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    Capilla de San Francisco de Asís en Zentlalpan 01, San Francisco Zentlalpan, Estado de México

    Photo by Catedrales e Iglesias, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    San Francisco Zentlalpan

    Village Amecameca, Estado de México Municipality of Amecameca Valley of Mexico Volcano Route

    Village 3 km north of Amecameca, "on the land of corn cobs"; a chapel to San Francisco de Asís and a 4 October fiesta with brass bands.

    From Cuautla: 45 min by car (46 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Day trips and guided outings from Tlayacapan often include San Francisco Zentlalpan; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

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    How to get to San Francisco Zentlalpan

    • From Cuautla: about 45 min by road (~46 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (MEX), 1 h 33 min by car to Tlayacapan
    Rent a car at MEX Flights to MEX

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    Tours from Atlixco, near San Francisco Zentlalpan

    Atlixco Volcano Views Popocatépetl Tour Forest Route 4 h 30 min From US$108

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    About San Francisco Zentlalpan

    Zentlalpan sits about 3 km north of Amecameca's centre in a straight line and had 2,024 inhabitants in 2020. The name comes from centli, corn cob, tlalli, land, and pan, on top of: "on the land of corn cobs", which suits the farming landscape of the valley. San Francisco de Asís is the patron, and his chapel, with a dark stone front and a yellow-painted bell tower, is the first thing you notice on arrival.

    The feast falls on 4 October. Amecameca's town hall describes this village's celebration as several bands playing, with processions and masses for the saint. It is the date to come if you want to see the village gathered; the rest of the year it is a small community with no tourist services of its own.

    Zentlalpan works best as a short stop on a visit to Amecameca, where the municipality's real draws are: the Asunción parish, built in the 16th century, the Sacromonte with its shrine, the Panoaya hacienda museums, the Apatlaco waterfall and the pass between the two volcanoes. Amecameca is also where to stock up, at its Monday, Wednesday and Sunday tianguis.

    How to get to San Francisco Zentlalpan

    Drive from Cuautla: 45 min, 46 km

    Zentlalpan lies north of Amecameca, so from the capital you cover nearly the whole trip on the 115, past Chalco. By car it is about 53 km and a little under an hour from TAPO (Rome2Rio). On the bus there are two ways: the direct service to Amecameca, or a Super Rápidos to San Marcos Huixtoco and a transfer to Volcanes at Caseta Chalco; either way allow roughly an hour and ten minutes. Once in Amecameca, the village is about 3 km from the terminal (a few blocks northwest of the zócalo) by air, close to ten minutes by taxi on my reckoning. There is no published published public route. Cuautla is about 39 km away by air.

    Directions to San Francisco Zentlalpan on Google Maps

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

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    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 Zentlalpan: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    Amecameca's tianguis (street market) runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays. Wikivoyage (Amecameca) · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    Patron feast of San Francisco de Asís on 4 October, with several bands, processions and masses. Gobierno de Amecameca y Wikipedia (Municipio de Amecameca) · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting San Francisco Zentlalpan: what to see and do

    Look at the chapel of San Francisco de Asís, dark stone with a yellow bell tower, by the village square.
    Come on 4 October for the patron feast, with bands, procession and mass.
    Visit the Asunción parish on Amecameca's zócalo, built between 1554 and 1562.
    Climb the Sacromonte, with the shrine of the Señor del Sacromonte and views of the volcanoes.
    Head to the Apatlaco waterfall or to Paso de Cortés, between Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Tlayacapan often include San Francisco Zentlalpan; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

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    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at MEX (Mexico City): about 1 h 33 min by road to Tlayacapan, then 30 km more to San Francisco Zentlalpan, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (MEX), about 1 h 33 min by road from Tlayacapan, the base for San Francisco Zentlalpan.

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

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    When to go to San Francisco Zentlalpan mild

    San Francisco Zentlalpan shares the climate of Tlayacapan, 30 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 San Francisco Zentlalpan, 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.