Village Zapotitlán, Puebla Municipality of Zapotitlán Tehuacán Valley
Popoloca village in Zapotitlán on the Oaxaca line, famous for Cretaceous marine fossils, dinosaur tracks and a community-run fossil museum.
From Tehuacán: 50 min by car (43 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Where to stay near San Juan Raya
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Tours to San Juan Raya
Day trips and guided outings from Orizaba often include San Juan Raya; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
How to get to San Juan Raya
- From Tehuacán: about 50 min by road (~43 km)
- Nearest airport: Veracruz (VER), 1 h 42 min by car to Orizaba
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About San Juan Raya
More than 100 million years ago a shallow sea lay where San Juan Raya now stands, and its sediments became one of Mexico's richest fossil beds. Near this village the Belgian palaeontologist and botanist Henri Guillaume Galeotti collected the first Mexican fossils ever described in a scientific publication. Locals say marine fossils like these are known nowhere else in the world, and the area also has dinosaur tracks.
The village, of Popoloca origin, had 202 people in 2020 and stands at about 1,720 m in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valley, inside the biosphere reserve. Its name joins its patron, Saint John the Baptist, with "Raya", line, because it sits on the Puebla–Oaxaca border. The community runs its own ecotourism centre: an on-site fossil museum with invertebrates from the region, an archaeology museum, the Turritelas park, interpretive trails, and tours on foot, by bike or on horseback. One leads to a giant barrel cactus, a "mother-in-law's cushion" (Echinocactus platyacanthus) that the community says is about three thousand years old.
The arid landscape of scrub and cactus has served as a set for films such as "La ley de Herodes" and "Todos hemos pecado" and for videos by Caifanes and Elefante. The craft market sells palm and raffia work, traditional-medicine soaps and ointments, honey and liqueurs of local flowers and fruit. In the municipality of Zapotitlán people cook totolmole, turkey mole, and drink garambullo-berry liqueur.
How to get to San Juan Raya
Drive from Tehuacán: 50 min, 43 km
San Juan Raya is about 29 km in a straight line from Tehuacán, beyond Zapotitlán Salinas. From Tehuacán, take the Huajuapan road to Zapotitlán, then the road west; a car is easiest. From Puebla it is about two hours to Tehuacán on highway 150D.
Directions to San Juan Raya 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 Raya
- Tehuacán · 43 km by road, 50 min
- Huajuapan de León · 79 km by road, 1 h 50 min
- Orizaba · 110 km by road, 1 h 55 min
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 Raya: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- The museum is open 9 am to 6 pm. Centro Ecoturístico San Juan Raya · checked Oct 2026
- Entry
- 2026 prices per person: fossil museum 50 pesos on foot; Turritelas park 70; dinosaur tracks from 100 (by car) to 250 pesos (on horseback); giant cactus from 50. Centro Ecoturístico San Juan Raya · checked Oct 2026
- Guide or tour
- Tours to the fossil beds and tracks go with a community guide, on foot, by bike or on horseback. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide Centro Ecoturístico San Juan Raya · checked Oct 2026
- What to bring
- Hat, water and sunscreen: this is semi-desert country. Wikipedia · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting San Juan Raya: what to see and do
The on-site fossil museum.
The dinosaur tracks.
The Turritelas park and its fossils.
The giant barrel cactus.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Juan Raya
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Juan Raya.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Orizaba often include San Juan Raya; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at VER (Veracruz): about 1 h 42 min by road to Orizaba, then 80 km more to San Juan Raya, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Veracruz (VER), about 1 h 42 min by road from Orizaba, the base for San Juan Raya.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Orizaba: download a map of the way to San Juan Raya before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Juan Raya mild
San Juan Raya shares the climate of Orizaba, 80 km away. The best months to visit are February, March, April, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Orizaba
Weather in San Juan Raya now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Orizaba
Orizaba is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San Juan Raya, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Closest to San Juan Raya
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Santa Ana Teloxtoc · Village · 8 km away
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Zapotitlán Salinas · Town · 15 km away
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San Martín Atexcal · Village · 16 km away
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San Antonio Texcala · Village · 20 km away
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Caltepec · Village · 21 km away
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San Bartolo Teontepec · Village · 21 km away
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San Mateo Zoyamazalco · Village · 23 km away
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San Juan Atzingo · Village · 24 km away
Near San Juan Raya
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.