Town Santa Cruz Quilehtla, Tlaxcala Puebla Valley La Malinche
Seat of a young municipality in southern Tlaxcala: carnival chivarrudos, rockets and paper flowers, and the Holy Cross fiesta on 3 May.
From Chiautempan: 15 min by car (15 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to Santa Cruz Quilehtla
Where to stay near Santa Cruz Quilehtla
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Santa Cruz Quilehtla.
Tours to Santa Cruz Quilehtla
Day trips around Cholula sometimes stop in Santa Cruz Quilehtla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Puebla City
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How to get to Santa Cruz Quilehtla
- From Chiautempan: about 15 min by road (~15 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 16 min by car to Cholula
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Tours from Puebla City, near Santa Cruz Quilehtla
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About Santa Cruz Quilehtla
Santa Cruz Quilehtla is the seat of the municipality of the same name in southern Tlaxcala, at about 2,240 metres above sea level. In the 2020 census 5,557 people lived in the seat and 7,750 in the whole municipality, which includes Ayometitla (2,158). It is one of the state's newest municipalities: separation from Teolocholco was requested from the 1930s, but the governor left Acuamanala as seat, which caused decades of tension. In 1981 it was allowed to use the "Presidencia Auxiliar" seal and in August 1995 Congress made it a municipality.
The Enciclopedia de los Municipios links it to the Texoloc culture (800-350 BC) and supposes it was a visita of the Franciscan doctrine of Tepeyanco. Residents say prickly-pear pads in the shape of crosses kept appearing in their fields, which is why the village was named Santa Cruz. On 4 May 1862 French troops passed nearby and were harassed by locals, so neighbouring villages jokingly call it "Francia". In the low-lying area, "El Pantano", there were haciendas such as Tapia Mixichila, Espíritu Santo and La Venta.
3 May, Holy Cross Day, is the patron fiesta; that day construction workers rest and come to visit the Cross. At carnival the chivarrudos come out: a small huehuetl drum beats a rhythm like a horse's trot and, in the "battle", verse-makers recite verses learned by oral tradition. The municipality makes paper flowers and fireworks, and keeps two chapels: the 19th-century Corazón de Jesús and the Señor Santiago in Ayometitla. Typical food is mole prieto, tamales and tlatlapas.
How to get to Santa Cruz Quilehtla
Drive from Chiautempan: 15 min, 15 km
Santa Cruz Quilehtla is about 13 km south of Tlaxcala city (about 15 minutes by car): take the Puebla–Tlaxcala federal highway (119) and turn toward the village along Avenida Cuauhtémoc and the Camino Real, then local streets. From Puebla it is about 23 km (about 25 minutes) on 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 along the 119 toward Zacatelco and Quilehtla; no lines or schedules are published. Huejotzingo, the nearest Pueblo Mágico in Puebla, is about 29 km by road (about 35 minutes). The chapel of Señor Santiago is in Ayometitla, another locality of the municipality, so a car or taxi is best.
Directions to Santa Cruz Quilehtla on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Santa Cruz Quilehtla
- Chiautempan · 15 km by road, 15 min
- Puebla · 25 km by road, 25 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 31 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 Cruz Quilehtla 1
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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Laguna de Acomulco · Lagoon · 3 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 Cruz Quilehtla
Neighbourhoods and villages of Santa Cruz Quilehtla
Part of Santa Cruz Quilehtla or just outside it, closest first.
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Concepción Chimalpa · Village · 2 km from the centre
Village in Acuamanala on the slopes of La Malinche, with a plain Immaculate Conception chapel on the Camino Real . -
El Carmen Aztama · Village · 2 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. -
Santa Catarina Ayometla · Town · 2 km from the centre
Municipal seat in southern Tlaxcala: 18th-century parish of Santa Catarina, tinsmithing and a patron-saint fiesta on 25 November. -
Zacatelco · Town · 2 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. -
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. -
Ayometitla · Village · 3 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. -
San Cosme Atlamaxac · Town · 3 km from the centre
Locality in Tepeyanco, 9 km from Tlaxcala city, with 3,019 residents in 2020, next to the Calvario hill and under 1 km from the municipal seat. -
San Lorenzo Axocomanitla · Town · 3 km from the centre
One of Mexico's smallest municipalities: a 17th-century church, San Lorenzo's fiesta on 10 August and fibre basketry. -
San Juan Huactzinco · Town · 4 km from the centre
Bread-baking town in southern Tlaxcala with a Franciscan church from 1670, carnival costumes and a San Juan Apóstol fiesta on 27 December. -
Tepeyanco · Town · 4 km from the centre
Old lordship south of Tlaxcala city with the ruins of a 1554 Franciscan convent, a brick-and-tile parish church and a name for avocados. -
Xicohtzinco · Town · 4 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.
Day trips and tours from Santa Cruz Quilehtla
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Santa Cruz Quilehtla 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 Cruz Quilehtla
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and December.
- 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 Santa Cruz Quilehtla.
Before you go to Santa Cruz Quilehtla: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Holy Cross fiesta on 3 May, when construction workers also come to visit the Cross; carnival with the chivarrudos. 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 Cruz Quilehtla: what to see and do
The church of Santa Cruz, with its orange facade, bell tower and clock tower.
The 19th-century chapel of the Corazón de Jesús, with a neoclassical altar and floral mural painting.
The chapel of Señor Santiago in Ayometitla, with a tiled dome.
The chivarrudos carnival, with huehuetl drum and battle verses.
The Holy Cross fiesta on 3 May.
Paper-flower and fireworks workshops.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Santa Cruz Quilehtla
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Santa Cruz Quilehtla.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Cholula sometimes stop in Santa Cruz Quilehtla; 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 19 km more to Santa Cruz Quilehtla, 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 Cruz Quilehtla.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Cholula: download a map of the way to Santa Cruz Quilehtla before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Santa Cruz Quilehtla mild
Santa Cruz Quilehtla shares the climate of Cholula, 19 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Cholula
Weather in Santa Cruz Quilehtla 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 Cruz Quilehtla, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Huejotzingo · Puebla · 20 km away
- Ixtenco · Tlaxcala · 30 km away
- Huamantla · Tlaxcala · 33 km away
- Atlixco · Puebla · 40 km away
- Tlaxco · Tlaxcala · 46 km away
Near Santa Cruz Quilehtla
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.