Town Texcoco, Estado de México Municipality of Texcoco Valley of Mexico
Texcoco town the Tláloc monolith came from before it went to the Museo Nacional de Antropología in 1964; a replica stayed behind.
From Mexico City: 40 min by car (36 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to San Miguel Coatlinchán
Where to stay near San Miguel Coatlinchán
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in San Miguel Coatlinchán.
Tours to San Miguel Coatlinchán
Day trips around Teotihuacán sometimes stop in San Miguel Coatlinchán; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
How to get to San Miguel Coatlinchán
- From Mexico City: about 40 min by road (~36 km)
- Nearest airport: Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), 35 min by car to Teotihuacán
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About San Miguel Coatlinchán
Coatlinchán sits about 5 km south of Texcoco de Mora, at around 2,300 m, where the flat floor of the Valley of Mexico begins to climb toward the Sierra Nevada. The Nahuatl name is usually glossed as "house of the snakes". The Acolhua rulers had their seat here before the capital moved to Texcoco, and the town still has the ruins of a convent. What put it on the map, though, is a stone that no longer stands here.
That stone is the Tláloc monolith, roughly 7 m tall and some 167 to 168 tonnes depending on the source. It lay on its back beside the stream in the Santa Clara ravine, and locals called it the Piedra de los Tecomates for the round hollows on its upper side, which collected rainwater. People left offerings, prayed for rain and believed the water could heal. In 1963 President López Mateos's government struck a deal with a town assembly to take it in exchange for public works: paving, a primary school, a clinic, wells. Residents then changed their minds, wrecked the structures built for the move and let the air out of the trucks' tyres. In April 1964 the army occupied the town and the monolith left for Mexico City, arriving in a downpour. Marks of the extraction are still visible in the ravine.
Today Coatlinchán is a large, built-up town: the 2010 census counted 22,619 people, the second biggest locality in Texcoco municipality. People come for the monolith story, to see the replica at the Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario, and to look at the church of San Miguel and the convent ruins.
How to get to San Miguel Coatlinchán
Drive from Mexico City: 40 min, 36 km
By car, Texcoco is about 28 km from Mexico City, reached by the Peñón-Texcoco expressway or by the Los Reyes-Lechería federal road (Highway 136, the old Mexico-Texcoco road). Coatlinchán lies on that federal road, some 5 km before Texcoco's centre as you come from the capital, and the Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario stands beside it. By public transport, Metro Line A runs from Pantitlán to La Paz via Los Reyes station; from the La Paz CETRAM or from Los Reyes, local transport continues along the highway toward Texcoco (ask for the service that passes through Coatlinchán, as routes change). From Teotihuacán, about 27 km north as the crow flies, the usual way is to go down to Texcoco and continue south; allow roughly an hour, about.
Directions to San Miguel Coatlinchán on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San Miguel Coatlinchán
- Mexico City · 36 km by road, 40 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 88 km by road, 1 h 10 min
- Cuautla · 91 km by road, 1 h 20 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 Miguel Coatlinchán 1
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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Zona Arqueológica de Huexotla · Archaeological site · 3 km from 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 Miguel Coatlinchán
Neighbourhoods and villages of San Miguel Coatlinchán
Part of San Miguel Coatlinchán or just outside it, closest first.
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San Luis Huexotla · Town · 3 km from the centre
A Texcoco village next to Chapingo, built among the ruins of an Acolhua city, with the smallest Franciscan friary and a tlacoyo fair. -
Montecillo · Village · 4 km from the centre
Texcoco village on the México–Texcoco road, home of the Colegio de Postgraduados main campus and a short hop from Chapingo. -
Santiago Cuautlalpan · Town · 4 km from the centre
Town in southern Texcoco of about 12,000 people that lives off making trophies; feast of Santiago Apóstol on 25 July.
Day trips and tours from San Miguel Coatlinchán
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from San Miguel Coatlinchán 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 Miguel Coatlinchán
- The nearest airport is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and December.
- 2 of the places on this page are 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 Miguel Coatlinchán.
Visiting San Miguel Coatlinchán: what to see and do
The Santa Clara ravine, where the Tláloc monolith lay and where the marks of its extraction can still be seen.
The replica of the Tláloc monolith at the Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario, on the Mexico-Texcoco highway.
The church of San Miguel Arcángel and its tower, in the middle of town.
The ruins of the ex-convent of Coatlinchán.
The original monolith, in Mexico City, at the entrance of the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Chapultepec.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Miguel Coatlinchán
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Miguel Coatlinchán.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Teotihuacán sometimes stop in San Miguel Coatlinchán; 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 27 km more to San Miguel Coatlinchán, 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 Miguel Coatlinchán.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Teotihuacán: download a map of the way to San Miguel Coatlinchán before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Miguel Coatlinchán mild
San Miguel Coatlinchán shares the climate of Teotihuacán, 27 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Teotihuacán
Weather in San Miguel Coatlinchán 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 Miguel Coatlinchán, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Otumba · Estado de México · 30 km away
- Tepotzotlán · Estado de México · 47 km away
- Zempoala · Hidalgo · 56 km away
- Tlayacapan · Morelos · 56 km away
- Tepoztlán · Morelos · 57 km away
Near San Miguel Coatlinchán
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.