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    Volcan Yuhualixqui visto desde San Pedro Tláhuac, Ciudad de México

    Photo by ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Yuhualixqui

    Mountain Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México Municipality of Iztapalapa Valley of Mexico

    An extinct volcano of the Sierra de Santa Catarina above San Lorenzo Tezonco, a red tezontle hill that quarrying has cut to about 40% of its size.

    From Mexico City: 30 min by car (22 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

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    Plan your visit to Yuhualixqui

    Where to stay near Yuhualixqui

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Yuhualixqui.

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    Tours to Yuhualixqui

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

    Tours from Mexico City Teotihuacan pyramids morning or afternoon without tourist traps ★ 4.9 (10,269) · From US$59
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Yuhualixqui

    • From Mexico City: about 30 min by road (~22 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 Mexico City, near Yuhualixqui

    Teotihuacan pyramids morning or afternoon without tourist traps ★ 4.9 (10,269) 5 h 30 min From US$59
    Balloon flight + Breakfast in cave + Pyramids + Pick up CDMX. ★ 4.9 (8,170) 2–8 h From US$149
    Xochimilco, Coyoacan and Frida Kahlo with Optional Lunch ★ 4.5 (8,395) 9 h From US$40
    Balloon flight + pick up in CDMX + Breakfast in Cave + Pyramids ★ 4.9 (7,685) 4–7 h From US$157
    Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon Flight from Mexico City / Volare ★ 4.8 (4,447) 3–9 h From US$144

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

    About Yuhualixqui

    Yuhualixqui is one of the seven monogenetic volcanoes of the Sierra de Santa Catarina, the chain of extinct cones between the boroughs of Iztapalapa and Tláhuac on the city's east side. Its summit reaches about 2,420 m above the Lomas de San Lorenzo, overlooking San Lorenzo Tezonco, one of Iztapalapa's sixteen original villages. It goes by many names, among them Yohualixqui, Yehualichan, Tehualqui, Alvarado mountain and San Nicolás volcano. The Nahuatl is usually translated as "the one that casts shade", though some read it as "round place". Locals also call it the red hill of Tezonco or the sand hill, because the quarry cuts expose the scarlet tezontle and sand inside.

    In 1912 Paul Henning found the remains of a pre-Hispanic burial ground in the crater, with objects from Teotihuacan-era peoples. Centuries later Lake Xochimilco still reached the foot of the hill, and Tezonco lived from fishing, duck hunting and farming. The range was declared an ecological conservation zone in 1994, but extraction carried on: a private company bought the mountain about forty years ago and roughly 60% of its mass is gone, making it one of the most damaged volcanoes in the chain. The earthquake of 19 September 2017 set off a large landslide on it. Tezonco residents have marched for years to stop the quarrying. Even so, the hill still recharges groundwater and shelters rabbits and hares, and its bitten-off profile dominates the skyline of southern Iztapalapa.

    How to get to Yuhualixqui

    Drive from Mexico City: 30 min, 22 km

    By Metro: Line 12 (Mixcoac–Tláhuac) stops at Tezonco and at Olivos; from Olivos it is about 1.5 km to the Lomas de San Lorenzo neighbourhood on the hill's lower slope. By car: from the Zócalo it is about 22 km, roughly 27 minutes without traffic. From Tepoztlán it is about 73 km, roughly 1 h 15 min.
    There is no marked public trail to the top: much of the hill belongs to the mining company and is taken up by pits and dump trucks. For walks in the Sierra de Santa Catarina, go with a guide who knows the southeast of the city.

    Directions to Yuhualixqui on Google Maps

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

    Best with a guide Tours to Yuhualixqui on Viator With transport and a guide, leaving from nearby towns and cities. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to Yuhualixqui

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

    Before you go to Yuhualixqui: hours, prices and tips

    Guide or tour
    For hikes on the Sierra de Santa Catarina volcanoes, going with a hiking guide who knows the southeast of the city is recommended. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide Chilango · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting Yuhualixqui: what to see and do

    Take in the volcano's profile and its red tezontle cuts from San Lorenzo Tezonco and from central Tláhuac.
    Walk around the village of San Lorenzo Tezonco at the foot of the hill.
    Visit Utopía Tezontli, a sports and culture park with views of the Sierra de Santa Catarina, between the Tezonco and Periférico Oriente stations of Metro Line 12.
    For a walk in the range, Parque Xalli gives access to the neighbouring Xaltepec and Tetecón volcanoes.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Yuhualixqui

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Yuhualixqui.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Tepoztlán often include Yuhualixqui; 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 37 km more to Yuhualixqui, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

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

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    If you plan on hiking at altitude at Yuhualixqui, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

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

    Airalo

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    When to go to Yuhualixqui mild

    Yuhualixqui shares the climate of Tepoztlán, 37 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    For the clearest views from Yuhualixqui, go in the driest months (January, February, March, and December); in the rains, clouds tend to build up by midday.

    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 Yuhualixqui, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Also close to

    Closest to Yuhualixqui

    Near Yuhualixqui

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

    Lists with Yuhualixqui

    Mountains in Ciudad de México · 9 Mountains near Mexico City · 14 Mountains near Tepoztlán · 13 Mountains near Tlayacapan · 12 Mountains near Teotihuacán · 12 Mountains near Cuernavaca · 10 Mountains near Tepotzotlán · 13 Mountains near Otumba · 12

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.