Town Totolac, Tlaxcala Municipality of Totolac
Totolac hill town just north of Tlaxcala city, heir to the Quiahuixtlán lordship, with cave paintings at Los Molinos and a Three Kings fiesta.
From Chiautempan: 15 min by car (12 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Tours to Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
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How to get to Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
- From Chiautempan: about 15 min by road (~12 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 7 min by car to Huejotzingo
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Tours from Puebla City, near Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
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About Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán is the most populous locality in the municipality of Totolac, with 2,606 people at the 2020 census. It sits on the low hills rising north of Tlaxcala city, about 2 km from the centre of the capital and under 2 km from San Juan Totolac, the municipal seat. Quiahuixtlán is usually translated as "place of the rain" or "people of the rain".
The name recalls one of the four lordships of ancient Tlaxcallan, alongside Tepeticpac, Ocotelulco and Tizatlán. According to the chronicles summarised in Mexico's Encyclopedia of Municipalities, Tepanecatl Quanez, lord of Tepeticpac, granted these lands southwest of his own to a group of Poyauhteca Chichimecs who had fought on Tlaxcala's side against Huejotzingo; the place was also known as Tlapitzahuacan. In 1956 a local man warned INAH that farmers in Los Reyes were ploughing up the remains of what was believed to be the palace and houses of Citlalpopoca, lord of Quiahuixtlán when Cortés arrived.
In 2012 a Totolac civil-protection volunteer reported rock paintings at a spot called Los Molinos, in a ravine draining to the Zahuapan river. They are in two limestone-tuff shelters with a 22 m wide mouth; on the smoothed, lime-plastered ceiling of the larger cave a 1.4 m red quadruped is surrounded by about 44 four- and five-petalled flowers in red and black.
The big day is 6 January, the feast of the Three Kings, the town's patrons, with mole, fireworks castles and toritos. During the patronal fiesta the town's old bullring hosted greased-pole contests, vaquillas and bullfights, though it now stands nearly abandoned. The twin-towered church of Los Reyes stands at the end of a tree-lined walk beside the cemetery. The hills and open land around the town are good for walking and cycling.
How to get to Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
Drive from Chiautempan: 15 min, 12 km
Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán is about 2 km north of central Tlaxcala, on the hills between the capital and San Juan Totolac. Totolac is barely 2 km west of the city on the free road to Mexico City; Los Reyes is under 2 km up from there. A taxi from central Tlaxcala takes a few minutes. To reach Tlaxcala, Suprabus and ATAH run hourly buses from Mexico City's TAPO terminal (about 1 h 50 min) and Verdes buses come from Puebla's CAPU (about 50 min). Huejotzingo, the nearest Pueblo Mágico, is about 26 km away (roughly 30 min) and Puebla about 33 km (roughly 40 min). The Los Molinos paintings are on the bank of the Totolac or Potrero Hondo stream: about 500 m up a dirt track, then 100 m on a footpath; going with someone from the town is advisable.
Directions to Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
- Chiautempan · 12 km by road, 15 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 23 km by road, 20 min
- Huamantla · 45 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 Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán 10
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
Landmarks and museums
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Basílica de Ocotlán · Landmark · 2 km from the centre
Tlaxcala's hilltop pilgrimage church: a churrigueresque façade between 33 m towers and an octagonal camarín carved by an indigenous artist. -
Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción · Landmark · 2 km from the centre
The 16th-century Franciscan church of the Asunción, with a Mudéjar cedar ceiling; Tlaxcala's cathedral and a World Heritage Site since 2021. -
Museo Regional de Tlaxcala · Landmark · 2 km from the centre
INAH museum in the cloister of Tlaxcala's Franciscan convent of the Assumption: 13 rooms running from the Paleolithic to the 20th century. -
Palacio de Gobierno de Tlaxcala · Landmark · 2 km from the centre
Seat of Tlaxcala's government since colonial times, on the Plaza de la Constitución; its arcades hold Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin's history murals. -
iglesia de San José · Landmark · 2 km from the centre
17th-century baroque church in central Tlaxcala, twice a cathedral and restored after the 2017 quake; home of the Niño Milagroso image.
