↑ ↓ to move ↵ to open esc to close
    Satellite view of Huepalcalco, Morelos

    Photo by EOX IT Services, Copernicus Sentinel data 2016, CC BY 4.0, via EOxCloudless

    Huepalcalco

    Village Ocuituco, Morelos Municipality of Ocuituco Volcano Route Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl

    San Miguel Huepalcalco: an Ocuituco village at 2,283 m on the Popocatépetl slope, "at the houses of planks" in Nahuatl.

    From Cuautla: 35 min by car (30 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

    See everything nearby ↓

    Plan your visit to Huepalcalco

    Where to stay near Huepalcalco

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Huepalcalco.

    Hotels in Huepalcalco Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to Huepalcalco

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

    Tours from Atlixco Atlixco Volcano Views Popocatépetl Tour Forest Route From US$108
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Huepalcalco

    • From Cuautla: about 35 min by road (~30 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (MEX), 1 h 33 min by car to Tlayacapan
    Rent a car at MEX Flights to MEX

    Route, map and directions ↓

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    Tours from Atlixco, near Huepalcalco

    Atlixco Volcano Views Popocatépetl Tour Forest Route 4 h 30 min From US$108

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Huepalcalco

    The name comes from Nahuatl and almost reads as a description: huapalitl, wooden plank; calli, house; plus the place suffix -co. Wikipedia translates it as "at the houses of planks". In INEGI records and directories the village appears as Huepalcalco (San Miguel), after its patron saint, the archangel Saint Michael.

    It is one of the highest villages in Ocuituco municipality, at about 2,283 metres on the southern slope of Popocatépetl, and you feel the air. The annual mean is around 15.5 °C, with January lows that have dipped below freezing, and about 1,500 mm of rain a year, mostly June to October. By population it is the municipality's sixth locality: INEGI counted 1,021 people in 2005, 1,094 in 2010 and 1,233 in 2020.

    The patron feast of San Miguel is the date to aim for. The Ocuituco town council announced the 2025 edition for 7 to 9 May, although other tourist guides list it on 29 September; if you plan to visit for the festival, confirm the date with the ayuntamiento.

    There are no tourist hotels or restaurants. This is a farming village of houses, plots and mountain tracks, about 4 km in a straight line from Ocuituco and a few minutes from Huejotengo.

    How to get to Huepalcalco

    Drive from Cuautla: 35 min, 30 km

    You reach it through Ocuituco, the municipal seat, which lies about 4 km to the southwest in a straight line. From Cuautla a route planner gives 26.6 km and about 37 minutes by car to Ocuituco; from Yecapixtla it is about 11 km (roughly 17 minutes). From central Ocuituco to the village, add roughly 10 to 15 minutes on paved mountain road, so the drive from Cuautla comes to around 50 minutes to an hour overall.

    We could not verify a public transport timetable. The practical way is a bus to Cuautla (from Terminal Sur Taxqueña or TAPO in Mexico City), a combi from Cuautla to Yecapixtla or Ocuituco, then a taxi or combi from Ocuituco to Huepalcalco. Ask in Ocuituco's main square for current service.

    If you drive, the last climb is mountain road: go in daylight, with a full tank, and expect rain most afternoons from June to October.

    Directions to Huepalcalco on Google Maps

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

    Where to stay Hotels in Huepalcalco Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Huepalcalco. See prices →

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    From the nearest cities to Huepalcalco

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

    Visiting Huepalcalco: what to see and do

    Walk the village centre and look for its church, dedicated to San Miguel.
    Go for the patron feast of San Miguel (confirm the date with the Ocuituco ayuntamiento).
    Look for Popocatépetl from the tracks climbing out of the village on a clear day.
    Stop at Huejotengo, a few minutes away, to meet the women of El Sueño de Huejotengo.
    Go down to Ocuituco to see the church and former convent of Santiago Apóstol.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Huepalcalco

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

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
    Vacation rentals on Vrbo Airbnb

    Tours & activities

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

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at MEX (Mexico City): about 1 h 33 min by road to Tlayacapan, then 25 km more to Huepalcalco, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (MEX), about 1 h 33 min by road from Tlayacapan, the base for Huepalcalco.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

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

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

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

    Airalo

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    When to go to Huepalcalco mild

    Huepalcalco shares the climate of Tlayacapan, 25 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Tlayacapan

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tlayacapan

    Fortress-like facade of the San Juan Bautista convent, Tlayacapan, Morelos mild
    Morelos Tlayacapan

    Tlayacapan is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Huepalcalco, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Also close to

    Closest to Huepalcalco

    Near Huepalcalco

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

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.