Landmark 7 km northeast of Huasca de Ocampo
Old pulque and cattle hacienda east of Huasca, famous for its 19th-century Japanese garden; visits by guided tour only.
San Juan Hueyapan is one of the oldest haciendas in the Huasca area, a few kilometers east of town in the open country toward Tulancingo. Its origins go back to the 16th century, and over the centuries it changed roles with the economy of the region: first raising livestock and crops to supply the mining towns, then storing grain, and later producing pulque, the fermented agave drink that made fortunes across central Mexico. It was also a ranch for fighting bulls.
The hacienda passed through some of the region's most powerful families. In the mid-18th century it belonged to María Dolores Romero de Terreros, of the Count of Regla's family, and neighboring villages accused her of taking their land to expand its boundaries. Later owners gave it the look it has today.
Its best-known feature is a Japanese garden laid out in the late 19th century, with ponds and paths that feel far from the Hidalgo countryside. You can also see remains of the old railway station built to ship pulque. San Juan Hueyapan is visited by guided tour only, so book ahead.
What to see and do
Walk the late-19th-century Japanese garden and its ponds.
Tour the main house, patios and the rooms of the old pulque hacienda.
Look for the remains of the railway station once used to ship pulque.
Combine it with Peña del Aire or the Prismas Basálticos on the same day.
Getting there
The hacienda is about 7 kilometers east of Huasca, roughly 10–15 minutes by car. Visits are by guided tour only and must be booked in advance; ask in Huasca or through Hidalgo's tourism office for current contacts.
7 km northeast of Huasca de Ocampo
Directions from Huasca de Ocampo on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Weather cool
Hacienda San Juan Hueyapan shares the climate of Huasca de Ocampo, 7 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.
Make Huasca de Ocampo your base
Hacienda San Juan Hueyapan is an easy trip from Huasca de Ocampo, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Huasca de Ocampo
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Bosque de las Truchas
· Nature reserve · 4 km away
A family park in the woods just outside Huasca: fish for trout in its ponds, then have it grilled at the restaurants. -
Hacienda de San Miguel Regla
· Landmark · 4 km away
The first of the Count of Regla's silver haciendas, now a hotel with stone arches, old smelting ovens and lakes. -
Presa San Antonio
· Lake · 4 km away
The 1910s dam that feeds the prisms' waterfalls, built over a sunken hacienda; boat rides, horses and fishing. -
Hacienda de Santa María Regla
· Landmark · 5 km away
The Count of Regla's 1760s silver-refining hacienda beside the basalt prisms, now a hotel with its old patios and chapel. -
Prismas Basálticos
· Nature reserve · 5 km away
A canyon lined with giant basalt columns and waterfalls, sketched by Humboldt in 1803; Huasca's must-see side trip. -
Omitlán de Juárez
· Town · 7 km away
A small, colorful town just north of Real del Monte, with mural-painted houses, apple orchards and the old Velasco silver hacienda. -
Peña del Aire
· Viewpoint · 9 km away
A cliff-edge lookout over the head of the Metztitlán canyon, with zip lines and an extreme swing over the drop. -
Atotonilco el Grande
· Town · 12 km away
Market town with one of Hidalgo's earliest Augustinian convents, from the 1500s, with murals of pagan philosophers on the stairway. -
Acatlán
· Town · 17 km away
Village near Tulancingo with a 16th-century Augustinian convent and a cheese fair where they make a giant Oaxaca cheese. -
Balneario Amajac
· Hot springs · 17 km away
A hot-springs water park past Atotonilco el Grande, with thermal pools, slides and a hotel. -
Zona Arqueológica de Huapalcalco
· Archaeological site · 26 km away
A small Teotihuacan-style pyramid under basalt cliffs near Tulancingo, with cave paintings among Hidalgo's oldest traces of people.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.