Town Santa Catarina Ayometla, Tlaxcala Puebla Valley La Malinche
Municipal seat in southern Tlaxcala: 18th-century parish of Santa Catarina, tinsmithing and a patron-saint fiesta on 25 November.
From Chiautempan: 15 min by car (16 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Where to stay near Santa Catarina Ayometla
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Santa Catarina Ayometla.
Tours to Santa Catarina Ayometla
Day trips around Cholula sometimes stop in Santa Catarina Ayometla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
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How to get to Santa Catarina Ayometla
- From Chiautempan: about 15 min by road (~16 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 16 min by car to Cholula
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Tours from Puebla City, near Santa Catarina Ayometla
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About Santa Catarina Ayometla
Santa Catarina Ayometla is the seat of the municipality of the same name in southern Tlaxcala, at about 2,240 metres above sea level, right next to Zacatelco. With 9,458 inhabitants in the 2020 census (7,992 in 2010) it is the largest locality in this group of valley villages. The municipality was created in August 1995, split off from Zacatelco, and borders Santa Cruz Quilehtla to the north, Xicohtzinco to the south and Papalotla to the east.
According to the Enciclopedia de los Municipios, the first baptisms in its church date from 1523, and devotion to Saint Catherine replaced the cult of the goddess Xilonen. It was a barrio subject to Zacatelco and, together with San Lorenzo, San Marcos and Santo Toribio, depended on the doctrine of Santa Inés before asking for independence from Tepeyanco. Its notable people include Amado Morales, who won the expropriation of 50 hectares from the haciendas of Tlatipachiya and Palula and of 280 hectares on the slopes of La Malintzi, and María Félix Pérez, who took part in the Zacatelco riot of 16 September 1910.
The parish church is 18th-century, of stone with 1.20 m walls and a vaulted roof; it keeps its atrial wall and gateway, and a three-storey tower with a spherical dome, lantern and wrought-iron cross. Another place of worship is the chapel of the Niño Jesús. The patron saint, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, is celebrated on 25 November. At carnival four camadas of huehues and a charro troupe dance, and local crafts include tinware and metalwork; on the table, tlatlapas, turkey mole and preserves of pumpkin and fig.
How to get to Santa Catarina Ayometla
Drive from Chiautempan: 15 min, 16 km
Santa Catarina Ayometla is about 17 km south of Tlaxcala city (about 20 minutes by car): take the Puebla–Tlaxcala federal highway (119) to Zacatelco and enter the village by local streets such as Avenida Ignacio Zaragoza and Avenida Ferrocarril. From Puebla it is about 21 km (about 25 minutes) on the same highway 119 and Boulevard Carmen Serdán. By public transport, start at the Tlaxcala bus terminal or the CAPU in Puebla and continue by colectivo or taxi toward Zacatelco and Ayometla; no lines or schedules are published. Huejotzingo, the nearest Pueblo Mágico in Puebla, is about 30 km by road (about 35 minutes). Until the mid-20th century, according to the Enciclopedia de los Municipios, people in the area travelled by train from the Zacatelco and Panzacola stations.
Directions to Santa Catarina Ayometla on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Santa Catarina Ayometla
- Chiautempan · 16 km by road, 15 min
- Puebla · 23 km by road, 25 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 32 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 Santa Catarina Ayometla 1
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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Laguna de Acomulco · Lagoon · 4 km from the centre
A lagoon of about 20,000 m² in Zacatelco's fourth section, fed by springs and under restoration since the 2010s.
Map of Santa Catarina Ayometla
Neighbourhoods and villages of Santa Catarina Ayometla
Part of Santa Catarina Ayometla or just outside it, closest first.
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Ayometitla · Village · 2 km from the centre
Second-largest locality in the municipality of Santa Cruz Quilehtla, with a chapel of Santiago and 2,158 people in 2020. -
Santa Cruz Quilehtla · Town · 2 km from the centre
Seat of a young municipality in southern Tlaxcala: carnival chivarrudos, rockets and paper flowers, and the Holy Cross fiesta on 3 May. -
Acuamanala · Village · 3 km from the centre
A Baroque village on La Malinche's slopes with an 18th-century church, fireworks, mole prieto and a feast on 13 June. -
Concepción Chimalpa · Village · 3 km from the centre
Village in Acuamanala on the slopes of La Malinche, with a plain Immaculate Conception chapel on the Camino Real . -
Mazatecochco · Town · 3 km from the centre
Municipal seat on La Malinche's southern slope, with an 18th-century parish of Saints Cosmas and Damian and a carnival danced by neighbourhood sections. -
Papalotla · Town · 3 km from the centre
Valley town between Puebla and Tlaxcala, with a charro carnival, the old Panzacola station and a fair around October. -
San Marcos Contla · Town · 3 km from the centre
Second-largest locality of Papalotla, 3 km from the seat on federal highway 121: San Marcos church and fiesta on 25 April. -
Xicohtzinco · Town · 3 km from the centre
Santo Toribio Xicohtzinco, on the Puebla border: a twin-towered parish church built 1801-1803, a 16 April feast and a chivarrudos carnival. -
Zacatelco · Town · 3 km from the centre
South Tlaxcala town between Puebla and the state capital: the Baroque Santa Inés parish, frothy cacao drink and the chivarrudos carnival dance. -
El Carmen Aztama · Village · 4 km from the centre
Teolocholco village whose Nahuatl name means 'place where herons are hunted', with a Virgen del Carmen church and a fair that starts on 14 July.
Day trips and tours from Santa Catarina Ayometla
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Santa Catarina Ayometla 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 Santa Catarina Ayometla
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and December.
- 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 Santa Catarina Ayometla.
Before you go to Santa Catarina Ayometla: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Patron-saint fiesta of Santa Catarina de Alejandría on 25 November; carnival with four huehue camadas and a charro troupe. INAFED, Enciclopedia de los Municipios · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Santa Catarina Ayometla: what to see and do
The parish church of Santa Catarina, 18th-century, with its three-storey tower and lantern dome.
The atrium-cemetery, with its wall and gateway of exposed stone.
The chapel of the Niño Jesús.
The carnival of the huehue camadas and the charro troupe, including the one from the Cruz Colorada barrio.
The fiesta of Santa Catarina on 25 November, with mole, tamales and brass band.
Tinsmith and metalwork workshops.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Santa Catarina Ayometla
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Santa Catarina Ayometla.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Cholula sometimes stop in Santa Catarina Ayometla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at PBC (Puebla): about 16 min by road to Cholula, then 18 km more to Santa Catarina Ayometla, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 16 min by road from Cholula, the base for Santa Catarina Ayometla.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Cholula: download a map of the way to Santa Catarina Ayometla before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Santa Catarina Ayometla mild
Santa Catarina Ayometla shares the climate of Cholula, 18 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Cholula
Weather in Santa Catarina Ayometla now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Cholula
Cholula is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Santa Catarina Ayometla, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Huejotzingo · Puebla · 21 km away
- Ixtenco · Tlaxcala · 30 km away
- Huamantla · Tlaxcala · 33 km away
- Atlixco · Puebla · 39 km away
- Tlaxco · Tlaxcala · 47 km away
Near Santa Catarina Ayometla
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.