Town Yauhquemehcan, Tlaxcala Municipality of Yauhquemehcan
Locality in Yauhquemehcan larger than its own municipal seat: 6,633 people in 2020; church of San Benito with two towers and a clock.
From Chiautempan: 15 min by car (12 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to San Benito Xaltocan
Where to stay near San Benito Xaltocan
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Tours to San Benito Xaltocan
Day trips around Tlaxco sometimes stop in San Benito Xaltocan; 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 Benito Xaltocan
- From Chiautempan: about 15 min by road (~12 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 1 h 6 min by car to Tlaxco
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Tours from Puebla City, near San Benito Xaltocan
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About San Benito Xaltocan
San Benito Xaltocan is a locality in the municipality of Yauhquemehcan, in central Tlaxcala, at 2,391 metres above sea level. At the 2020 census it had 6,633 inhabitants, more than the municipal seat itself, Yauhquemehcan, with 4,544. Its growth is very recent: Wikipedia lists 876 people in 1990, 4,159 in 2000 and 5,367 in 2010, whereas before 1990 it had never gone above 600.
The name pairs the patron, St Benedict of Nursia, with Nahuatl Xaltocan: xalli (sand), tocatl (spider) and the locative -can, "place of the sand spiders". It should not be confused with the municipality of Xaltocan, also in Tlaxcala, or with Xaltocan in Xochimilco. The municipality of Yauhquemehcan, according to the Enciclopedia, began as a señorío in the Texcalac phase and was closely tied to San Martín Xaltocan and Santa Bárbara Acuicuizcatepec.
The most visible building is the church, built in the 20th century on a Latin-cross plan. The façade is plastered, with an entrance door and a round-arched window lighting the choir; above sits a bell gable with a period clock and battlements at the sides, flanked by two two-stage towers with spherical domes, lanterns and wrought-iron crosses. In the area, carnival is danced by neighbourhood camadas with cuadrillas francesas and costumes of Spaniards, Moors and dandies, and the regional table includes turkey mole, tlacoyos, tlatlapas and anise tamales.
How to get to San Benito Xaltocan
Drive from Chiautempan: 15 min, 12 km
San Benito Xaltocan lies north of Tlaxcala city, between Yauhquemehcan and Apizaco. The seat, Yauhquemehcan, is about 16 km from Tlaxcala by highway 117 (San Martín Texmelucan–Tlaxcala–Apizaco) and by highway 136 (Apizaco–Yauhquemehcan), according to the Enciclopedia de los Municipios. From Tlaxcala take the road toward Apizaco, turn off for Yauhquemehcan and continue to the village. From Puebla it is about 40 km, around 45 minutes by car; Tlaxco, the nearest Pueblo Mágico, is about 24 km away, roughly 30 minutes. There are no published schedules for transport to the village; without a car the trip is usually made by bus to Tlaxcala or Apizaco and local transport from there.
Directions to San Benito Xaltocan on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San Benito Xaltocan
- Chiautempan · 12 km by road, 15 min
- Huamantla · 31 km by road, 25 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 36 km by road, 25 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 Benito Xaltocan 3
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia (Apizaco) · Landmark · 3 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. -
Ex Convento de Santa María de la Concepción Atlihuetzia · Landmark · 4 km from the centre
Roofless 16th-century Franciscan ruin on Atlihuetzía's main square, open to the sky since the 18th century and now the shrine of the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala.
Map of San Benito Xaltocan
Neighbourhoods and villages of San Benito Xaltocan
Part of San Benito Xaltocan or just outside it, closest first.
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San Lorenzo Tlacualoyan · Village · 1 km from the centre
A locality of Yauhquemehcan with an 18th-century church of San Lorenzo and a patron-saint fiesta on 10 August, with bells all night. -
Yauhquemehcan · Town · 1 km from the centre
Municipal seat beside Apizaco with a San Dionisio parish church from about 1670: grey stone façade, stucco tower and a huge gilded main altarpiece. -
El Rosario Ocotoxco · Village · 2 km from the centre
Locality in Yauhquemehcan devoted to Our Lady of the Rosary, at 2,400 m and next to the Diocesan Seminary of Tlaxcala. -
San Francisco Tlacuilohcan · Village · 2 km from the centre
Village in Yauhquemehcan at 2,436 m, "place of scribes" in Nahuatl, with a St Francis church from 1787 and its own carnival camada. -
Santa Úrsula Zimatepec · Town · 2 km from the centre
Yauhquemehcan locality with a baroque church from about 1737, the Santa Úrsula fiesta on 21 October and a carnival of cuadrillas dances. -
San José Tetel · Town · 3 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. -
Atlihuetzía · Town · 4 km from the centre
Village between Tlaxcala and Apizaco with waterfalls on the Zahuapan River and the ruined friary where child martyr Saint Cristóbal died. -
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. -
Topilco de Juárez · Town · 4 km from the centre
Xaltocan locality founded on 5 December 1973, next to the municipal seat, with a church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. -
Xaltocan · Village · 4 km from the centre
Stone-carvers' municipal seat near Apizaco in central Tlaxcala: San Martín church with a 1720 tower, an 1889 stone bridge and a November fair.
Day trips and tours from San Benito Xaltocan
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from San Benito Xaltocan 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 Benito Xaltocan
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, November, and December.
- 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 San Benito Xaltocan.
Visiting San Benito Xaltocan: what to see and do
The church of San Benito, 20th century, with two domed towers and a clock on the bell gable.
The parish of San Dionisio in Yauhquemehcan, with its gilded 18th-century main altarpiece.
The camada carnival in Yauhquemehcan, Sunday to Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
Turkey mole, tlacoyos and tlatlapas in the regional cooking.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Benito Xaltocan
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Benito Xaltocan.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Tlaxco sometimes stop in San Benito Xaltocan; 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 24 km more to San Benito Xaltocan, 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 San Benito Xaltocan.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Tlaxco: download a map of the way to San Benito Xaltocan before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Benito Xaltocan cool
San Benito Xaltocan shares the climate of Tlaxco, 24 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Tlaxco
Weather in San Benito Xaltocan 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 San Benito Xaltocan, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Huamantla · Tlaxcala · 28 km away
- Ixtenco · Tlaxcala · 30 km away
- Huejotzingo · Puebla · 37 km away
- Cholula · Puebla · 41 km away
- Chignahuapan · Puebla · 50 km away
Near San Benito Xaltocan
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.