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    Iglesia de la Virgen de la Natividad, Santa María Jajalpa, Tenango del Valle, Estado de México, México-

    Photo by Enrique López-Tamayo Biosca, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Santa María Jajalpa

    Village Tenango del Valle, Estado de México Municipality of Tenango del Valle Toluca Valley

    Tenango del Valle village where, each September, growers hurl vegetables from trucks to the crowd at the Virgen de la Natividad fiesta.

    From Toluca: 30 min by car (29 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Day trips and guided outings from Metepec often include Santa María Jajalpa; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

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    How to get to Santa María Jajalpa

    • From Toluca: about 30 min by road (~29 km)
    • Nearest airport: Toluca (TLC), 17 min by car to Metepec
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    About Santa María Jajalpa

    Jajalpa comes from Nahuatl xaxalli and pan, "above the sands", and Santa María is its patron saint. The village is in the municipality of Tenango del Valle, 5.7 km east of Tenango de Arista at roughly 2,580 m; with 7,301 residents in 2020 it is the second-largest of the municipality's 51 localities, according to INEGI figures.

    Its reputation rests on a harvest celebration. Around the church of the Virgen de la Natividad, whose day is 8 September, growers drive through the streets on pickup trucks piled with vegetables and throw them to families waiting with bags and sacks. It is a way of giving thanks for a good season and asking protection for the next plantings. Plastic buckets, balls and other items are also handed out, and rice tacos with mole are served on the street. The parade has gone on for several generations with no documented starting year, and the México Desconocido article notes that no record ties it to a pre-Hispanic ceremony. Depending on the year it can fall on the 8th or the nearest weekend, so check the programme from the municipality or the organising committee.

    A few minutes away, Tenango has the Teotenango archaeological site on Tetépetl hill and its Román Piña Chan museum.

    How to get to Santa María Jajalpa

    Drive from Toluca: 30 min, 29 km

    Santa María Jajalpa is 5.7 km east of Tenango de Arista, in the south of the Toluca valley, and under two hours by car from Mexico City. INAH's directions for Tenango are: take the highway towards Toluca as far as La Marquesa and turn off there for Tenango del Valle; from Toluca, use the Toluca–Tenancingo highway. From Tenango, local roads lead to the village. Without a car, one travel guide suggests the Tren Interurbano to Metepec (about 80 pesos, close to an hour from Observatorio) and then a bus to Tenango; local transport runs from the town centre to Jajalpa. Traffic backs up during the fiesta, so arrive early.

    Directions to Santa María Jajalpa 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 Santa María Jajalpa: hours, prices and tips

    Best time of day
    The first week of September, for the harvest fiesta; the programme changes every year and is published by the municipality or the organising committee. México Desconocido · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    The feast of the Virgen de la Natividad is on 8 September; the vegetable-throwing parade is held that day or on the nearest weekend, depending on the year. México Desconocido · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting Santa María Jajalpa: what to see and do

    The church of the Virgen de la Natividad, focus of the 8 September patron feast.
    The parade of trucks throwing vegetables to the crowd at the September harvest fiesta.
    Rice tacos with mole sold on the street during the fiesta.
    The Teotenango archaeological site on Tetépetl hill, beside Tenango del Valle.
    The Román Piña Chan archaeological museum at the foot of the hill, with Matlatzinca-period pieces.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Metepec often include Santa María Jajalpa; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

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    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at TLC (Toluca): about 17 min by road to Metepec, then 17 km more to Santa María Jajalpa, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Toluca (TLC), about 17 min by road from Metepec, the base for Santa María Jajalpa.

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    When to go to Santa María Jajalpa cool

    Santa María Jajalpa shares the climate of Metepec, 17 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Metepec

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Metepec

    Red Calvario chapel at the top of its long stairway, Metepec, Estado de México cool
    Estado de México Metepec

    Metepec is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Santa María Jajalpa, 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.