Town Jonacatepec, Morelos Municipality of Jonacatepec
Eastern Morelos town with a 16th-century Augustinian convent, the Las Pilas archaeological site and the old Montefalco sugar hacienda.
From Cuautla: 25 min by car (27 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to Jonacatepec
Where to stay near Jonacatepec
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Jonacatepec.
Tours to Jonacatepec
Day trips around Tlaltizapán sometimes stop in Jonacatepec; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Atlixco
Atlixco Volcano Views Popocatépetl Tour Forest Route
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How to get to Jonacatepec
- From Cuautla: about 25 min by road (~27 km)
- Nearest airport: Mexico City (MEX), 1 h 55 min by car to Tlaltizapán
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Tours from Atlixco, near Jonacatepec
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About Jonacatepec
The name comes from the Nahuatl Xonakatepek, usually rendered as "on the hill of onions", and the onion still gets its own fair every December. The official name, Jonacatepec de Leandro Valle, honours a local son who backed the Plan de Ayutla; it was adopted in 1862, shortly after the town became a district seat. The municipality, in eastern Morelos, had 16,694 people in 2020, and besides the town it takes in communities such as Tetelilla, Amacuitlapilco and Tlayca.
The history runs deep. Las Pilas, inside the town, is a Teotihuacan-era ceremonial centre devoted to water, and in the early 16th century Jonacatepec paid tribute to the Mexica and led a group of Tlalnahua towns. In colonial times it was part of Hernán Cortés's marquisate and a stop for friars heading to Guerrero and Oaxaca. The Augustinians founded their convent in the 1550s: the former convent of San Agustín has one of the largest atriums in Morelos, well-kept wooden altarpieces, 19th-century tombs carved with Masonic symbols, and bullet scars from the Revolution.
Sugar shaped the centuries that followed. The Santa Clara Montefalco hacienda, within the municipality, made sugar from 1616; during the Revolution it was almost entirely burned, except for the church, the outer wall and the storehouses, and in the 1950s it passed to Opus Dei, which has run schools there since 1956. It is not open to the public. Land from the Chicomocelo and Montefalco haciendas began to be returned to villagers under a 1926 presidential decree.
The September 2017 earthquake destroyed at least 700 homes in the municipality. Today Jonacatepec lives from farming its fertile soils and from lime and kaolin quarrying, and it marks 5 May, the Battle of Puebla, with a fiesta at the convent. Lent brings the Pabellón and Tamal fairs. The Chalcatzingo archaeological site is a few kilometres away in Jantetelco.
How to get to Jonacatepec
Drive from Cuautla: 25 min, 27 km
From Cuautla take Federal Highway 160 towards Izúcar de Matamoros to the Amayuca junction, then the turn-off for Jantetelco and Jonacatepec near km 93; allow about 30 minutes. From Cuernavaca, take Federal 138 to Cuautla and continue on the 160. From Mexico City, Pullman de Morelos runs hourly from the Terminal del Sur (Taxqueña) to Cuautla in about an hour and a half, and microbuses run from Cuautla to Jonacatepec. Combis continue from Jonacatepec to Chalcatzingo. Cuautla is about 25 km away in a straight line, and Tlaltizapán, the nearest pueblo in this guide, about 36 km.
Directions to Jonacatepec on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Jonacatepec
- Cuautla · 27 km by road, 25 min
- Atlixco · 63 km by road, 50 min
- Cuernavaca · 77 km by road, 1 h 10 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in Jonacatepec 3
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
Archaeological sites
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Zona Arqueológica Las Pilas · Archaeological site · 1 km from the centre
A small Teotihuacan-era ceremonial centre devoted to water, ringed by springs and set inside the Las Pilas swimming park in Jonacatepec. -
Chalcatzingo · Archaeological site · 3 km from the centre
Preclassic site at the foot of two rock massifs in eastern Morelos, famous for Olmec-style reliefs such as El Rey, the seated figure in a cave.
Hot springs
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Balneario Acueducto · Hot springs · 4 km from the centre
Pool park on the edge of Jantetelco in eastern Morelos: pools, a kids' pool and slides per local press; no official hours or fees found.
Map of Jonacatepec
Neighbourhoods and villages of Jonacatepec
Part of Jonacatepec or just outside it, closest first.
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Amacuitlapilco · Village · 2 km from the centre
Village in Jonacatepec at 1,362 m, 2 km from the seat; close to the Las Pilas archaeological site. 2,649 people in 2020.
Day trips and tours from Jonacatepec
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Jonacatepec and tours that leave from it.
Times marked ~ are estimated from the distance. Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Before you go: getting to and around Jonacatepec
- The nearest airport is Mexico City (MEX).
- The best months to go are January, October, November, and December.
- 1 of the places on this page is more than 3 km from the centre: take a taxi, a ride-hailing app or a local bus.
- For day trips a rental car gives the most freedom; the tours above leave from Jonacatepec.
Before you go to Jonacatepec: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Lent brings the Pabellón and Tamal fairs, 5 May the Battle of Puebla fiesta at the convent, and December the Onion Fair. Wikipedia · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Jonacatepec: what to see and do
Walk through the 16th-century convent of San Agustín, with its huge atrium and wooden altarpieces.
Look for the 19th-century tombs with Masonic symbols in the atrium.
Visit the Las Pilas archaeological site, inside the swimming park of the same name.
Learn the story of the old Montefalco sugar hacienda, whose church still stands (now a school, closed to the public).
Come for the Onion Fair in December or the 5 May fiesta.
Carry on a few kilometres to Chalcatzingo and its Olmec-style reliefs.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Jonacatepec
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Jonacatepec.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Tlaltizapán sometimes stop in Jonacatepec; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at MEX (Mexico City): about 1 h 55 min by road to Tlaltizapán, then 36 km more to Jonacatepec, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (MEX), about 1 h 55 min by road from Tlaltizapán, the base for Jonacatepec.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Tlaltizapán: download a map of the way to Jonacatepec before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Jonacatepec warm
Jonacatepec shares the climate of Tlaltizapán, 36 km away. The best months to visit are January, October, November, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Tlaltizapán
Weather in Jonacatepec now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tlaltizapán
Tlaltizapán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Jonacatepec, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Tlayacapan · Morelos · 36 km away
- Tepoztlán · Morelos · 46 km away
- Atlixco · Puebla · 47 km away
- Xochitepec · Morelos · 55 km away
- Cholula · Puebla · 67 km away
Near Jonacatepec
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.