Town Barrio Mágico Museums Churches and shrines Railways and mills Apizaco, Tlaxcala Municipality of Apizaco
Railway city in central Tlaxcala that grew from a Ferrocarril Mexicano work camp; its emblem is locomotive 212, La Maquinita.
From Chiautempan: 20 min by car (18 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to Apizaco
Where to stay near Apizaco
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Apizaco.
Tours to Apizaco
Day trips around Tlaxco sometimes stop in Apizaco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Puebla City
Africam Safari Zoo Admission with Transportation
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How to get to Apizaco
- From Chiautempan: about 20 min by road (~18 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 1 h 6 min by car to Tlaxco
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Tours from Puebla City, near Apizaco
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About Apizaco
Apizaco is the seat of the municipality of the same name in central Tlaxcala, at 2,407 metres above sea level and about 20 km from the state capital. With 47,632 people at the 2020 census it is the fourth-largest locality in Tlaxcala, and its commerce and industry make it the state's second most important city. The streets of the centre were laid out on a regular grid, which earned it the nickname "model city". Mexico's federal tourism secretariat named it Tlaxcala's first Barrio Mágico.
The Nahuatl name translates as "place of thin water", a small stream, after a spot called El Ojito where a narrow river rises. The name was borrowed from San Luis Apizaco, a colonial village founded in 1543 and now called San Luis Apizaquito. The present city has no founding charter: it began as a camp for the English workers laying the tracks of the Ferrocarril Mexicano, and its founding date is taken as 1 March 1866, when engineer William Lloyd reported on progress towards Mexico City. President Benito Juárez opened the Mexico City-Apizaco-Puebla line on 16 September 1869, and Apizaco station, on the Mexico City-Veracruz route, began service on 1 January 1873. The railwaymen formed mutual aid societies that later became Section 3 of the national railway workers' union. For the city's 150th anniversary in 2016, the state congress made it state capital for a day.
That railway past is easy to see. On the roundabout of Avenida 16 de Septiembre stands La Maquinita, steam locomotive 212, the city's emblem. The Museo Casa de Piedra, built beside the tracks in 1916 by the national railways to house its workers, has rooms on the railway, urban and religious life and local bullfighting. In 2010 INAH declared the old Apizaco and Xicohténcatl stations railway heritage, the latter built by the Interoceanic Railway. On Avenida Cuauhtémoc, facing the park of the same name, rises the grey stone Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia with its pointed spires, and on the same avenue is the statue of Jesús García Corona, the Hero of Nacozari, put up at the request of the railway union.
The Rodolfo Rodríguez "El Pana" bullring, formerly La Monumental, is the largest in the state, seating 5,500, and houses Tlaxcala's school for young bullfighters. The Centro de las Artes of the Tlaxcala Culture Institute has occupied a former cotton spinning and weaving mill since 2015. The Feria de Apizaco celebrates the city's founding from late February into March with bullfights, jaripeo rodeos, dances and street parties. Apizaco is also the usual starting point for hikers heading to La Malinche volcano, with a colectivo climbing to the mountain's holiday centre every morning.
How to get to Apizaco
Drive from Chiautempan: 20 min, 18 km
From Mexico City take the Mexico City-Puebla toll road (150D) to San Martín Texmelucan, then the 117D Texmelucan-Tlaxcala-El Molinito toll road (35 km), which ends at El Molinito southwest of Apizaco, where it meets federal highways 136 and 119 a few kilometres from the centre. From the TAPO terminal it is about 122 km, roughly 1 h 45 min by car. By bus, ATAH (Autotransportes Tlaxcala-Apizaco-Huamantla) leaves the TAPO about every hour and takes about 2 hours. From Puebla, ATAH runs frequent buses from the CAPU terminal (about 59 km); its Apizaco station is on Avenida Zaragoza, south of Madero. Tlaxcala city is about 20 km away, roughly 25 minutes by car, and Tlaxco, the nearest Pueblo Mágico, is about 25 km north.
Directions to Apizaco on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Apizaco
- Chiautempan · 18 km by road, 20 min
- Huamantla · 25 km by road, 20 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 42 km by road, 35 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in Apizaco 2
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia (Apizaco) · Landmark · 2 km from the centre
Grey-stone neo-Gothic basilica in central Apizaco, finished in 1961; its two 50 m towers make it the tallest church in Tlaxcala. -
Museo Casa de Piedra · Landmark · 3 km from the centre
A 1916 stone house beside the Apizaco tracks, now a museum of the railway, the city and bullfighting, with a miniature train ride.
Map of Apizaco
Neighbourhoods and villages of Apizaco
Part of Apizaco or just outside it, closest first.
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San Luis Apizaquito · Town · in the centre
The original San Luis Apizaco, 2 km from Apizaco: the railway city took its name from here. Fiesta 25 August and El Ojito dam. -
San Bartolomé Matlalohcan · Town · 3 km from the centre
Locality in Tetla de la Solidaridad that grew from 3,215 to 6,779 people between 2000 and 2020; patron fiesta of St Bartholomew on 24 August. -
Santa María Texcalac · Town · 3 km from the centre
Third-largest locality in Apizaco (7,798 people in 2020); its hill gave its name to the Texcalac archaeological phase, and it keeps a ruined church. -
Tetla de la Solidaridad · Town · 3 km from the centre
Santiago Tetla, north of Apizaco: a pink-stone church, a lava field with a dwarf forest, metate and molcajete carvers and the Piedras Negras bull ranch. -
San José Tetel · Town · 4 km from the centre
Second-largest locality in Yauhquemehcan (7,826 people in 2020), right beside Apizaco at 2,475 m, with its own carnival dance groups. -
Santa Anita Huiloac · Town · 4 km from the centre
Village just south of Apizaco with an 18th-century church to Saint Anne and a carnival of two camadas that dance lancer and French quadrilles.
Day trips and tours from Apizaco
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Apizaco 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 Apizaco
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, November, and December.
- 2 of the places on this page are 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 Apizaco.
Before you go to Apizaco: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Feria de Apizaco, marking the city's founding, from 28 February to 17 March, with bullfights, jaripeo rodeos, dances and street parties. México Desconocido (Escapadas) · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Apizaco: what to see and do
La Maquinita, steam locomotive 212 on its pedestal at the Avenida 16 de Septiembre roundabout.
The Museo Casa de Piedra (Morelos 812), with rooms on the railway, the city and bullfighting.
The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia, facing Parque Cuauhtémoc.
The monument to the Hero of Nacozari, Jesús García Corona, on Avenida Cuauhtémoc.
The Rodolfo Rodríguez "El Pana" bullring, the largest in Tlaxcala.
The Centro de las Artes, in a former textile mill.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Apizaco
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Apizaco.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Tlaxco sometimes stop in Apizaco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at PBC (Puebla): about 1 h 6 min by road to Tlaxco, then 22 km more to Apizaco, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 1 h 6 min by road from Tlaxco, the base for Apizaco.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Tlaxco: download a map of the way to Apizaco before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Apizaco cool
Apizaco shares the climate of Tlaxco, 22 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Tlaxco
Weather in Apizaco now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tlaxco
Tlaxco is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Apizaco, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Huamantla · Tlaxcala · 24 km away
- Ixtenco · Tlaxcala · 27 km away
- Huejotzingo · Puebla · 42 km away
- Cholula · Puebla · 45 km away
- Chignahuapan · Puebla · 47 km away
Near Apizaco
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.