Town Atempan, Puebla Sierra Norte de Puebla
Sierra Norte town next to Tlatlauquitepec, "on the riverbank", with a week-long Holy Week fair and orchards of apples and walnuts.
From Teziutlán: 15 min by car (17 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to Atempan
Where to stay near Atempan
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Atempan.
Tours to Atempan
Day trips around Tlatlauquitepec sometimes stop in Atempan; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
How to get to Atempan
- From Teziutlán: about 15 min by road (~17 km)
- Nearest airport: Poza Rica (PAZ), 2 h 6 min by car to Tlatlauquitepec
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About Atempan
Atempan is the seat of the municipality of the same name in Puebla's Sierra Norte, about 4 km from the Pueblo Mágico of Tlatlauquitepec. The name comes from the Nahuatl atl, water, tentli, edge, and pan: "on the riverbank"; it was once called Ateno. The town had 7,491 people in 2020. The municipality, about 34 km², lies between 1,990 and 2,300 m in the Sierra Madre Oriental and borders Teteles de Ávila Castillo, Chignautla and Tlatlauquitepec.
Otomí and Totonac settlements once stood here. In the 15th century the Aztec Triple Alliance conquered the area, in 1522 it fell to the Spaniards and became an alcaldía mayor; later it belonged to the districts of Teziutlán and Tlatlauquitepec, and in 1895 it became a free municipality. The land is fertile: at Tezhuatepec, to the south, farmers grow apples, pears, avocados, plums and peaches, as well as maize, chayote and manzano chillies, and the walnuts used in chiles en nogada.
The big event is the Holy Week fair, which starts on Palm Sunday and runs for over a week, with rides, a livestock show, ice cream with soletas biscuits, street snacks, turkey mole and local fruit wines; pilgrimages arrive from several municipalities to visit the Santo Entierro. On 4 October comes the patron-saint feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, and on its eve, as on 11 December, there are encamizadas: wooden bulls loaded with fireworks that people chase through the streets.
How to get to Atempan
Drive from Teziutlán: 15 min, 17 km
Atempan lies in Puebla's Sierra Norte, about 4 km from the Pueblo Mágico of Tlatlauquitepec, roughly 10 minutes by car, and close to Teziutlán and Chignautla. Puebla city is about 118 km away in a straight line, roughly 2 hours by road, and Xalapa in Veracruz about 66 km. The easiest approach is through Tlatlauquitepec.
Directions to Atempan on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Atempan
- Teziutlán · 17 km by road, 15 min
- Martínez de la Torre · 69 km by road, 1 h 5 min
- Huauchinango · about 95 km by road, ~1 h 25 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Map of Atempan
Neighbourhoods and villages of Atempan
Part of Atempan or just outside it, closest first.
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Teteles de Ávila Castillo · Village · 2 km from the centre
Seat of Puebla's smallest municipality, in the highlands beside Tlatlauquitepec, with 23 pre-Hispanic mounds and a baroque church from 1736. -
Tacopan · Village · 3 km from the centre
Village of Atempan, "on the jarilla shrubs", the municipality's largest place, with its own troupe of the Quetzal Dance. -
Ahuehuetes · Village · 4 km from the centre
Village of Yaonáhuac in the north-eastern sierra, about 4 km from Tlatlauquitepec, named for the ahuehuete tree that Cortés is said to have planted. -
Yaonáhuac · Village · 4 km from the centre
Nahua municipal seat in the north-eastern sierra next to Tlatlauquitepec, with a Friday market and a Santiago Apóstol feast every 25 July.
Day trips and tours from Atempan
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Atempan 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 Atempan
- The nearest airport is Poza Rica (PAZ).
- The best months to go are February, March, April, and May.
- 2 of the places on this page are 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 Atempan.
Before you go to Atempan: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- The Holy Week fair starts on Palm Sunday and lasts over a week; the patron-saint feast is on 4 October. Wikipedia · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Atempan: what to see and do
The Holy Week fair from Palm Sunday, and the Santo Entierro image.
The encamizadas with firework bulls, on 3 October and 11 December.
The Saint Francis of Assisi feast on 4 October.
The apple, peach and walnut orchards of Tezhuatepec.
Turkey mole and the region's fruit wines.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Atempan
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Atempan.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Tlatlauquitepec sometimes stop in Atempan; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at PAZ (Poza Rica): about 2 h 6 min by road to Tlatlauquitepec, then 4 km more to Atempan, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Poza Rica (PAZ), about 2 h 6 min by road from Tlatlauquitepec, the base for Atempan.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Tlatlauquitepec: download a map of the way to Atempan before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Atempan cool
Atempan shares the climate of Tlatlauquitepec, 4 km away. The best months to visit are February, March, April, and May.
See the month-by-month climate of Tlatlauquitepec
Weather in Atempan now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tlatlauquitepec
Tlatlauquitepec is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Atempan, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Teziutlán · Puebla · 11 km away
- Cuetzalan · Puebla · 21 km away
- Tetela de Ocampo · Puebla · 36 km away
- Zozocolco · Veracruz · 36 km away
- Zacatlán · Puebla · 53 km away
Near Atempan
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.