Village Huejutla de Reyes, Hidalgo Municipality of Huejutla de Reyes Hidalgo Huasteca
Nahua village at the edge of Huejutla, known for red clay pots painted in cream and brown using pre-Hispanic techniques.
From Tulancingo: about 2 h 15 min by road (~150 km) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to Chililico
Where to stay near Chililico
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Chililico.
Tours to Chililico
Day trips and guided outings from Xilitla often include Chililico; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Tours from Xilitla
Surrealist Garden of Edward James, Castle of Health and Xilitla Nativity
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How to get to Chililico
- From Tulancingo: about 2 h 15 min by road (~150 km)
- Nearest airport: Querétaro (QRO), 3 h 27 min by car to Xilitla
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Tours from Xilitla, near Chililico
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About Chililico
Chililico is a Nahua community attached to Huejutla de Reyes, in the Hidalgo Huasteca, at 176 metres above sea level and about 2 km southwest of the municipal seat (Mexico Desconocido puts it about 3 km out, on the road toward Orizatlan). What makes it known across the region is its pottery: red clay pots painted cream and decorated with dark brown motifs, made with techniques inherited from pre-Hispanic times and recognised as part of Mexico's intangible cultural heritage.
The craft is mostly women's work. They knead and shape the clay and decorate it with a brush made of hen feathers called a piyo; men help dig and haul clay and firewood and fire the pieces, in a kiln stoked for about six hours. Colours come from white, red and black clays and from stones ground on a metate. Potters make water jars, casseroles, molcajetes, piggy banks, ocarinas and miniatures, the last for Xantolo altars, the Huasteca Day of the Dead, when most pieces sell; Christmas, Santa Cruz and Holy Week are also strong sales dates.
The trade is shrinking. Criterio Hidalgo counted about 50 active potters in 2025, against more than 300 families at the peak; clay once gathered from communal land is now bought by the truckload. Chililico has 3,863 inhabitants (INEGI 2020). Criterio Hidalgo describes the potters selling directly themselves.
How to get to Chililico
Chililico is on the edge of Huejutla de Reyes, so the route is to reach Huejutla and head southwest about 2-3 km (Wikipedia: 2.16 km; Mexico Desconocido: about 3 km, on the exit toward Orizatlan). By road from Pachuca take federal highway 105 toward Huejutla, about 256 km according to Mexico Desconocido. From Mexico City, Futura and ADO leave from the Terminal Norte: the trip takes around seven hours (adn40, 2026), with fares from roughly 640 pesos; the alternative is to go to Pachuca's Central de Autobuses and take a bus to Huejutla from there. Highway 105 has stretches of curves and fog, so travel by day. Once in Huejutla, a taxi to Chililico is simplest. From Ciudad Valles it is about 110 km in a straight line.
Directions to Chililico on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Chililico
- Tulancingo · about 150 km by road, ~2 h 15 min
- Pachuca · about 155 km by road, ~2 h 15 min
- Tuxpan · 147 km by road, 2 h 25 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Chililico: hours, prices and tips
- Best time of day
- Before Xantolo (late October) there are more pieces, including miniatures for altars. Wikipedia: Alfarería de Chililico · checked Oct 2026
- Best season
- Pottery sales peak at Christmas, Santa Cruz (May), Holy Week and Xantolo; in Huejutla, Xantolo 2026 runs 30 October to 2 November. Wikipedia: Alfarería de Chililico · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Chililico: what to see and do
Red clay pots with cream and brown decoration
Clay casseroles, molcajetes, piggy banks and ocarinas
Clay miniatures for Xantolo altars
Huejutla de Reyes, a few kilometres away: Xantolo from 30 October to 2 November
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Places to stay in Chililico
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Chililico.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Xilitla often include Chililico; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at QRO (Querétaro): about 3 h 27 min by road to Xilitla, then 64 km more to Chililico, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Querétaro (QRO), about 3 h 27 min by road from Xilitla, the base for Chililico.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Xilitla: download a map of the way to Chililico before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Chililico mild
Chililico shares the climate of Xilitla, 64 km away. The best months to visit are February, March, August, and November.
See the month-by-month climate of Xilitla
Weather in Chililico now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Xilitla
Xilitla is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Chililico, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Metztitlán · Hidalgo · 70 km away
Closest to Chililico
-
Huejutla de Reyes · Town · 2 km away
-
Macuxtepetla · Village · 5 km away
-
Contépec · Village · 6 km away
-
Acuatempa · Village · 8 km away
-
Huichapa · Village · 8 km away
-
La Corrala · Village · 8 km away
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Tlaltzintla · Village · 8 km away
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Jaltocán · Town · 11 km away
Near Chililico
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.