Town 16 km northeast of Sayula
An old salt-making town on the lagoon's east shore, with a 16th-century Franciscan foundation and links to the insurgent Guzmán brothers.
Atoyac is a small town on the eastern side of the Laguna de Sayula, at the foot of the hills of the Sierra del Tigre. Its name comes from Nahuatl and means place near the river. For centuries before the Spanish arrived, people here harvested salt from the lagoon, and the fame of Atoyac's salt is said to have caused wars among neighboring towns.
After the conquest the area became part of the Provincia de Ávalos, and Franciscan friars built a convent dedicated to San Juan Evangelista in 1568. During the War of Independence the town supplied many fighters to the insurgent José Antonio Torres, and the brothers Francisco and Gordiano Guzmán, insurgent leaders from this area, took the town in 1811.
Today Atoyac is a quiet farming town. Local crafts include woolen goods, macramé, leather belts and wallets, and the municipality has springs, including warm ones, and wide views over the lagoon and its salt flats toward the Sierra de Tapalpa.
What to see and do
Visit the parish church in the center.
Look out over the Laguna de Sayula and its salt flats toward the Sierra de Tapalpa.
Ask about local leather and wool crafts.
Combine it with a drive around the lagoon through Techaluta and Amacueca.
Getting there
Atoyac is about 20 to 25 minutes from Sayula by car, heading east and north around the southern end of the lagoon. Local buses run between Sayula and the lagoon towns, but service is limited.
16 km northeast of Sayula
Directions from Sayula on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Places to stay in Atoyac
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Photos
Weather mild
Atoyac shares the climate of Sayula, 16 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Mar, Nov, Dec.
Make Sayula your base
Atoyac is an easy trip from Sayula, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Sayula
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Laguna de Sayula
· Lake · 10 km away
A large, shallow salt lagoon north of Sayula, protected as a Ramsar wetland for the migratory birds that winter there. -
Amacueca
· Town · 14 km away
A small town on the lagoon's western edge with a 16th-century Franciscan church and convent of the Dulce Nombre de Jesús. -
Salto del Nogal
· Waterfall · 17 km away
A waterfall of about 105 meters in the Sierra de Tapalpa; best after the summer rains and best visited with a local guide. -
Las Piedrotas
· Nature reserve · 21 km away
Giant boulders in open meadows just past Tapalpa, a classic outing in the sierra about an hour's drive from Sayula. -
Techaluta de Montenegro
· Town · 22 km away
A dry-country town famous for its pitayas, the cactus fruit sold fresh along the road in April and May. -
San Gabriel
· Town · 23 km away
The town where Juan Rulfo spent his childhood, with a 19th-century parish of the Señor de la Misericordia and old portales.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.