Town Tultepec, Estado de México Valley of Mexico
A Tultepec town whose 25 July feast for Santiago ends with more than 50 fireworks toritos, and whose old church lost its roof in the 1957 earthquake.
From Mexico City: 40 min by car (37 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to Santiago Teyahualco
Where to stay near Santiago Teyahualco
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Santiago Teyahualco.
Tours to Santiago Teyahualco
Day trips around Tepotzotlán sometimes stop in Santiago Teyahualco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
How to get to Santiago Teyahualco
- From Mexico City: about 40 min by road (~37 km)
- Nearest airport: Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), 48 min by car to Tepotzotlán
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About Santiago Teyahualco
Santiago Teyahualco is one of the larger towns of the municipality of Tultepec, Mexico's fireworks capital, and shares its taste for gunpowder. The name derives from Toyahualco and means roughly "place of tule reeds": before the Spanish, the settlement was made up of four localities, Tecompa, Colostitla, Jajalpa and Tlamimilolpa. The Annals of Cuautitlán record that in the year 1 Tecpatl (804 AD) the Chichimecs of Cuautitlán took control of this lake valley, rich in water, game and fish.
The parish of Santiago Apóstol is one of four vicariates of the Diocese of Cuautitlán. The original church was built by the Dominicans in the 17th century; it began to decay in the 1950s and its roof fell in during the 1957 earthquake.
The big event is the patron's feast on 25 July: it starts the following Sunday with mañanitas before dawn, then kermesses, masses, processions and meals in family homes, and closes on Monday night with more than 50 pyrotechnic toritos lit. Separately, on 22 and 23 May the image of the apostle is carried through the streets for 36 hours straight, stopping at 43 points, and each stop has its own party, with mariachis, food or fireworks. The table runs to tamales, sheep barbacoa, carnitas and pan de dulce.
How to get to Santiago Teyahualco
Drive from Mexico City: 40 min, 37 km
Teyahualco is in the municipality of Tultepec on the northern edge of the metro area: about 25 km in a straight line from central Mexico City and about 13 km from Tepotzotlán; by road, roughly 45 minutes to an hour from the city depending on traffic (our estimate). The toll road serving Tultepec is the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense: its section from Zumpango reaches Tultepec and crosses the México–Querétaro 57D, and the Chamapa–Lechería highway continues to Tultepec (finished 2008). From the seat, Tultepec, local streets lead to the town. There is no reliable published information on colectivo or bus lines; the practical route is to reach Tultepec or Cuautitlán and take a taxi or colectivo from there, checking a maps app.
Directions to Santiago Teyahualco on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Santiago Teyahualco
- Mexico City · 37 km by road, 40 min
- Pachuca · 79 km by road, 1 h 5 min
- Toluca · 88 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.
Map of Santiago Teyahualco
Neighbourhoods and villages of Santiago Teyahualco
Part of Santiago Teyahualco or just outside it, closest first.
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Fuentes del Valle · Town · 3 km from the centre
Residential colonia in Tultitlán with 82,274 people in 2020 and a Mexibús Line 2 station; not a tourist destination. -
Santa María Cuautepec · Village · 3 km from the centre
Smallest pueblo of Tultitlán at the foot of the Sierra de Guadalupe, with a 1737 Baroque chapel and feasts on 2 February and 15 August. -
Tultepec · Town · 3 km from the centre
Mexico's fireworks capital, with a huge pyrotechnics market, a March fireworks fair and a free museum of local mammoth finds.
Day trips and tours from Santiago Teyahualco
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Santiago Teyahualco 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 Santiago Teyahualco
- 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 Santiago Teyahualco.
Before you go to Santiago Teyahualco: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Patron-saint feast of Santiago Apóstol on 25 July (it starts the following Sunday and ends Monday night with the burning of 50+ pyrotechnic toritos); procession of the apostle's image on 22-23 May. Wikipedia (en) · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Santiago Teyahualco: what to see and do
The parish of Santiago Apóstol in the centre, and the plaza with its bandstand.
A ruined church that shows up in photographs of the town.
The 25 July feast, with more than 50 pyrotechnic toritos lit on Monday night.
The 22-23 May procession, 36 hours through 43 stops in town.
Barbacoa, carnitas, tamales and pan de dulce at local stalls.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Santiago Teyahualco
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Santiago Teyahualco.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Tepotzotlán sometimes stop in Santiago Teyahualco; 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 48 min by road to Tepotzotlán, then 13 km more to Santiago Teyahualco, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), about 48 min by road from Tepotzotlán, the base for Santiago Teyahualco.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Tepotzotlán: download a map of the way to Santiago Teyahualco before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Santiago Teyahualco cool
Santiago Teyahualco shares the climate of Tepotzotlán, 13 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Tepotzotlán
Weather in Santiago Teyahualco now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tepotzotlán
Tepotzotlán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Santiago Teyahualco, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Teotihuacán · Estado de México · 29 km away
- Villa del Carbón · Estado de México · 37 km away
- Otumba · Estado de México · 39 km away
- Jilotepec · Estado de México · 54 km away
- Zempoala · Hidalgo · 55 km away
Near Santiago Teyahualco
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.