Town 24 km southeast of Otumba
A Tlaxcala pulque town with a 16th-century Franciscan convent and a June fair of pulque and barbacoa, near Tecoaque.
Calpulalpan is the westernmost town of Tlaxcala, on the high plains where the State of Mexico, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala meet, and it has long lived from maguey. Its name is usually translated from Nahuatl as "among the large houses." The town has a colonial convent and churches, a pulque tradition, and it makes a natural stop after the Tecoaque archaeological site, which lies within the municipality.
The center has a 16th-century Franciscan convent, along with the parish of San Antonio de Padua and the chapel of the Third Order. The biggest event of the year is the fair in honor of San Antonio, which runs for about two weeks around June 13 and is also known as the fair of pulque and barbacoa, drawing pilgrims and visitors from the neighboring states. In 2015 the town was given the title of Heroic City for a battle fought nearby in April 1867, during the French Intervention, when Republican forces under Porfirio Díaz beat an Imperialist force.
The countryside around Calpulalpan is dotted with former pulque haciendas, such as San Bartolomé del Monte, a reminder of the era when this region supplied pulque to Mexico City by rail.
What to see and do
Visit the 16th-century Franciscan convent and the parish of San Antonio de Padua.
Time your trip for the San Antonio fair in June, with pulque and barbacoa.
Pair it with the Tecoaque archaeological site on the way.
Drive past the former pulque haciendas on the surrounding plains.
Getting there
Calpulalpan is about 40 km southeast of Otumba, roughly 35 to 45 minutes by car via the Ciudad Sahagún road and the highway toward Calpulalpan, or by the road past Tecoaque. Buses link Calpulalpan with Texcoco, Mexico City and Tlaxcala, but from Otumba a car is easiest.
24 km southeast of Otumba
Directions from Otumba on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Weather cool
Calpulalpan shares the climate of Otumba, 24 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec.
Make Otumba your base
Calpulalpan is an easy trip from Otumba, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Otumba
-
Axapusco
· Town · 3 km away
Otumba's next-door Pueblo con Encanto, with a gilded 16th-century Franciscan church and old pulque haciendas around it. -
Ex Convento de Oxtotipac
· Landmark · 6 km away
A Franciscan monastery built over an Aztec sacred precinct, with a carved 17th-century facade and arcaded entrance. -
Zona Arqueológica de Teotihuacan
· Archaeological site · 10 km away
The pyramid city of the Sun and Moon is just 15 minutes west of Otumba. -
Acueducto del Padre Tembleque
· Landmark · 18 km away
A UNESCO-listed 16th-century aqueduct that ended in Otumba; its tallest arcade crosses a ravine near Zempoala. -
Ex Convento de Acolman
· Landmark · 18 km away
A 16th-century Augustinian monastery with a superb Plateresque facade and cloister murals, past Teotihuacan. -
Zona Arqueológica de Tecoaque
· Archaeological site · 18 km away
A small Acolhua site in Tlaxcala where a Spanish caravan was captured and sacrificed in 1520. -
Tepeapulco
· Town · 23 km away
An early Franciscan convent in Hidalgo where Sahagún gathered his first notes on Aztec life, plus a 1545 stone fountain.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.