Town 16 km southeast of Metepec
A market town whose huge Tuesday tianguis dates back to pre-Hispanic times, with some trading still done by barter.
Santiago Tianguistenco's name means "at the edge of the market" in Nahuatl, and the market is still the reason to come. Every Tuesday, from early morning, thousands of vendors fill the streets with produce, meat, cheeses, flowers, pottery, woolen blankets and woven clothing, and some trading is still done by barter, as it was before the Spanish arrived. Local tradition holds that in pre-Hispanic times it was the second most important market in the region after Tlatelolco.
The town sits in the eastern part of the Toluca valley, near the mountains that separate it from Mexico City. Its main church, the parish of Santa María del Buen Suceso, is an ornate 18th-century building whose construction was completed in 1756 with the support of the silver magnate José de la Borda, the man behind Taxco's famous church. Nearby villages such as Santiago Tilapa have their own colonial temples.
Food is the other draw. The municipal market and the Tuesday stalls serve green and red mole, barbacoa, tlacoyos, queso de puerco and more unusual dishes such as rabbit and frogs. If you are around at Christmas, the town's December 25 parade of homemade floats in honor of the Virgin of the Buen Suceso is a local highlight.
What to see and do
Come on a Tuesday morning for the tianguis, the earlier the better.
Look for barter stalls, woolen blankets and woven clothing.
Eat mole, barbacoa or tlacoyos in the municipal market.
Visit the 18th-century parish of Santa María del Buen Suceso.
Combine it with Capulhuac, a few minutes away, for its barbacoa.
Getting there
Santiago Tianguistenco is about 19 km east of Metepec, roughly 25 minutes by car on the road toward Tenango and then east toward Tianguistenco; on Tuesdays allow extra time for parking. Buses run from Toluca, and from Mexico City's Observatorio terminal there are buses to the town as well.
16 km southeast of Metepec
Directions from Metepec on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Weather cool
Santiago Tianguistenco shares the climate of Metepec, 16 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.
Make Metepec your base
Santiago Tianguistenco is an easy trip from Metepec, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Metepec
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Calimaya
· Town · 10 km away
A quiet town with a 16th-century Franciscan complex and one of the oldest open chapels in the State of Mexico. -
Zona Arqueológica de Calixtlahuaca
· Archaeological site · 13 km away
Matlatzinca and Aztec ruins on a hillside north of Toluca, known for a round temple to the wind god Ehécatl. -
Ex Convento de Zinacantepec
· Landmark · 15 km away
The best-preserved 16th-century Franciscan monastery in the Toluca valley, now the state's viceregal museum. -
Capulhuac
· Town · 16 km away
The barbacoa capital of central Mexico, with a barbacoa fair at Carnival and a 16th-century Augustinian parish church. -
Teotenango
· Archaeological site · 16 km away
A walled hilltop city above Tenango del Valle, with plazas, pyramids and a ball court looking over the valley. -
Nevado de Toluca
· Mountain · 23 km away
Mexico's fourth-highest peak, with the Sol and Luna lakes in its crater; closed to visitors since August 2025, so check first. -
La Marquesa
· Nature reserve · 24 km away
Pine-forest valleys on the Toluca–Mexico City highway, popular on weekends for horseback rides, trout and quesadillas. -
Centro Ceremonial Otomí
· Landmark · 32 km away
A monumental Otomí ceremonial center in the Temoaya forest, about 50 minutes north of Metepec.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.