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    Parroquia San Francisco Asis Acuautla Ixtapaluca, San Francisco Acuautla, Estado de México

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

    San Francisco Acuautla

    Village Ixtapaluca, Estado de México Municipality of Ixtapaluca Valley of Mexico

    A pueblo originario in Ixtapaluca, "forest among the water", now home to nearly 33,000; Franciscan parish and a 4 October procession.

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

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    Tours to San Francisco Acuautla

    Day trips and guided outings from Teotihuacán often include San Francisco Acuautla; 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 San Francisco Acuautla

    • From Mexico City: about 40 min by road (~39 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 Mexico City, near San Francisco Acuautla

    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

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    About San Francisco Acuautla

    San Francisco Acuautla used to be a farming village on grassy plains and is now one of Ixtapaluca's most populous places: 32,989 people in 2020, at about 2,290 m, somewhere between 4 and 7 km from the municipal seat depending on the source. The Nahuatl name means "forest among the water". A UAM Xochimilco thesis sums up its history as two processes: Franciscan evangelisation, with the image of San Francisco de Asís that still stands in the central chapel, and the Revolution, which freed it from one of the largest haciendas in the east of the State of Mexico, whose main house survives as a school. Rural life, with maize, barley, wheat and pulque, changed from the 1990s on, when families from Mexico City began moving in.

    The parish of San Francisco de Asís, Franciscan and 16th century according to Wikipedia, is the heart of the village. The feast is 4 October, with a procession through the main streets over sawdust carpets and fireworks. Residents also stage the Passion of Christ during Holy Week at the San Francisco dam, which a local blog on Ixtapaluca's traditions says is more than 300 years old. For meals, walks or shopping you will usually go down to central Ixtapaluca.

    How to get to San Francisco Acuautla

    Drive from Mexico City: 40 min, 39 km

    Ixtapaluca sits on the México–Puebla motorway (150D) and its free twin, federal 190; Acuautla is about 4 km from the seat by air, though a UAM thesis says 7 km. From TAPO it is some 29 km and half an hour out of traffic (Rome2Rio). Without a car, Volcanes coaches (about 45 minutes) and Super Rápidos (about 21) run from TAPO to Caseta Chalco, and Ixtapaluca links to Metro La Paz and the Mexibús. Wikipedia, citing no sources, lists local combis and buses between San Francisco and Ixtapaluca (such as La Presa–Ixtapaluca); confirm the route on the spot.

    Teotihuacán is about 39 km away by air, aprox. 45 minutes by car (approximate).

    Directions to San Francisco Acuautla on Google Maps

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

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

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    From the nearest cities to San Francisco Acuautla

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

    Before you go to San Francisco Acuautla: hours, prices and tips

    Best season
    Patron feast on 4 October with a procession, sawdust carpets and fireworks; the Passion of Christ is staged at the San Francisco dam in Holy Week. Wikipedia y blog Viviendo Nuestras Tradiciones Ixtapaluca · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting San Francisco Acuautla: what to see and do

    See the parish of San Francisco de Asís on the Plaza de la Constitución, especially on 4 October.
    Look for the central chapel where the evangelisation-era image of San Francisco still stands.
    Walk the village streets and spot what remains of the hacienda house, now a school.
    Stop at the San Francisco dam, the Holy Week setting for the Passion play.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in San Francisco Acuautla

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Teotihuacán often include San Francisco Acuautla; 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 39 km more to San Francisco Acuautla, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

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

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    Travel insurance

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

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    Mobile data

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

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    When to go to San Francisco Acuautla mild

    San Francisco Acuautla shares the climate of Teotihuacán, 39 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 San Francisco Acuautla, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.