Town La Magdalena Tlaltelulco, Tlaxcala La Malinche
A town on the lower slopes of La Malinche, 8 km from Tlaxcala on the Chiautempan-Puebla road, its own municipality since 1995, with a barrio carnival.
From Chiautempan: 5 min by car (5 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
Where to stay near La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in La Magdalena Tlaltelulco.
Tours to La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in La Magdalena Tlaltelulco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Puebla City
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How to get to La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
- From Chiautempan: about 5 min by road (~5 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 7 min by car to Huejotzingo
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Tours from Puebla City, near La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
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About La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
La Magdalena Tlaltelulco is the seat and only locality of the municipality of the same name in southern Tlaxcala. It sits on the western foot of La Malinche at about 2,320 metres, eight kilometres from the state capital on the road from Santa Ana Chiautempan to Puebla. It had 19,036 people at the 2020 census, more than twice the 1990 figure. The Nahuatl name translates as "place of clods" or "on the mounds of earth".
The land belonged to the lordship of Comalteapa, one of those that made up the old Tlaxcalan republic; in colonial times it came under Ocotelulco and the Franciscan parish of Chiautempan. The oldest record of its founding dates from 1555, and between 1680 and 1683 the seven villages that are now its barrios were refounded: Tecpa, Yoalcóac, Teotlalpan, Comalteapa, Tetla, Pochtla and Calnáhuac. For centuries its people laboured on the San Nicolás Tochapan hacienda, until in 1904 they bought land collectively with their savings as tenant farmers. It belonged to Chiautempan until 18 August 1995, when the state congress made it a municipality. Mauro Angulo, governor of Tlaxcala from 1934 to 1940 and later a senator, killed in 1948, went to school here and is buried here.
The centre is the 18th-century parish church of Santa María Magdalena, with a Latin-cross plan, 60 cm stone walls, a barrel vault and a two-stage tower capped with tiles, a plain Tlaxcalan Baroque doorway and a broad atrium with an arcade alongside. Carnival is the liveliest time: it opens on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday with the burning of "bad humour" and the crowning of the queen and the Ugly King, and from Sunday to Tuesday each barrio's troupe dances through the streets before gathering in the main square in the afternoon. Festive food is turkey mole with tamales and pulque, and the patron saint's day is 22 July.
How to get to La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
Drive from Chiautempan: 5 min, 5 km
La Magdalena Tlaltelulco is about 8 km southeast of Tlaxcala city and lies on the road from Santa Ana Chiautempan to Puebla. From Puebla it is about 26 km north on that short road (roughly 30 minutes); from Tlaxcala it is a short taxi ride. From Mexico City take the Mexico-Puebla toll highway (150D), the 117D towards Tlaxcala at San Martín Texmelucan and then the Libramiento de Tlaxcala towards Chiautempan; allow about two hours. By bus, ATAH runs from TAPO to Tlaxcala and Chiautempan, and Verdes buses run from Puebla's CAPU to Tlaxcala; continue by taxi. Huejotzingo, the nearest Pueblo Mágico, is about 26 km away (roughly 30 minutes).
Directions to La Magdalena Tlaltelulco on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
- Chiautempan · 5 km by road, 5 min
- Puebla · 29 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.
Map of La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
Neighbourhoods and villages of La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
Part of La Magdalena Tlaltelulco or just outside it, closest first.
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Santa Cruz Tetela · Village · 2 km from the centre
A Chiautempan village at 2,295 m, with prickly-pear groves and farm plots; its Nahuatl name means stony place. -
Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla · Town · 2 km from the centre
Seat of one of Tlaxcala's smallest municipalities, with an industrial park, a charros carnival and the chapel of Juan Diego. -
San Francisco Tetlanohcan · Town · 3 km from the centre
Seat of a municipality at 2,420 m on the slopes of La Malinche: St Francis church with a clock, carnival camadas and woollen textiles. -
San Pedro Tlalcuapan · Town · 3 km from the centre
Chiautempan locality on the slopes of La Malinche, once called Melendeztla, with two churches and a Nahuatl wedding dance. -
San Sebastián Atlahapa · Town · 3 km from the centre
Locality of 6,503 people in Tlaxcala municipality beside the bypass, with a church with a painted dome dedicated to Saint Sebastian. -
Santiago Tlacochcalco · Village · 3 km from the centre
Village in Tepeyanco on the Acuitlapilco lagoon, with a church of Santiago Apóstol and a patron-saint fiesta on 25 July. -
Acxotla del Monte · Town · 4 km from the centre
Santa María Acxotla del Monte, a village of Teolocholco on La Malinche's slope, with a Virgen del Pilar church and an October fair. -
Chiautempan · Town · 4 km from the centre
Santa Ana Chiautempan, 6 km from Tlaxcala: the cradle of the sarape, with a July fair, a 16th-century Franciscan convent and mole prieto. -
La Aurora · Village · 4 km from the centre
Tepeyanco locality close to the Franciscan former convent, among avocado orchards with La Malinche in the background. -
Santa María Acuitlapilco · Town · 4 km from the centre
Large locality south of the state capital, beside the lagoon that bears its name and known for its huehues and the dance of El Palomo. -
Teolocholco · Town · 4 km from the centre
Municipal seat on the lower slopes of La Malinche, with a Baroque San Luis Obispo parish, a finely carved atrium cross and a walnut fair in August.
Day trips and tours from La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from La Magdalena Tlaltelulco 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 La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and November.
- 5 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 La Magdalena Tlaltelulco.
Before you go to La Magdalena Tlaltelulco: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Carnival from the Saturday to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, with the burning of 'bad humour' and barrio troupes; feast of Mary Magdalene on 22 July (or the nearest Sunday); Day of the Dead from 28 October to 2 November. Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México (INAFED) · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting La Magdalena Tlaltelulco: what to see and do
Visit the 18th-century parish church of Santa María Magdalena, with its tile-capped tower and atrium.
Come for carnival, Saturday to Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, to see the troupes of the seven barrios.
Stroll the central park and bandstand.
Find the tomb of governor Mauro Angulo.
Take in La Malinche, rising just east of town.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around La Magdalena Tlaltelulco.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in La Magdalena Tlaltelulco; 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 26 km more to La Magdalena Tlaltelulco, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 7 min by road from Huejotzingo, the base for La Magdalena Tlaltelulco.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Huejotzingo: download a map of the way to La Magdalena Tlaltelulco before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to La Magdalena Tlaltelulco mild
La Magdalena Tlaltelulco shares the climate of Huejotzingo, 26 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and November.
See the month-by-month climate of Huejotzingo
Weather in La Magdalena Tlaltelulco 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 La Magdalena Tlaltelulco, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Near La Magdalena Tlaltelulco
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.