Town San Felipe, Guanajuato
San Felipe Torres Mochas: a 1562 town on the northern Guanajuato plateau where Hidalgo was parish priest for a decade; his house is an INAH museum.
From Dolores Hidalgo: 50 min by car (52 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to San Felipe
Where to stay near San Felipe
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Tours to San Felipe
Day trips around Dolores Hidalgo sometimes stop in San Felipe; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Guanajuato City
Private walking tour in Guanajuato (available from 1 person)
★ 4.9 (374) · From US$53
How to get to San Felipe
- From Dolores Hidalgo: about 50 min by road (~52 km)
- Nearest airport: León (Bajío) (BJX), 1 h 28 min by car to Dolores Hidalgo
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Tours from Guanajuato City, near San Felipe
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About San Felipe
Around here everyone calls it San Felipe Torres Mochas, "San Felipe of the stubby towers". The nickname comes from the parish church: the building was nearly finished by 1641, but its tower and belfry were only completed on 31 January 1884, 243 years later. Meanwhile the town's official name changed twice, to Ciudad González and then Ciudad Hernández Álvarez, after two governors; San Felipe was restored in 1948, though the nickname never left. It is the seat of Guanajuato's largest municipality, 2,969.79 km², with 32,831 people (2020) at about 2,080 m on a semi-arid plateau with cold winters.
It began as a garrison in 1554 and became a villa on 21 January 1562, founded by Francisco de Velasco on the orders of Viceroy Luis de Velasco to guard the silver road against the Zacatecos, Pames, Guamares and Guachichiles. For more than three centuries it had two halves divided by the Cocinero River: the Spanish villa and the Pueblito de Analco for Indigenous residents, with its own governor and the church of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad.
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla took charge of the parish on 24 January 1793 and lived here for ten years. His house on what was then Calle de la Alcantarilla filled with gatherings, readings and plays, and its liberal atmosphere earned it the name La Francia Chiquita, Little France. The priest taught trades such as pottery, silk-making, saddlery and tanning, planted vines and mulberry trees and kept bees. The parish church burned during the War of Independence and was rebuilt under Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras. Benito Juárez stayed in town twice, in 1863 and 1867, at the old Hotel Casino, now known as Casa Juárez.
Pottery is still made in a few workshops in town and has its own monument on Calle Profesores. In the surrounding countryside are the haciendas of Jaral de Berrio and La Quemada, with its old bridge over the Laja River, and the Sierra del Cubo, which reaches 2,880 m.
How to get to San Felipe
Drive from Dolores Hidalgo: 50 min, 52 km
By car: from León, the state road León–San Felipe Torres Mochas is 98 km long and crosses a stretch of Jalisco (between km 17 and 38) before returning to Guanajuato. From Dolores Hidalgo, the nearest Pueblo Mágico, take Federal Highway 51 toward Ojuelos de Jalisco: the junction with the León road, beside San Felipe, is at km 51, about 55 minutes. To the north, Federal Highway 37 links San Felipe in 72 km with Highway 57 (Querétaro–San Luis Potosí) near Villa de Zaragoza, SLP. The city of Guanajuato is about 107 km away.
By bus: Coordinados, a Grupo Flecha Amarilla line, comes from Dolores Hidalgo (about five departures a day, roughly 1 hour 10 minutes) and from San Miguel de Allende (about every two hours, around 2 hours), and continues to Ocampo. From León, check direct departures at the Central de Autobuses on the day; otherwise take Unebus or Flecha Amarilla to Dolores Hidalgo and change there.
Directions to San Felipe on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San Felipe
- Dolores Hidalgo · 52 km by road, 50 min
- Silao · 66 km by road, 55 min
- Guanajuato · 85 km by road, 1 h 10 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to San Felipe: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- Museo Casa de Hidalgo, La Francia Chiquita (Hidalgo 121, Centro): Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 6 pm. INAH · checked Oct 2026
- Entry
- Museo Casa de Hidalgo: 80 pesos for Mexican nationals, 145 pesos for foreigners. Mexicans enter free on Sundays, as do Mexican children under 13, students, teachers and seniors. Professional cameras pay an extra fee. INAH · checked Oct 2026
- Best season
- 21 January, founding anniversary; 24 January, Hidalgo's arrival at the parish; 8 May, Hidalgo's birthday; 25 July, Saint James; and 29 September, Saint Michael the Archangel, the municipality's main celebration. Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México (INAFED) · checked Oct 2026
- Rules
- No smoking, food, pets or flash photography in the museum. INAH · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting San Felipe: what to see and do
Visit the Museo Casa de Hidalgo, La Francia Chiquita, with six rooms, the original 18th-century door, the courtyard and the orchard where the priest grew vines and mulberries.
Look up from the main square at the parish church and the tower finished in 1884, the source of the Torres Mochas nickname.
Cross the Cocinero River to the old Pueblito de Analco and its church of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad.
Find Casa Juárez, where Benito Juárez stayed in 1863 and 1867.
Ask about the pottery workshops in town.
Head out to the Jaral de Berrio hacienda or to La Quemada and its old bridge over the Laja River.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Felipe
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Felipe.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Dolores Hidalgo sometimes stop in San Felipe; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at BJX (León (Bajío)): about 1 h 28 min by road to Dolores Hidalgo, then 46 km more to San Felipe, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is León (Bajío) (BJX), about 1 h 28 min by road from Dolores Hidalgo, the base for San Felipe.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Dolores Hidalgo: download a map of the way to San Felipe before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Felipe mild
San Felipe shares the climate of Dolores Hidalgo, 46 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and April.
See the month-by-month climate of Dolores Hidalgo
Weather in San Felipe now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Dolores Hidalgo
Dolores Hidalgo is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San Felipe, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Santa María del Río · San Luis Potosí · 61 km away
- Tierranueva · San Luis Potosí · 66 km away
- Lagos de Moreno · Jalisco · 74 km away
- Mineral de Pozos · Guanajuato · 80 km away
Closest to San Felipe
-
Jaral de Berrios · Village · 31 km away
-
Ocampo · Town · 33 km away
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San Diego de la Unión · Town · 36 km away
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Viñedo Los Arcángeles · Landmark · 38 km away
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Parque Nacional Gogorrón · Hot springs · 40 km away
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Hacienda de Bledos · Landmark · 42 km away
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Santa Rosa de Lima · Town · 45 km away
-
Villa de Reyes · Town · 46 km away
Near San Felipe
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.