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    CERESO femenil Atlacholoaya, Morelos

    Photo by Misión AEI, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Atlacholoaya

    Village Xochitepec, Morelos Municipality of Xochitepec Southern Morelos

    Tlahuica-origin village in Xochitepec at 1,080 m, "where the water jumps"; has a former Carmelite convent and San Bartolo's feast on 24 August.

    From Cuernavaca: 25 min by car (23 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Tours to Atlacholoaya

    Day trips and guided outings from Xochitepec often include Atlacholoaya; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Tours from Cuernavaca 3hr Cooking Class in Cuernavaca 8 Recipes and Bottomless Drinks From US$59
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    How to get to Atlacholoaya

    • From Cuernavaca: about 25 min by road (~23 km)
    • Nearest airport: Toluca (TLC), 1 h 59 min by car to Xochitepec
    Rent a car at TLC Flights to TLC

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    Tours from Cuernavaca, near Atlacholoaya

    3hr Cooking Class in Cuernavaca 8 Recipes and Bottomless Drinks 4 h From US$59
    Xochicalco Archaeological Guided Tour 5 h From US$84
    3h Cuernavaca Food Tasting with 32 Authentic Mexican Flavors 3 h From US$69

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    About Atlacholoaya

    The name Atlacholoaya, from Nahuatl atl, choloa and yan, means "place where the water jumps". It is a village of Tlahuica origin whose people speak Nahuatl, and it already appears in the 16th-century Matrícula de Tributos as a tributary of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, according to a regional INAH chronicle. It sits at about 1,080 m in the municipality of Xochitepec, and the 2020 census counted 4,594 residents. Its growth is recent: 401 people in 1930 and 1,641 in 1970, now over 4,500.

    Its religious heritage is the main draw. The San Antonio church, a former Carmelite convent in Baroque style, keeps old paintings inside, and the small late-Baroque chapel of San Bartolo gives its name to the village feast on 24 August. During those days families host visitors with mole de pipián, red mole, pollo en adobo or cochinita, a fireworks castle is burned at night and rodeo events (jaripeos) go on for about five more days. The sources We found give no founding date or builder for either building.

    The locality also has Morelos's women's prison, the CERESO de Atlacholoaya, which is what searches for this name mostly turn up, though it is not a place to visit.

    How to get to Atlacholoaya

    Drive from Cuernavaca: 25 min, 23 km

    Atlacholoaya is in the municipality of Xochitepec, between Cuernavaca and southern Morelos, about 20 km south of Cuernavaca (roughly 25 minutes by car; Rome2Rio gives 18 km and about 16 minutes to Xochitepec, the seat). By coordinates it lies south of Xochitepec and about 3 km east of Alpuyeca. Take the Autopista del Sol (Mexico 95D, toward Acapulco) or the free road to Xochitepec, and look for the turn to Atlacholoaya, which an old local guide places about 2 km after a signalised crossing, past a gentle bend and a sharp one, turning right. Check it on a map before you leave. By public transport, Pullman de Morelos reaches Chiconcuac, from where a taxi is advisable, and colectivos run often between Alpuyeca and Cuernavaca; We found no direct colectivo route to Atlacholoaya. From Mexico City, take a bus to Cuernavaca from Terminal Sur (Taxqueña) and change there. Xochitepec is roughly 10 minutes away.

    Directions to Atlacholoaya on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

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    From the nearest cities to Atlacholoaya

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Atlacholoaya: hours, prices and tips

    Best season
    Village feast of San Bartolo on 24 August, with fireworks and rodeo events (jaripeos) for about five days afterwards. Wikipedia (es), Municipio de Xochitepec · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Atlacholoaya: what to see and do

    Step into the San Antonio church, a Baroque former Carmelite convent, and see its old paintings.
    Visit the small late-Baroque chapel of San Bartolo.
    Come on 24 August for the feast: fireworks castle, mole and jaripeos.
    Walk the village streets and the fields around them.
    Try mole de pipián or cochinita if invited during the fiesta.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Atlacholoaya

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Atlacholoaya.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Xochitepec often include Atlacholoaya; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

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    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at TLC (Toluca): about 1 h 59 min by road to Xochitepec, then 10 km more to Atlacholoaya, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Toluca (TLC), about 1 h 59 min by road from Xochitepec, the base for Atlacholoaya.

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    Travel insurance

    Medical and trip cover for Mexico, by the week or month.

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    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Xochitepec: download a map of the way to Atlacholoaya before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

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    When to go to Atlacholoaya warm

    Atlacholoaya shares the climate of Xochitepec, 10 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Xochitepec

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Xochitepec

    Red dome of the San Juan Evangelista parish among trees and green hills, Xochitepec, Morelos warm
    Morelos Xochitepec

    Xochitepec is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Atlacholoaya, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near Atlacholoaya

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.