Mountain Municipio de Puebla, Puebla Municipality of Puebla Puebla Valley
The "world's smallest volcano", actually an extinct 13 m geyser cone on the square of La Libertad in Puebla city; a spiral staircase leads inside.
From Puebla: 10 min by car (6 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Where to stay near Cuexcomate
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Cuexcomate.
Tours to Cuexcomate
Day trips and guided outings from Cholula often include Cuexcomate; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Private Day Tour to Puebla City, Cholula & Cuexcomate
From US$390
How to get to Cuexcomate
- From Puebla: about 10 min by road (~6 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 16 min by car to Cholula
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Popular tours to Cuexcomate
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About Cuexcomate
In the middle of the square of La Libertad, an auxiliary town north-west of central Puebla, rises a 13 m cone of grey rock that the city bills as "the world's smallest volcano". In fact Cuexcomate is a dormant geyser: according to the most common account, an eruption of Popocatépetl around the year 1064 set hot springs flowing through the limestone, and they built up the cone. That is why it is almost pure calcite, unlike the silica of most geysers.
The cone is 23 m across on the outside and its crater 8 m; it is estimated to weigh about 400 tonnes. A metal spiral staircase leads down to the bottom, where there is sulphurous water fed by unexplored caverns. The name comes from the Nahuatl cuezcomatl, storehouse or granary, the same word used for the clay granaries typical of Morelos.
It was neglected for decades, but today it is one of the city's tourist curiosities: it gets 500 to 1,500 visitors a week, the Turibús includes it on one of its routes, and the square hosts events such as the Cuexliber festival. Some neighbours act as guides, telling legends about its origin and pointing out shapes they see in the rock.
How to get to Cuexcomate
Drive from Puebla: 10 min, 6 km
Cuexcomate stands on the square of the auxiliary town of La Libertad, at 2 Poniente and 3 Norte, about 5 km north-west of Puebla's Zócalo. It is about 15 minutes by taxi or ride-hailing app, or reachable by city bus or on one of the Turibús routes.
Directions to Cuexcomate on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Cuexcomate
- Puebla · 6 km by road, 10 min
- Atlixco · 34 km by road, 30 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 36 km by road, 30 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Cuexcomate: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 8 pm. UnoTV, citando al Ayuntamiento de Puebla · checked Oct 2026
- Entry
- An entry contribution of about 13.50 pesos per person. UnoTV, citando al Ayuntamiento de Puebla · checked Oct 2026
- Time needed
- Half an hour is enough to climb up, go down into the crater and walk round the square. Wikipedia · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Cuexcomate: what to see and do
The geyser cone and the view from its rim.
The spiral staircase to the bottom of the crater.
The square of La Libertad.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Cuexcomate
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Cuexcomate.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Cholula often include Cuexcomate; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at PBC (Puebla): about 16 min by road to Cholula, then 8 km more to Cuexcomate, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 16 min by road from Cholula, the base for Cuexcomate.
Travel insurance
If you plan on hiking at altitude at Cuexcomate, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Cholula: download a map of the way to Cuexcomate before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Cuexcomate mild
Cuexcomate shares the climate of Cholula, 8 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
For the clearest views from Cuexcomate, go in the driest months (January, February, March, and December); in the rains, clouds tend to build up by midday.
See the month-by-month climate of Cholula
Weather in Cuexcomate now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Cholula
Cholula is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Cuexcomate, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Huejotzingo · Puebla · 21 km away
- Atlixco · Puebla · 27 km away
- Ixtenco · Tlaxcala · 37 km away
- Huamantla · Tlaxcala · 43 km away
- Tlaxco · Tlaxcala · 62 km away
Closest to Cuexcomate
-
Cerro de San Juan · Mountain · 2 km away
-
San Felipe Hueyotlipan · Town · 3 km away
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Santiago Momoxpan · Town · 3 km away
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Capilla de San Ildefonso · Landmark · 4 km away
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Museo Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos · Landmark · 4 km away
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Sanctorum · Village · 4 km away
-
Biblioteca Palafoxiana · Landmark · 5 km away
-
Callejón de los Sapos · Landmark · 5 km away
Near Cuexcomate
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Lists with Cuexcomate
Mountains in Puebla · 8 Mountains near Puebla · 10 Mountains near Cholula · 11 Mountains near Huejotzingo · 12 Mountains near Chiautempan · 13 Mountains near Atlixco · 9 Mountains near San Martín Texmelucan · 16 Mountains near Huamantla · 11Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.