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    Huehuetoca-Hidalgo mira a la Av Juárez, Estado de México

    Photo by Yavidaxiu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Huehuetoca

    Town Huehuetoca, Estado de México Municipality of Huehuetoca Valley of Mexico

    Municipal seat where the Tajo de Nochistongo, the colonial drainage cut of the Valley of Mexico, began in 1607.

    From Mexico City: 55 min by car (54 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Tours to Huehuetoca

    Day trips around Tepotzotlán sometimes stop in Huehuetoca; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.

    Tours from Zacatlan Zacatlán Guided Tour walking through the Center ★ 5.0 (2) · From US$8
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Huehuetoca

    • From Mexico City: about 55 min by road (~54 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), 48 min by car to Tepotzotlán
    Rent a car at NLU Flights to NLU

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Tours from Zacatlan, near Huehuetoca

    Zacatlán Guided Tour walking through the Center ★ 5.0 (2) 2 h 30 min From US$8

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

    About Huehuetoca

    Huehuetoca is the seat of a municipality in the north of the Valley of Mexico, about 66 km from Mexico City. The town itself had 11,760 people in 2020 and the whole municipality 163,244 (INEGI). The name is Nahuatl, huehue (old) plus toca (to speak); Manuel de Olaguíbel rendered it as "place of the old speech". Most of the recent growth is in housing estates on the outskirts, such as El Dorado and Citará, so the old centre is a small part of the municipality.

    The reason to come is the story of how the Valley of Mexico was drained. In 1607, after a run of floods, the royal cosmographer Enrico Martínez began a tunnel here to send the Cuautitlán river and the runoff from the Pachuca range away from Lake Zumpango. The tunnel was ordered shut in 1626 over upkeep costs, and the rains of 1628 and 1629 flooded the capital. From 1650 the tunnel was converted into an open cut, the Tajo de Nochistongo: about 16 km long and up to 80 m deep, some 20 million cubic metres of earth moved over roughly 150 years, with work dragging on until 1840. Viceroys stayed at the Casa del Virrey Luis de Velasco in town when they came to inspect the works. It is a listed historic monument, but a 2015 account describes it as nearly hidden by newer buildings, with the facade and towers the most visible parts.

    The centre also has the parish church of San Pablo, a 16th-century Franciscan building, the Plaza Hidalgo with its bandstand, and a regional museum in the park of the old railway station. Outside town stands the former Xalpa hacienda, founded in 1560. This is a history stop rather than a polished tourist destination: bring curiosity, be ready to walk and to ask.

    How to get to Huehuetoca

    Drive from Mexico City: 55 min, 54 km

    By car from Mexico City it is about 50 km and roughly 45 minutes without traffic: head north on the México-Querétaro toll road (57D), which passes Tepotzotlán and Jorobas, and take the Huehuetoca exit; exits and toll booths change, so check a map. Tepotzotlán, the nearest pueblo, is about 13 km away in a straight line (roughly 15 to 20 minutes).

    Without a car, per Rome2rio: the Tren Suburbano from Buenavista to Cuautitlán (about 43 minutes) and then a taxi of about 27 minutes; or the Metro and Metrobús to Indios Verdes, a bus to Zumpango (about 50 minutes) and a taxi. Buses also run from the Terminal Central del Norte to Tepotzotlán (Coordinados, AVM, Flecha Roja and others), but you still need local transport from there. There is no Tren Suburbano station in Huehuetoca: the one being planned belongs to the México-Querétaro train, with a target opening of 2027 according to TV Azteca (June 2026).

    Directions to Huehuetoca on Google Maps

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

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

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    From the nearest cities to Huehuetoca

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

    Visiting Huehuetoca: what to see and do

    Look for the Tajo de Nochistongo, the open cut of the colonial drainage works, between Huehuetoca and the Hidalgo border; we found no signed access or opening times, so ask at the municipality before you go.
    Step into the parish church of San Pablo, a 16th-century Franciscan building.
    Walk the Plaza Hidalgo and Avenida Juárez, the heart of the town.
    See the Casa del Virrey Luis de Velasco from the street, a badly worn historic monument.
    Visit the regional museum in the Parque Estación Ferrocarril, in a station of the Mexico-Laredo line.
    Stop at the former Xalpa hacienda, founded in 1560.
    Try the Centro de Artes José Pablo Moncayo in Salitrillo, open since 1994.
    Eat lamb or pork barbacoa, carnitas with cueritos or maguey worms, typical dishes of the area.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Huehuetoca

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

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips around Tepotzotlán sometimes stop in Huehuetoca; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at NLU (Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles)): about 48 min by road to Tepotzotlán, then 13 km more to Huehuetoca, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), about 48 min by road from Tepotzotlán, the base for Huehuetoca.

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    Travel insurance

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    Mobile data

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

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    When to go to Huehuetoca cool

    Huehuetoca shares the climate of Tepotzotlán, 13 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Tepotzotlán

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tepotzotlán

    Churrigueresque facade and tower of San Francisco Javier with its atrium cross, Tepotzotlán, Estado de México cool
    Estado de México Tepotzotlán

    Tepotzotlán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Huehuetoca, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near Huehuetoca

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

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.