Town Santa Cruz Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala Municipality of Santa Cruz Tlaxcala La Malinche
Fourth-largest locality in Santa Cruz Tlaxcala (3,313 people in 2020), with a 17th-century church restored by INAH in 2023; name means "house of arrows".
From Chiautempan: 10 min by car (7 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Where to stay near San Lucas Tlacochcalco
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Tours to San Lucas Tlacochcalco
Day trips around Huamantla sometimes stop in San Lucas Tlacochcalco; 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 Lucas Tlacochcalco
- From Chiautempan: about 10 min by road (~7 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 1 h 5 min by car to Huamantla
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Tours from Puebla City, near San Lucas Tlacochcalco
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About San Lucas Tlacochcalco
San Lucas Tlacochcalco is the fourth-largest locality in the municipality of Santa Cruz Tlaxcala: 3,313 people at the 2020 census, up from 2,257 in 2010, at about 2,352 metres above sea level. Its Nahuatl name combines tlacoxtli (arrow), calli (house) and the locative -co, rendered "in the house of arrows"; San Lucas is Saint Luke the Evangelist, the town's patron.
The church dates from the 17th century and was damaged by the 2017 earthquakes; an October 2017 report already listed it among Tlaxcala churches with minor damage. INAH carried out the restoration directly: it rebuilt the lantern, recovered the bell tower and dome, redid the sacristy roof and waterproofed the vault. The Secretary of Culture visited the works on 7 September 2023, and on 29 October 2023 INAH Tlaxcala handed the church back to the community and its fiscal, Fortunato Bernabé Padilla. The parish priest, Gastón Urriola, stressed that the handover coincided with the locality's October festivities.
The municipality, a neighbour of Apizaco and Contla de Juan Cuamatzi, holds a carnival with top hats and carved masks, the feast of the Holy Cross on 3 May and the Señor del Coro on the second Friday of Lent.
How to get to San Lucas Tlacochcalco
Drive from Chiautempan: 10 min, 7 km
San Lucas Tlacochcalco is in the municipality of Santa Cruz Tlaxcala, in north-central Tlaxcala, about 24 km (roughly 30 minutes) from Huamantla, a Pueblo Mágico, and about 34 km (roughly 40 minutes by car) from Puebla. The municipality borders Apizaco and Tzompantepec to the north and Contla de Juan Cuamatzi to the south; a highway crosses it with the railway alongside, on the Apizaco-Contla-Chiautempan axis. From Santa Cruz Tlaxcala, the seat, continue on the local road to the village. By public transport, start at Tlaxcala's or Apizaco's bus terminal, then take a colectivo or taxi to Santa Cruz. There are no published schedules.
Directions to San Lucas Tlacochcalco on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San Lucas Tlacochcalco
- Chiautempan · 7 km by road, 10 min
- Huamantla · 33 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.
What to see in San Lucas Tlacochcalco 1
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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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 Lucas Tlacochcalco
Neighbourhoods and villages of San Lucas Tlacochcalco
Part of San Lucas Tlacochcalco or just outside it, closest first.
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Santa Cruz Tlaxcala · Town · 1 km from the centre
Seat of a former textile municipality, with a late-16th-century parish, the San Manuel ex-factory and a carnival of umbrella-bearing dancers. -
Amaxac de Guerrero · Town · 2 km from the centre
Municipal seat of 10,417 people, a former textile-mill area, with the San Bernabé fair on 11 June and catrín carnival groups. -
Contla · Town · 3 km from the centre
San Bernardino Contla, a weaving town on La Malinche's slopes, home of the saltillo sarape and of Tlaxcala's Revolution, with a catrín carnival. -
San Miguel Contla · Town · 3 km from the centre
Locality in Santa Cruz Tlaxcala municipality with 9,556 people in 2020, larger than the municipal seat; its church has a bell tower and clock. -
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. -
Belén Atzitzimititlán · Town · 4 km from the centre
A locality of 3,962 people 1.8 km from Apetatitlán, at 2,309 m, with a blue-and-white-towered church and murals at its community office. -
San Felipe Cuauhtenco · Village · 4 km from the centre
Fifth section of Contla on La Malinche's northeast slope; a Nahuatl-speaking village of weavers and farmers with a feast for San Felipe de Jesús on 5 February. -
San José Aztatla · Town · 4 km from the centre
Contla village at the foot of La Malinche, with a 19th-century church of bare-stone towers and cantera angels, a jagüey pond and a 19 March saint's day. -
San Pedro Xochiteotla · Town · 4 km from the centre
Village in Chiautempan with 2,868 people in 2020, once a blanket-weaving place, with its San Pedro fiesta on 29 June. -
Tecolotla · Village · 4 km from the centre
Locality in Apetatitlán de Antonio Carvajal at 2,277 m with 926 residents in 2020, a few kilometres from Tlaxcala city.
Day trips and tours from San Lucas Tlacochcalco
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from San Lucas Tlacochcalco and tours that leave from it.
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Before you go: getting to and around San Lucas Tlacochcalco
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, November, and December.
- 7 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 Lucas Tlacochcalco.
Before you go to San Lucas Tlacochcalco: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- October festivities in the locality (no published dates); feast of the Holy Cross on 3 May in the municipality; Señor del Coro on the second Friday of Lent. INAH Boletín 750 y Wikipedia · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting San Lucas Tlacochcalco: what to see and do
The 17th-century church of San Lucas, with its bell tower and dome restored in 2023
The October festivities around the church
The parish of the Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz Tlaxcala, from the late 16th century
The former San Manuel textile factory in San Miguel Contla
Santa Cruz's carnival, with top hats and carved masks
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San Lucas Tlacochcalco
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San Lucas Tlacochcalco.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Huamantla sometimes stop in San Lucas Tlacochcalco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at PBC (Puebla): about 1 h 5 min by road to Huamantla, then 24 km more to San Lucas Tlacochcalco, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 1 h 5 min by road from Huamantla, the base for San Lucas Tlacochcalco.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Huamantla: download a map of the way to San Lucas Tlacochcalco before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to San Lucas Tlacochcalco cool
San Lucas Tlacochcalco shares the climate of Huamantla, 24 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Huamantla
Weather in San Lucas Tlacochcalco now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Huamantla
Huamantla is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San Lucas Tlacochcalco, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Ixtenco · Tlaxcala · 25 km away
- Tlaxco · Tlaxcala · 30 km away
- Huejotzingo · Puebla · 34 km away
- Cholula · Puebla · 36 km away
- Chignahuapan · Puebla · 56 km away
Near San Lucas Tlacochcalco
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.