Town Tlaxcala Municipality of Tlaxcala
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.
From Chiautempan: 10 min by car (11 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to San Hipólito Chimalpa
Where to stay near San Hipólito Chimalpa
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in San Hipólito Chimalpa.
Tours to San Hipólito Chimalpa
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in San Hipólito Chimalpa; 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 Hipólito Chimalpa
- From Chiautempan: about 10 min by road (~11 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 7 min by car to Huejotzingo
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Tours from Puebla City, near San Hipólito Chimalpa
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About San Hipólito Chimalpa
San Hipólito Chimalpa belongs to the municipality of Tlaxcala and lies so close to the capital that, by road, the Plaza de la Constitución is about 2 km away. It sits at around 2,270 m above sea level. The name joins the patron saint, Hippolytus of Rome, with the Nahuatl Chimalpa, from chimalli (shield) and pan (on), which Spanish Wikipedia translates as "on the shields". The 2010 census counted 2,538 residents and the 2020 census 2,851, which now puts it in the town category rather than that of a hamlet.
The church of San Hipólito is the building that identifies the place: ochre walls with reddish bands, a dome covered in yellow tile with a blue cross, and a small belfry that can be seen from Calle Principal. Inside, the sanctuary has red-brick arches, green painted decoration and a retable with gilded columns; photographs taken in August 2020 show it covered in flower arrangements with the image of the saint dressed in green.
From a high point in the village, a 2020 photograph published on Wikimedia Commons frames, between the leaves of a maguey, the orange and pink rooftops of Tlaxcala with the outline of La Malinche in the distance. Chimalpa sits right against the capital's urban area, so the centre of Tlaxcala with its arcades and churches is only a few minutes away.
How to get to San Hipólito Chimalpa
Drive from Chiautempan: 10 min, 11 km
Chimalpa is about 2 km (roughly 4 minutes by car) from Tlaxcala's main square: you reach it by Calzada Xicohténcatl and Calle Principal, then Prolongación Josefa Castelar to Avenida Vicente Guerrero (MEX 117), which leads into the centre. In the city, the bus terminal receives services from TAPO in Mexico City and CAPU in Puebla; the village is then reached by taxi or local shared transport, for which there are no published schedules or route numbers. From Puebla it is about 35 km (roughly 37 minutes) via the Puebla–Tlaxcala federal road (MEX 119) or the toll road to Puebla, which connects with Tlaxcala's Periférico. Apizaco is about 18 km away on the MEX 117D toll road and Huejotzingo about 37 km (roughly 32 minutes).
Directions to San Hipólito Chimalpa on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San Hipólito Chimalpa
- Chiautempan · 11 km by road, 10 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 23 km by road, 20 min
- Huamantla · 46 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 San Hipólito Chimalpa 10
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
Landmarks and museums
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Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción · Landmark · 1 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 · 1 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 · 1 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 · 1 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. -
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.
Archaeological sites
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Ocotelulco · Archaeological site · 2 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 · 3 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 · 4 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 · 1 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 · 1 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 San Hipólito Chimalpa
Neighbourhoods and villages of San Hipólito Chimalpa
Part of San Hipólito Chimalpa 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 Juan Totolac · Town · 1 km from the centre
Seat of Totolac, 3 km from Tlaxcala city: an 1714 parish church and the festival bread baked every week. -
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. -
La Trinidad Tepehitec · Town · 2 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. -
Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán · Town · 2 km from the centre
Totolac hill town just north of Tlaxcala city, heir to the Quiahuixtlán lordship, with cave paintings at Los Molinos and a Three Kings fiesta. -
Ocotlán · Town · 2 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. -
San Gabriel Cuauhtla · Town · 2 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. -
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 Buenaventura Atempan · Village · 3 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 Lucas Cuauhtelulpan · Town · 3 km from the centre
Locality in Tlaxcala municipality with 5,185 people in 2020, patron Saint Luke the Evangelist and a Nahuatl name meaning "on the wooded mound". -
Santiago Tepeticpac · Village · 3 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. -
San Esteban Tizatlán · Town · 4 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 Sebastián Atlahapa · Town · 4 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.
Day trips and tours from San Hipólito Chimalpa
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from San Hipólito Chimalpa 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 Hipólito Chimalpa
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and November.
- 3 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 Hipólito Chimalpa.
Visiting San Hipólito Chimalpa: what to see and do
The church of San Hipólito, with a yellow-tile dome and a blue cross
The church interior, with red-brick arches and a gilded retable
The view over Tlaxcala's rooftops to La Malinche from a high point in the village
Tlaxcala's Plaza de la Constitución, about 2 km away
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Hipólito Chimalpa
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Hipólito Chimalpa.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in San Hipólito Chimalpa; 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 25 km more to San Hipólito Chimalpa, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 7 min by road from Huejotzingo, the base for San Hipólito Chimalpa.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Huejotzingo: download a map of the way to San Hipólito Chimalpa before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Hipólito Chimalpa mild
San Hipólito Chimalpa shares the climate of Huejotzingo, 25 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and November.
See the month-by-month climate of Huejotzingo
Weather in San Hipólito Chimalpa 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 San Hipólito Chimalpa, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Near San Hipólito Chimalpa
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.