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    Iglesia de San Juan Bautista en San Juan Tlacotenco, Morelos

    Photo by Daniel Salinas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    San Juan Tlacotenco

    Village Tepoztlán, Morelos Municipality of Tepoztlán Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl Northern Morelos

    A forest village at about 2,350 m above Tepoztlán: a railway stop until 1997, a community museum and the feast of San Juan on 24 June.

    From Cuernavaca: 35 min by car (31 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Tours to San Juan Tlacotenco

    Day trips and guided outings from Tepoztlán often include San Juan Tlacotenco; 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 San Juan Tlacotenco

    • From Cuernavaca: about 35 min by road (~31 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (MEX), 1 h 25 min by car to Tepoztlán
    Rent a car at MEX Flights to MEX

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Tours from Cuernavaca, near San Juan Tlacotenco

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

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    About San Juan Tlacotenco

    San Juan Tlacotenco sits high in the sierra, about 2,350 metres above sea level and roughly 5 km north of Tepoztlán, among forests of the Chichinautzin Biological Corridor and El Tepozteco National Park. It had 2,249 residents in 2020. The name comes from Nahuatl: tlacotl, creosote bush, and tentli, edge; "at the edge of the creosote bushes" or "at the edge of the scrub". According to the history Wikipedia gives, the village was founded around the year 1100 by Nahuatl-speaking migrants.

    From 1897 to 1997 it was the stop on the Mexico City-Cuernavaca line nearest to Tepoztlán. In 1993 archaeological pieces dated to 1028 turned up on the hill called Chimalacatepetl; they are kept in a small community museum, opened in 1995, on the ground floor of the village's municipal office. Legend says an elderly couple from Tlacotenco found the abandoned baby who would become Tepoztécatl, Tepoztlán's patron, and raised him.

    The church of San Juan Bautista is listed in Mexico's catalogue of historic monuments and stands at the heart of the village. Its feast is 24 June. At this height, far above Tepoztlán, the setting is forest, which is why the village falls inside the Chichinautzin Corridor and the national park.

    How to get to San Juan Tlacotenco

    Drive from Cuernavaca: 35 min, 31 km

    San Juan Tlacotenco sits above Tepoztlán, some 4-5 km north of the centre, approx. 5 minutes as the crow flies though the climb is slower. The usual way is to reach Tepoztlán first: from Cuernavaca, about 18 km away in a straight line (approx. 20 minutes), the federal Cuernavaca-Tepoztlán road leads to the town, and Cuernavaca's Central de Autobuses has frequent departures to Tepoztlán (Wikivoyage). From Mexico City there are buses to Cuernavaca from the southern terminal (Taxqueña), then on to Tepoztlán. From Tepoztlán to Tlacotenco you climb by road, by taxi or local transport. We found no published timetable for a fixed service: ask in Tepoztlán about the taxi or combi that goes up to Tlacotenco. The community museum is in the municipal office; confirm its hours by phone before going.

    Directions to San Juan Tlacotenco on Google Maps

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

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    From the nearest cities to San Juan Tlacotenco

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

    Before you go to San Juan Tlacotenco: hours, prices and tips

    Best season
    Feast of San Juan Bautista on 24 June. Wikipedia (en), Tepoztlán · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting San Juan Tlacotenco: what to see and do

    The church of San Juan Bautista, in the middle of the village.
    The Museo Comunitario de San Juan Tlacotenco, in the municipal office, with the pieces found at Chimalacatepetl.
    Chimalacatepetl hill, where the pieces dated to 1028 turned up in 1993.
    The forests of the Chichinautzin Biological Corridor and El Tepozteco National Park around the village.
    The feast of San Juan on 24 June.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in San Juan Tlacotenco

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Tepoztlán often include San Juan Tlacotenco; 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 25 min by road to Tepoztlán, then 4 km more to San Juan Tlacotenco, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (MEX), about 1 h 25 min by road from Tepoztlán, the base for San Juan Tlacotenco.

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    Travel insurance

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    Mobile data

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

    Airalo

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    When to go to San Juan Tlacotenco mild

    San Juan Tlacotenco shares the climate of Tepoztlán, 4 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Tepoztlán

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tepoztlán

    Tepoztlán's cliffs rising behind a white colonial church, Morelos mild
    Morelos Tepoztlán

    Tepoztlán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San Juan Tlacotenco, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near San Juan Tlacotenco

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

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.