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    Papalotla centro 3, Estado de México

    Photo by Haakon S. Krohn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Papalotla

    Village Papalotla, Estado de México Valley of Mexico Teotihuacan Valley

    Seat of the State of Mexico's smallest municipality: a Pueblo con Encanto with an 18th-century church, lamb barbacoa and a butterfly house.

    From Mexico City: 45 min by car (37 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Plan your visit to Papalotla

    Where to stay near Papalotla

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Papalotla.

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    Tours to Papalotla

    Day trips and guided outings from Teotihuacán often include Papalotla; with a local guide you can get there 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 Papalotla

    • From Mexico City: about 45 min by road (~37 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), 35 min by car to Teotihuacán
    Rent a car at NLU Flights to NLU

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Tours from Zacatlan, near Papalotla

    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 Papalotla

    Papalotla means "place of many butterflies" in Nahuatl, and it is the seat of the smallest municipality in the State of Mexico: about 3 sq km just north of Texcoco, with 4,862 residents in the 2020 census (4,784 in the town itself). In Acolhua times it answered to the lordship of Texcoco, and its glyph, two butterflies, appears in a codex as a sign of loyalty to Nezahualcóyotl. The state government named it a Pueblo con Encanto in August 2011.

    What you come for is in the old centre, with its cobbled and paved streets. The parish church of Santo Toribio, Bishop of Astorga, went up in five stages between 1747 and 1776; its Texcoco-baroque arcades frame a churchyard that still has centuries-old olive trees, and inside are six baroque, rococo and churrigueresque altarpieces. Next door stands the Casa de Piedra, one of the oldest buildings in town. A few blocks away the Parque Didáctico El Árbol (opened in 1970) has grills, palapas and a lively squirrel population, with a butterfly house beside it.

    The local table is lamb barbacoa, fried pork, mole and chuales, tamales of corn and alverjón (a pea-like legume) sweetened with piloncillo; the Corredor Gastronómico Los Arcos, beside the town hall, has six food stalls. Workshops make leatherwork (bags, belts, saddles), wrought iron and carved wood. The big feast is Santo Toribio in April, with the Vaqueros, Santiagueros and Sembradores dances; in June there is a taco fair at the Alameda.

    How to get to Papalotla

    Drive from Mexico City: 45 min, 37 km

    By car from Mexico City, head for Texcoco; once there, take the Camino a San Simón north until you reach Papalotla, per México Desconocido. In a straight line it is about 32 km from the centre of the capital and about 14 km from Teotihuacán; with eastern-city traffic allow roughly 1 hour from CDMX rather than the 35 minutes a straight-line estimate suggests.

    By public transport, take a bus from the TAPO terminal (Metro San Lázaro) to Texcoco, or start from Texcoco's own bus terminal, then a taxi or local transport to Papalotla; Wikivoyage notes the municipality has buses and taxis. Once in town, everything of interest is a walk around the plaza and the parish church.

    Directions to Papalotla on Google Maps

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

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

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    From the nearest cities to Papalotla

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

    Before you go to Papalotla: hours, prices and tips

    Entry
    Entry to the Parque Didáctico El Árbol is free. Wikiviajes: Papalotla · checked Oct 2026
    Best time of day
    April, when the feast of Santo Toribio brings music and traditional dances. Wikiviajes: Papalotla · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting Papalotla: what to see and do

    Parish church of Santo Toribio, Bishop of Astorga (1747-1776), with its arcades and centuries-old olive trees in the atrium
    Casa de Piedra, next to the church
    Parque Didáctico El Árbol, with grills, palapas and squirrels
    Butterfly house (mariposario) on Avenida Insurgentes
    Corredor Gastronómico Los Arcos: lamb barbacoa, fried pork and chuales
    Workshops for leather, wrought iron and carved wood

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Papalotla

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

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    Tours & activities

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

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at NLU (Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles)): about 35 min by road to Teotihuacán, then 14 km more to Papalotla, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), about 35 min by road from Teotihuacán, the base for Papalotla.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

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

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

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

    Airalo

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    When to go to Papalotla mild

    Papalotla shares the climate of Teotihuacán, 14 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Teotihuacán

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Teotihuacán

    Hot-air balloons drifting over the Pyramid of the Sun at dawn, Teotihuacan, Estado de México mild
    Estado de México Teotihuacán

    Teotihuacán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Papalotla, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Closest to Papalotla

    Near Papalotla

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

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.