Village Tarimoro, Guanajuato The Bajío
Dairy village in Tarimoro municipality near the Celaya-Salvatierra highway, with a San José parish and a fiesta on 1 May.
From Celaya: 30 min by car (30 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Where to stay near La Moncada
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Tours to La Moncada
Day trips and guided outings from Salvatierra often include La Moncada; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
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How to get to La Moncada
- From Celaya: about 30 min by road (~30 km)
- Nearest airport: Morelia (MLM), 1 h 9 min by car to Salvatierra
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Tours from San Miguel de Allende, near La Moncada
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About La Moncada
La Moncada, in Tarimoro municipality, had 4,245 people in the 2020 census. Its name comes from the Hacienda de San José de La Moncada, which already appears in 1765 records with 32 tenant families; it is counted among the haciendas whose main house no longer stands. The settlement was formally founded in 1877 as La Moncada San José, and in 1950 a civil registry office opened here.
Village life revolves around the church of San José Obrero, seat of one of the municipality's parishes, which becomes a meeting point on Sunday afternoons. There are also chapels to San José Carpintero, the Virgin of Guadalupe and San Antonio, and the old parish church survives. The patron saint's fiesta is 1 May, the day of San José, with the brass bands, fireworks towers and jaripeo rodeos that mark rural fiestas in the area.
Milk keeps the economy going. The municipality's dairy barns cluster in and around La Moncada, and a milk-cooling plant and a cheese factory still operate here. The Acámbaro–Salvatierra–Celaya railway runs along the municipality's western side but now carries only freight: passenger service ended and the La Moncada station was abandoned. It is not a place of sights; it is for seeing a working Bajío farm village and its dairies.
How to get to La Moncada
Drive from Celaya: 30 min, 30 km
La Moncada lies on the road joining Tarimoro town with federal highway 51, the Celaya–Salvatierra stretch, which was widened to four lanes in 2008, along with part of the Tarimoro–La Moncada road. From Tarimoro to Celaya it is 32 km via La Moncada and the junction with Highway 51; from Celaya to the village it is roughly 30 minutes by car, and Salvatierra is around 15 minutes away.
Without a car, go to Celaya or Salvatierra and follow Highway 51 to the junction with the Tarimoro road. There are no published bus or colectivo timetables to La Moncada, so ask at the Celaya bus station. Passenger trains no longer run: the village station is abandoned.
Directions to La Moncada on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to La Moncada
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to La Moncada: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Fiesta of San José on 1 May, with band, fireworks towers and jaripeo. Tarimoro en el siglo XXI (monografía municipal) · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting La Moncada: what to see and do
The church of San José Obrero, La Moncada's parish.
The old parish church and the chapels of San José Carpintero, Guadalupe and San Antonio.
The San José fiesta on 1 May, with band, fireworks and jaripeo.
Dairy barns and the cheese factory on the edge of the village.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in La Moncada
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around La Moncada.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Salvatierra often include La Moncada; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at MLM (Morelia): about 1 h 9 min by road to Salvatierra, then 11 km more to La Moncada, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Morelia (MLM), about 1 h 9 min by road from Salvatierra, the base for La Moncada.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Salvatierra: download a map of the way to La Moncada before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to La Moncada mild
La Moncada shares the climate of Salvatierra, 11 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and April.
See the month-by-month climate of Salvatierra
Weather in La Moncada now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Salvatierra
Salvatierra is the Pueblo Mágico closest to La Moncada, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Closest to La Moncada
-
Tarimoro · Town · 5 km away
-
Rincón de Tamayo · Town · 16 km away
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Cañada de Caracheo · Village · 18 km away
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Cerro del Culiacán · Mountain · 18 km away
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Santiago Maravatío · Village · 23 km away
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San Pablo Casacuarán · Village · 26 km away
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Apaseo el Alto · Town · 27 km away
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Celaya · City · 27 km away
Near La Moncada
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.