, "Paisajes de nuestro Pueblo". Next to it are the parish church and former convent of San Gregorio Magno and the market, badly damaged in the 2017 earthquake and since restored. The big fiesta is 12 March, moved to the nearest Sunday: it opens with mañanitas and fireworks at midnight and brings a Moors-and-Christians dance, the Arrieros, concheros, mariachis and food of mole, bean tamales, carnitas and barbacoa. On Xilotepec hill there is an archaeological zone with reliefs, badly eroded.
How to get to San Gregorio Atlapulco
Drive from Mexico City: 35 min, 27 km
By public transport from Tasqueña (Metro Line 2) there are three options. 1) Microbús route 81 from the south exit of Metro Tasqueña toward Milpa Alta: it runs along Calzada Miramontes, part of Prolongación División del Norte and Avenida Nuevo León; ask for the San Gregorio Atlapulco stop. 2) An RTP bus from Tasqueña's north exit toward Milpa Alta, on the same route. 3) The Tren Ligero from Tasqueña to Francisco Goitia station, then a microbús to Tulyehualco that drops you in San Gregorio; RTP route 142 also leaves from Avenida 16 de Septiembre at Avenida Cuauhtémoc, in Xochimilco, about every 12 minutes. The microbús leg from the light rail takes about 45 minutes.
By car: reach the Glorieta de Vaqueritos via Calzada Miramontes, Avenida División del Norte or the Periférico; continue on Prolongación División del Norte to the Deportivo Xochimilco, turn right and then left at the fire station, go around the Bosque de Nativitas and keep straight through Santa María Nativitas and Santa Cruz Acalpixca. Streets are paved; during the Sendero de las Almas, park where you do not block the fields.
Directions to San Gregorio Atlapulco on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San Gregorio Atlapulco
- Mexico City · 27 km by road, 35 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 86 km by road, 1 h 15 min
- Cuernavaca · 69 km by road, 1 h 20 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in San Gregorio Atlapulco 2
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
Islands
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Isla de las Muñecas · Island · 3 km from the centre
A chinampa deep in Xochimilco's canals hung with over a thousand weathered dolls, the life's work of a hermit; about 90 minutes by trajinera from Cuemanco.
Archaeological sites
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Cuahilama · Archaeological site · 1 km from the centre
Hill with 15th-century petroglyphs in Santa Cruz Acalpixca, Xochimilco: free entry, a half-hour climb and views over the canals.
Map of San Gregorio Atlapulco
Neighbourhoods and villages of San Gregorio Atlapulco
Part of San Gregorio Atlapulco or just outside it, closest first.
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Xochimilco · Town · 4 km from the centre
The last of the Aztec lake world: about 170 km of canals and chinampas, a UNESCO site since 1987, toured by painted trajinera at an official 750 pesos an hour.
Day trips and tours from San Gregorio Atlapulco
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from San Gregorio Atlapulco and tours that leave from it.
Times marked ~ are estimated from the distance. Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Before you go: getting to and around San Gregorio Atlapulco
- The nearest airport is Mexico City (MEX).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and December.
- 1 of the places on this page is more than 3 km from the centre: take a taxi, a ride-hailing app or a local bus.
- Isla de las Muñecas: reached by boat or on foot, not by road (each page says from where).
- For day trips a rental car gives the most freedom; the tours above leave from San Gregorio Atlapulco.
Before you go to San Gregorio Atlapulco: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- The market sits next to the plaza and church. Sendero de las Almas: Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00 to 16:00, until the first week of November. Mexican Times · checked Oct 2026
- Entry
- The Sendero de las Almas route is free and needs no booking. Mexican Times · checked Oct 2026
- Best time of day
- The patron-saint fiesta is 12 March (moved to the nearest Sunday), with mañanitas and fireworks at midnight. Day of the Dead season (October and November) brings the marigold fields and the Sendero de las Almas. El Color de la Fe · checked Oct 2026
- Guide or tour
- No guide is needed; the plaza, church and market are walkable on your own. Mexico City tourism site · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting San Gregorio Atlapulco: what to see and do
Walk the canals and chinampas from the Puente de Urrutia, above all on the Sendero de las Almas at Day of the Dead.
Visit the parish church and former convent of San Gregorio Magno beside the plaza.
See the mural "Paisajes de nuestro Pueblo" and the Zapata and Cuauhtémoc statues on the civic plaza.
Eat at the market next to the plaza, or try mole, bean tamales, carnitas and barbacoa at the March fiesta.
Climb Xilotepec hill to see the carved reliefs of the archaeological zone, now badly eroded.
Come for the 12 March fiesta, with its Moors-and-Christians dance, the Arrieros and concheros.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Gregorio Atlapulco
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Gregorio Atlapulco.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Tepoztlán sometimes stop in San Gregorio Atlapulco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at MEX (Mexico City): about 1 h 25 min by road to Tepoztlán, then 30 km more to San Gregorio Atlapulco, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (MEX), about 1 h 25 min by road from Tepoztlán, the base for San Gregorio Atlapulco.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Tepoztlán: download a map of the way to San Gregorio Atlapulco before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Gregorio Atlapulco mild
San Gregorio Atlapulco shares the climate of Tepoztlán, 30 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Tepoztlán
Weather in San Gregorio Atlapulco now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tepoztlán
Tepoztlán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San Gregorio Atlapulco, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Tlayacapan · Morelos · 34 km away
- Teotihuacán · Estado de México · 54 km away
- Tepotzotlán · Estado de México · 54 km away
- Metepec · Estado de México · 56 km away
- Malinalco · Estado de México · 56 km away
Near San Gregorio Atlapulco
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.