Town San Mateo Atenco, Estado de México Toluca Valley
Shoemaking town in the Toluca valley: leather footwear shops on Av. Juárez, a lake-cultures museum and the shoemakers' feast on 25 October.
From Toluca: 15 min by car (16 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to San Mateo Atenco
Where to stay near San Mateo Atenco
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in San Mateo Atenco.
Tours to San Mateo Atenco
Day trips around Metepec sometimes stop in San Mateo Atenco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
How to get to San Mateo Atenco
- From Toluca: about 15 min by road (~16 km)
- Nearest airport: Toluca (TLC), 17 min by car to Metepec
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About San Mateo Atenco
San Mateo Atenco sits in the Toluca valley beside Metepec, hard against the Lerma river, at about 2,570 m. The municipality had 97,418 people in the 2020 INEGI census. Atenco means "at the water's edge", and the area was lake country: Matlatzinca, Otomi and Mazahua peoples lived here before the Mexica conquered it around 1476, and Franciscan friars added the name San Mateo. For centuries it was a farming village; industry took off after the Revolution when a shoe shop opened, and today the shoe trade even appears on the municipal coat of arms.
That is what people come for: leather footwear. Avenida Juárez concentrates shops, family factories and workshops selling everything from ankle boots and loafers to cowboy boots and sandals, with Plaza Naranja and Plaza Azul the best known. Some workshops make custom designs and let you see part of the process. On 25 October, the day of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, patrons of shoemakers, people bring their images to Mass and then celebrate with a dance.
There is also time for the Museo de las Culturas Lacustres del Valle de Toluca "Dra. Yoko Sugiura Yamamoto", with mammoth tusks and traces of the peoples of the Lerma's old lake system. The patron feast, with a carnival, is on 21 September; each barrio has its own, and mojigangas appear in the carnivals. In San Pedro and Guadalupe, tule weaving and wooden chairs with tule seats are still made, a craft that is growing rarer.
How to get to San Mateo Atenco
Drive from Toluca: 15 min, 16 km
From Mexico City, the usual route is to reach Toluca first: buses leave every few minutes from the Poniente terminal (Observatorio, at the end of Metro Line 1) for the Toluca bus terminal, or you can take the El Insurgente interurban train from Observatorio to Toluca Centro station. From there San Mateo Atenco is east, about 13 km in a straight line from Toluca, approx.; by car you use Paseo Tollocan, the road linking the capital with Toluca, which forms the municipality's northern edge. Avenida Juárez crosses the town north to south, and Calle 2 de Abril connects directly with Metepec, about 7 km away in a straight line.
Directions to San Mateo Atenco on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San Mateo Atenco
- Toluca · 16 km by road, 15 min
- Mexico City · 56 km by road, 1 h
- Cuernavaca · 76 km by road, 1 h 30 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Map of San Mateo Atenco
Neighbourhoods and villages of San Mateo Atenco
Part of San Mateo Atenco or just outside it, closest first.
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San Pedro Tultepec · Village · 2 km from the centre
A carpenters' town in Lerma: a street of furniture shops, wood workshops and an El Insurgente train station at its entrance. -
Santa María la Asunción · Village · 2 km from the centre
Locality of 7,681 people in San Mateo Atenco, in the Toluca Valley, 8 km from Metepec; its double feast falls on New Year's Day and in August. -
San Gaspar Tlahuelilpan · Village · 3 km from the centre
Metepec village named for the Magus Gaspar, with a church rebuilt after 1985 and a 10 km road race each January. -
Isidro Fabela · Village · 4 km from the centre
Colonia of 1,790 people in Lerma near Toluca, named for governor Isidro Fabela; close to the Lerma station of the El Insurgente train.
Day trips and tours from San Mateo Atenco
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from San Mateo Atenco 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 Mateo Atenco
- The nearest airport is Toluca (TLC).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and December.
- 1 of the places on this page is more than 3 km from the centre: take a taxi, a ride-hailing app or a local bus.
- For day trips a rental car gives the most freedom; the tours above leave from San Mateo Atenco.
Before you go to San Mateo Atenco: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- The Museo de las Culturas Lacustres is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Shoe shops keep their own hours; workshops operate year round. Eje Central · checked Oct 2026
- Best season
- Patron feast of San Mateo with carnival on 21 September; Saints Crispin and Crispinian, patrons of shoemakers, on 25 October; Day of the Dead altars on 1 November. Wikipedia · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting San Mateo Atenco: what to see and do
Walk Avenida Juárez shop to shop for leather ankle boots, loafers, cowboy boots and sandals.
Step into Plaza Naranja and Plaza Azul, home to makers with decades in the trade.
Visit the Museo de las Culturas Lacustres del Valle de Toluca at Calzada del Panteón Viejo 201.
See the church of San Pedro y San Pablo.
Look for wooden chairs with tule seats in the Guadalupe barrio.
Come on 25 October, the feast of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, patrons of shoemakers.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Mateo Atenco
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Mateo Atenco.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Metepec sometimes stop in San Mateo Atenco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at TLC (Toluca): about 17 min by road to Metepec, then 7 km more to San Mateo Atenco, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Toluca (TLC), about 17 min by road from Metepec, the base for San Mateo Atenco.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Metepec: download a map of the way to San Mateo Atenco before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Mateo Atenco cool
San Mateo Atenco shares the climate of Metepec, 7 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Metepec
Weather in San Mateo Atenco now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Metepec
Metepec is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San Mateo Atenco, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Malinalco · Estado de México · 36 km away
- Ixtapan de la Sal · Estado de México · 50 km away
- Villa del Carbón · Estado de México · 52 km away
- Tonatico · Estado de México · 54 km away
- Tepoztlán · Morelos · 55 km away
Near San Mateo Atenco
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.