Chietla

Chietla is the seat of the municipality of the same name in south-western Puebla, in the region known as Puebla's Mixteca or the Izúcar de Matamoros region. It lies in the Matamoros valley, warm and flat, at about 1,120 m. The town had 5,833 people in 2020, around a sixth of the municipality's population, which is divided into thirteen juntas auxiliares; the largest is Atencingo, 3 km away, with its sugar mill.

The main river is the Nexapa, which rises from the melting snows of Popocatépetl and is one of the major tributaries of the Atoyac; its water irrigates the valley's cane fields. To the south of the municipality a small chain of hills, part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, separates the Matamoros valley from the Chiautla valley.

The municipality covers about 327 km², from 960 to 2,000 m, and belongs to the Atlixco and Matamoros valley region. It borders Tepexco to the north, Tilapa to the north-east, Izúcar de Matamoros and Atzala to the east, Chiautla to the south and Axochiapan, in Morelos, to the west. Many people from around the region, from places such as Lagunillas, Ahuehuetzingo, Izúcar and Atlixco, work in Chietla. Downtown, the parish church stands out with its pink-and-white façade, clock and bell tower.