Town San Matías Tlalancaleca, Puebla Puebla Valley
Municipal seat in western Puebla, "the place of hidden houses", with its patron-saint fair on 24 and 25 February.
From San Martín Texmelucan: 10 min by car (9 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to San Matías Tlalancaleca
Where to stay near San Matías Tlalancaleca
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in San Matías Tlalancaleca.
Tours to San Matías Tlalancaleca
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in San Matías Tlalancaleca; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Puebla City
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How to get to San Matías Tlalancaleca
- From San Martín Texmelucan: about 10 min by road (~9 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 7 min by car to Huejotzingo
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Tours from Puebla City, near San Matías Tlalancaleca
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About San Matías Tlalancaleca
San Matías Tlalancaleca is the seat of the municipality of the same name in west-central Puebla, at about 2,360 m. The town had 11,571 people in 2020; the municipality, about 51 km² with 27 settlements, had 19,310 in 2010. The name joins Saint Matthias the Apostle with the Nahuatl Tlalancaleca, usually translated as "the place with hidden houses" or "houses under the earth", from tlalli, earth, tlani, below, and calli, house.
The name is shared by Tlalancaleca, one of the largest Formative-period settlements in the Puebla-Tlaxcala valley: the archaeologist Ángel García Cook ranked it among the five biggest of its time, and later excavations have helped refine the region's pre-Hispanic chronology.
The big festival is the patron-saint feast on 24 February, for Saint Matthias and in memory of the town's founding. There are religious celebrations on the 24th and 25th, popular dances on the 25th, and the fair carries on with jaripeo bull-riding and cockfights until the following Sunday, when it closes. In the centre rises the new church of San Matías, modelled on the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
How to get to San Matías Tlalancaleca
Drive from San Martín Texmelucan: 10 min, 9 km
San Matías Tlalancaleca lies in west-central Puebla, north of San Martín Texmelucan. Puebla city is about 44 km away in a straight line, roughly 50 minutes to an hour by car, and the Pueblo Mágico of Huejotzingo about 21 km.
Directions to San Matías Tlalancaleca on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San Matías Tlalancaleca
- San Martín Texmelucan · 9 km by road, 10 min
- Chiautempan · 41 km by road, 35 min
- Puebla · 49 km by road, 45 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in San Matías Tlalancaleca 2
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
Landmarks and museums
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Hacienda de Chautla · Landmark · 3 km from the centre
An old hacienda with an English-style castle on the edge of a lake, now a state-run park for walks, boating and picnics.
Archaeological sites
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Tlalancaleca (zona arqueológica) · Archaeological site · 4 km from the centre
Formative-period city at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, among central Mexico's largest before Teotihuacan; it outlived a Popocatépetl eruption.
Map of San Matías Tlalancaleca
Neighbourhoods and villages of San Matías Tlalancaleca
Part of San Matías Tlalancaleca or just outside it, closest first.
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San Lucas el Grande · Village · 3 km from the centre
The largest town in San Salvador el Verde, at 2,317 m below Iztaccíhuatl, among tejocote orchards, flower fields and black-stone workshops.
Day trips and tours from San Matías Tlalancaleca
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from San Matías Tlalancaleca 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 San Matías Tlalancaleca
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and November.
- 1 of the places on this page is 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 San Matías Tlalancaleca.
Before you go to San Matías Tlalancaleca: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- The patron-saint feast is on 24 February; the fair runs until the following Sunday. Wikipedia · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting San Matías Tlalancaleca: what to see and do
The new church of San Matías, modelled on the Basilica of Guadalupe.
The San Matías fair from 24 February, with jaripeo and cockfights.
The story of the Formative-period settlement of Tlalancaleca.
Pair it with Huejotzingo, about 21 km away.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Matías Tlalancaleca
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Matías Tlalancaleca.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in San Matías Tlalancaleca; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at PBC (Puebla): about 7 min by road to Huejotzingo, then 21 km more to San Matías Tlalancaleca, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 7 min by road from Huejotzingo, the base for San Matías Tlalancaleca.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Huejotzingo: download a map of the way to San Matías Tlalancaleca before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Matías Tlalancaleca mild
San Matías Tlalancaleca shares the climate of Huejotzingo, 21 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and November.
See the month-by-month climate of Huejotzingo
Weather in San Matías Tlalancaleca now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Huejotzingo
Huejotzingo is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San Matías Tlalancaleca, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Cholula · Puebla · 36 km away
- Atlixco · Puebla · 47 km away
- Otumba · Estado de México · 49 km away
- Tlaxco · Tlaxcala · 51 km away
- Teotihuacán · Estado de México · 55 km away
Near San Matías Tlalancaleca
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.