Town Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla, Tlaxcala La Malinche
Seat of one of Tlaxcala's smallest municipalities, with an industrial park, a charros carnival and the chapel of Juan Diego.
From Chiautempan: 10 min by car (7 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
Where to stay near Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla.
Tours to Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
How to get to Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
- From Chiautempan: about 10 min by road (~7 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 7 min by car to Huejotzingo
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About Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla is the seat of a municipality of just 5.87 km² in southern Tlaxcala, at about 2,280 m above sea level. It had 5,443 inhabitants at the 2020 census. Xiloxoxtla comes from Nahuatl and means "place where jilotes, or tender corn, abound". According to the Enciclopedia de los Municipios it depended on the lordship of Ocotelulco before the conquest, and its farmers grew maize on chinampas and raised fields beside the Acuitlapilco lagoon. The church sacristy holds an oil painting from 1541 showing the village, its barrios and its boundaries.
For a long time it was a subject town of Tepeyanco. A dispute over the former Molino de Santa Ana hacienda split it away ecclesiastically and administratively in 1920, and on 7 August 1924 it received its first ejido lands. The state congress made it a municipality on 15 August 1995. In the 1980s a 30-hectare industrial park was set up with textile and metalworking firms, and about 30 percent of residents work there.
The church of Santa Isabel dates from the 19th century, in stone, with a five-tier tower topped by a dome and lantern, an atrium-cemetery and a wall with pinnacles. Beside it lie the remains of Juan Diego, the indigenous man tradition credits with the apparition of the Virgin of Ocotlán, with a chapel holding the Virgin's image and Juan Diego kneeling at her feet. Carnival brings camadas of charros dancing in quadrilles to a wind orchestra until the remate, and the patroness's festival begins on 2 July. Homes prepare turkey mole, tamales and pulque.
How to get to Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
Drive from Chiautempan: 10 min, 7 km
Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla is in southern Tlaxcala, between Santa María Acuitlapilco and La Magdalena Tlaltelulco. Uber estimates about 22 minutes on average from Tlaxcala city. One access is the Puebla-Chiautempan short-cut highway (vía corta), where businesses list addresses in the Culhuaca area; from Puebla the Puebla-Tlaxcala drive takes about 30 minutes, buses from CAPU to Tlaxcala take about 40 minutes, and combis to the southern communities leave from the Tlaxcala terminal. There are no published schedules or colectivo lines for Xiloxoxtla. Huejotzingo, a Pueblo Mágico in Puebla, is about 36 km and 33 minutes by road, and Cholula about 40 km, according to PueblosAmérica. Huamantla is about 50 km away.
Directions to Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
- Chiautempan · 7 km by road, 10 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 32 km by road, 25 min
- Puebla · 29 km by road, 30 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Map of Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
Neighbourhoods and villages of Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
Part of Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla or just outside it, closest first.
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Santiago Tlacochcalco · Village · 1 km from the centre
Village in Tepeyanco on the Acuitlapilco lagoon, with a church of Santiago Apóstol and a patron-saint fiesta on 25 July. -
La Aurora · Village · 2 km from the centre
Tepeyanco locality close to the Franciscan former convent, among avocado orchards with La Malinche in the background. -
La Magdalena Tlaltelulco · Town · 2 km from the centre
A town on the lower slopes of La Malinche, 8 km from Tlaxcala on the Chiautempan-Puebla road, its own municipality since 1995, with a barrio carnival. -
San Sebastián Atlahapa · Town · 2 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. -
Santa María Acuitlapilco · Town · 2 km from the centre
Large locality south of the state capital, beside the lagoon that bears its name and known for its huehues and the dance of El Palomo. -
Santa Cruz Tetela · Village · 3 km from the centre
A Chiautempan village at 2,295 m, with prickly-pear groves and farm plots; its Nahuatl name means stony place. -
Tepeyanco · Town · 3 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. -
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. -
San Cosme Atlamaxac · Town · 4 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. -
Teolocholco · Town · 4 km from the centre
Municipal seat on the lower slopes of La Malinche, with a Baroque San Luis Obispo parish, a finely carved atrium cross and a walnut fair in August.
Day trips and tours from Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla 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 Isabel Xiloxoxtla
- 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 Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla.
Before you go to Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Festival of the patron Santa Isabel: begins 2 July. Charros camadas carnival: Sunday to Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. INAFED, Enciclopedia de los Municipios (Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla) · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla: what to see and do
Visit the 19th-century church of Santa Isabel, with its five-tier tower and atrium-cemetery.
Step into the Juan Diego chapel beside the church, with the image of the Virgin of Ocotlán.
Ask about the 1541 oil painting kept in the sacristy.
Come for the charros camadas at carnival and the patroness's festival, which begins on 2 July.
Try the turkey mole and pulque served at the fairs.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla; 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 24 km more to Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 7 min by road from Huejotzingo, the base for Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Huejotzingo: download a map of the way to Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla mild
Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla shares the climate of Huejotzingo, 24 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and November.
See the month-by-month climate of Huejotzingo
Weather in Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla 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 Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Near Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.