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    Iglesia de Chalco, Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias, Estado de México

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

    Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

    City Chalco, Estado de México Municipality of Chalco Valley of Mexico

    Old Chalca lordship on the shore of a vanished lake, with the Santiago Apóstol parish, a small museum and an elevated trolleybus to Santa Marta.

    From Mexico City: 40 min by car (39 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Plan your visit to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

    Where to stay near Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias.

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    Tours to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

    Day trips and guided outings from Tlayacapan often include Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias; 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 Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

    • From Mexico City: about 40 min by road (~39 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (MEX), 1 h 33 min by car to Tlayacapan
    Rent a car at MEX Flights to MEX

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Tours from Mexico City, near Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

    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 Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

    Chalco, “place of precious stones” in Nahuatl, was the head of the Chalca confederation and was also called Chalco-Atenco for standing on the shore of the lake that has since dried up. The Mexica conquered it in 1465; during the Conquest the Chalca allied with the Spanish, and in 1533 the place became a Provincia Real. Cattle arrived around 1614. In 1868 Julio López Chávez led a peasant revolt here over land and was shot soon after, and the lake was drained during the Porfiriato. With 174,704 people in 2020 it is the seat of a municipality of 400,057.

    In the centre, the Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol, a former Franciscan convent, was built between the 16th and 18th centuries. Beside the garden stand a 1937 kiosk, the monumental clock and the Casa Colorada. The Centro Cultural Chimalpahin, named for a 16th-century Chalca historian, opened in 1978 and houses an archaeological museum. At Santa Catarina Ayotzingo there is an Augustinian convent from the mid-1500s, and the Centro Regional de Cultura Isidro Fabela has a small museum. On a clear day you can see Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl.

    The big festival is Santiago Apóstol on 25 July; the 2025 fair ran 19 to 27 July, with free entry and concerts, and a food area of antojitos and garnachas.

    How to get to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

    Drive from Mexico City: 40 min, 39 km

    Chalco lies at the south-eastern edge of the metropolitan area, about 31 km in a straight line from the capital's centre. The most direct option today is Elevated Trolleybus Line 11, which opened in May 2025: it runs from Santa Marta (in Iztapalapa, where it connects with Metro Line A, Cablebús Line 2 and RTP buses) to Chalco in about 45 minutes, 33 on the express service, for 13 pesos. It runs Monday to Saturday 4:30 am to 12:30 am and Sundays and holidays 5 am to midnight; the Chalco, Amalinalco and José María Martínez stops are in the municipality. Metro La Paz station (Line A) also receives many passengers by bus from Chalco, Ixtapaluca and Chicoloapan. By car, take the México–Puebla highway east; times depend heavily on traffic. The nearest pueblo on our list, Tlayacapan, is about 35 km in a straight line.

    Directions to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias on Google Maps

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

    Where to stay Hotels in Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

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

    Before you go to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    Trolleybus Line 11 (Santa Marta–Chalco): Monday to Saturday 4:30 am to 12:30 am; Sundays and holidays 5 am to midnight. Expansión · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    Trolleybus Line 11 fare: 13 pesos; free for children under 5, people with disabilities and adults over 60. Expansión · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    The Santiago Apóstol fiesta is on 25 July; the 2025 Feria de Chalco ran 19 to 27 July with free concerts. Chilango; Wikipedia · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias: what to see and do

    Enter the Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol, a former Franciscan convent from the 16th to 18th centuries.
    Sit by the 1937 kiosk and monumental clock in the town garden.
    Visit the archaeological museum at the Centro Cultural Chimalpahin.
    Look for the Casa Colorada and the 1987 mural in the Palacio Municipal.
    Go to Santa Catarina Ayotzingo for its 16th-century Augustinian convent.
    Come for the Santiago Apóstol fiesta in late July.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Tlayacapan often include Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias; 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 33 min by road to Tlayacapan, then 35 km more to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (MEX), about 1 h 33 min by road from Tlayacapan, the base for Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    Medical and trip cover for Mexico, by the week or month.

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    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Tlayacapan: download a map of the way to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    When to go to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias mild

    Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias shares the climate of Tlayacapan, 35 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Tlayacapan

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tlayacapan

    Fortress-like facade of the San Juan Bautista convent, Tlayacapan, Morelos mild
    Morelos Tlayacapan

    Tlayacapan is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Closest to Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

    Near Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias

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

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.