Town Texcoco, Estado de México Municipality of Texcoco Valley of Mexico
A Texcoco village next to Chapingo, built among the ruins of an Acolhua city, with the smallest Franciscan friary and a tlacoyo fair.
From Mexico City: 40 min by car (33 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to San Luis Huexotla
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Tours to San Luis Huexotla
Day trips around Teotihuacán sometimes stop in San Luis Huexotla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Mexico City
Teotihuacan pyramids morning or afternoon without tourist traps
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How to get to San Luis Huexotla
- From Mexico City: about 40 min by road (~33 km)
- Nearest airport: Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), 35 min by car to Teotihuacán
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Tours from Mexico City, near San Luis Huexotla
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About San Luis Huexotla
San Luis Huexotla is a village where the archaeological site is not fenced off on its own but woven into the houses, streets and fields. It lies about 5 km south of central Texcoco, across the highway from the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, and had 12,327 residents in the 2020 census. The name is Nahuatl for "place of willows", the ahuejote willows of the valley, and the patron is San Luis Obispo, Saint Louis of Toulouse.
In the Postclassic period Huexotla was one of the three head towns of the Acolhua kingdom, alongside Texcoco and Coatlinchan. INAH says the ancient city covers 99 hectares of today's village and only a tiny fraction has been excavated. The Huexotla Archaeological Project, working here for more than a decade, now reads La Estancia as the city's Templo Mayor and one stretch of La Muralla, 6.70 m high, as the front of its sacred precinct rather than a defensive wall.
The colonial layer sits right on top. Franciscan friars reached the Texcoco area in 1526 or 1527; here they set up a hermitage and then, with Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza's permission, a tiny friary begun in 1543 on the largest pre-Hispanic platform in the site. INAH calls it the smallest the Franciscans ever built, and it was here that Fray Jerónimo de Mendieta wrote his Historia eclesiástica indiana. The church of San Luis Obispo itself dates from the 18th century. Since 2001 the old core has been a protected Historic Monuments Zone of 11 blocks and 20 buildings from the 16th to the 19th centuries, among them the Guadalupe chapel and a 16th-century bridge over the San Bernardino river, and the old street grid survives.
The village also runs a community museum, the Museo Huexotla, which since 2025 has hosted a Tlacoyo Fair each August with craft stalls, tlachicotón pulque drinks and a contest for the best tlacoyo.
How to get to San Luis Huexotla
Drive from Mexico City: 40 min, 33 km
From Mexico City take the Peñón–Texcoco toll road (or the free federal México–Texcoco highway) to Chapingo; the turn-off to San Luis Huexotla is opposite the entrance to the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, and the archaeological zone is at the end of Calle San Francisco. From the Zócalo it is about 33 km, roughly 40 minutes without traffic. By bus, Texcoco-line buses leave the TAPO terminal every 30 to 60 minutes (buy at the ADO counter) and take about 40 minutes to Texcoco; from there combis and colectivos run to San Luis Huexotla, about 5 km away (around 10 minutes). From Teotihuacán it is about 35 km, 35 to 40 minutes, via the Ecatepec–Pirámides toll road, the Pirámides–Texcoco stretch and the San Bernardino–Tepexpan road (Highway 142).
Directions to San Luis Huexotla on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San Luis Huexotla
- Mexico City · 33 km by road, 40 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 85 km by road, 1 h 5 min
- Pachuca · 90 km by road, 1 h 15 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in San Luis Huexotla 2
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
Landmarks and museums
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Capilla Riveriana de Chapingo · Landmark · 3 km from the centre
Diego Rivera's 'Sistine Chapel': a former hacienda chapel at Chapingo's agricultural university covered in his murals.
Archaeological sites
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Zona Arqueológica de Huexotla · Archaeological site · in the centre
An old Acolhua city south of Texcoco with a rare surviving defensive wall and a Franciscan church on its ancient center.
Map of San Luis Huexotla
Neighbourhoods and villages of San Luis Huexotla
Part of San Luis Huexotla or just outside it, closest first.
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San Miguel Coatlinchán · Town · 3 km from the centre
Texcoco town the Tláloc monolith came from before it went to the Museo Nacional de Antropología in 1964; a replica stayed behind.
Day trips and tours from San Luis Huexotla
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from San Luis Huexotla and tours that leave from it.
Times marked ~ are estimated from the distance. Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Before you go: getting to and around San Luis Huexotla
- The nearest airport is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and December.
- Everything on this page is in or close to the centre: walk, or take a short taxi ride.
- For day trips a rental car gives the most freedom; the tours above leave from San Luis Huexotla.
Before you go to San Luis Huexotla: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- The archaeological zone is open Monday to Sunday, 8 am to 5 pm. INAH · checked Oct 2026
- Entry
- Entry to the archaeological zone is free for Mexican and foreign visitors. INAH · checked Oct 2026
- Best season
- The Tlacoyo Fair is held in early August at the Museo Huexotla; in 2026 it ran on 1 and 2 August. Heraldo del Estado de México · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting San Luis Huexotla: what to see and do
The former Franciscan friary and the church of San Luis Obispo, built on the site's largest pre-Hispanic platform.
The Huexotla archaeological zone, with La Muralla, La Estancia and La Comunidad spread through the village (free entry).
The 19th-century Guadalupe chapel in the Historic Monuments Zone.
The 16th-century bridge over the San Bernardino river.
The Museo Huexotla, the village's community museum.
The Tlacoyo Fair in August, with crafts, tlachicotón and contests.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Luis Huexotla
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Luis Huexotla.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Teotihuacán sometimes stop in San Luis Huexotla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at NLU (Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles)): about 35 min by road to Teotihuacán, then 24 km more to San Luis Huexotla, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), about 35 min by road from Teotihuacán, the base for San Luis Huexotla.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Teotihuacán: download a map of the way to San Luis Huexotla before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Luis Huexotla mild
San Luis Huexotla shares the climate of Teotihuacán, 24 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Teotihuacán
Weather in San Luis Huexotla now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Teotihuacán
Teotihuacán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San Luis Huexotla, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Otumba · Estado de México · 27 km away
- Tepotzotlán · Estado de México · 45 km away
- Zempoala · Hidalgo · 53 km away
- Tlayacapan · Morelos · 59 km away
- Huejotzingo · Puebla · 60 km away
Near San Luis Huexotla
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.