Archaeological sites
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Ocotelulco · Archaeological site · 1 km from the centre
Temple and painted altar of Maxixcatzin's lordship, with a site museum, in San Francisco Ocotelulco, 3 km from Tlaxcala city. Free entry. -
Tepeticpac · Archaeological site · 2 km from the centre
Pre-Hispanic hilltop fortress above Santiago Tepeticpac, 5 km north of Tlaxcala city: walls, terraces, watchtowers and views over the valley. -
Zona Arqueológica de Tizatlán · Archaeological site · 3 km from the centre
Seat of a Tlaxcalan lordship where the alliance with Cortés was sealed, with painted altars beside a 16th-century open chapel.
Nature reserves
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Parque nacional Xicoténcatl · Nature reserve · 2 km from the centre
A 1937 national park covering Tlaxcala's historic centre, the Zahuapan River and the hills of three of the old Tlaxcalan lordships.
Viewpoints
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Escalinatas de los Héroes · Viewpoint · 2 km from the centre
A 1960s flight of 250 steps with a central fountain and statues of national heroes, climbing to a lookout over Tlaxcala city.
Map of Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
Neighbourhoods and villages of Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
Part of Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán or just outside it, closest first.
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Acxotla del Río · Town · 1 km from the centre
Totolac community beside the Zahuapan river, with an 1876 Nativity church and a Virgin procession eight days before 8 September. -
La Trinidad Chimalpa · Village · 1 km from the centre
Old community in Totolac right beside Tlaxcala city, with a church to the Holy Trinity and a patron-saint fiesta in June. -
San Francisco Ocotelulco · Village · 1 km from the centre
Totolac village next to Tlaxcala, heir to the lordship of Ocotelulco, with the church of San Francisco de Asís and the ruins close by. -
San Miguel Tlamahuco · Village · 1 km from the centre
Village of 1,108 people next to Tlaxcala city, with a red-domed church on a small hill and La Malinche behind it. -
San Buenaventura Atempan · Village · 2 km from the centre
Village in Tlaxcala municipality tied to Cortés's brigantines; it has an old aqueduct and a fiesta of St Bonaventure on 15 July. -
San Hipólito Chimalpa · Town · 2 km from the centre
Village in Tlaxcala municipality about 2 km from the capital's centre, with a yellow-domed church to Saint Hippolytus and views of La Malinche. -
San Juan Totolac · Town · 2 km from the centre
Seat of Totolac, 3 km from Tlaxcala city: an 1714 parish church and the festival bread baked every week. -
Santiago Tepeticpac · Village · 2 km from the centre
A Totolac village at 2,244 m below Tepeticpac hill; every 3 May it climbs in procession to the old church on the summit. -
La Trinidad Tepehitec · Town · 3 km from the centre
Tlaxcala's "Heroic Town" by the city bus terminal: a hub of the 1910 anti-reelection movement, with one of the state's liveliest Day of the Dead nights. -
Ocotlán · Town · 3 km from the centre
The hill town above central Tlaxcala, the municipality's most populous locality, with the Pocito holy-water chapel and the basilica on top. -
Panotla · Town · 3 km from the centre
Municipal seat 4 km west of Tlaxcala, with the Baroque church of San Nicolás de Bari and a name in carnival and clarinet music. -
San Esteban Tizatlán · Town · 3 km from the centre
Old seat of Xicohténcatl's lordship, northeast of Tlaxcala city: pre-Hispanic painted altars, a 16th-century open chapel and carved walking sticks. -
San Gabriel Cuauhtla · Town · 3 km from the centre
Locality south of Tlaxcala city next to Ocotlán: once brick and tile makers, now housing estates, with a chapel of San Gabriel. -
Santa María Ixtulco · Town · 4 km from the centre
Birthplace of governor Próspero Cahuantzi, with a Candelaria festival on 2 February, a tamal and mole prieto fair and five carnival camadas. -
Tlatempan · Town · 4 km from the centre
Apetatitlán locality with the Padre Jesús church and workshops making wooden masks for dancers.
Day trips and tours from Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán 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 Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and November.
- 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 Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán.
Before you go to Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Three Kings fiesta on 6 January, with mole, fireworks castles and toritos. Wikipedia: Los Reyes Quiahuixtlan · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán: what to see and do
The twin-towered church of the Three Kings at the end of its tree-lined walk.
The rock paintings in the Los Molinos caves: a red quadruped and dozens of flowers.
The Three Kings fiesta on 6 January, with mole, fireworks castles and toritos.
The town's old bullring, used for vaquillas and bullfights at the patronal fiesta.
The hills overlooking Tlaxcala city, for walking or cycling.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán; 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 Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 7 min by road from Huejotzingo, the base for Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Huejotzingo: download a map of the way to Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán mild
Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán 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 Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán 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 Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Near Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.