Town Tlaxcala Municipality of Tlaxcala
Birthplace of governor Próspero Cahuantzi, with a Candelaria festival on 2 February, a tamal and mole prieto fair and five carnival camadas.
From San Martín Texmelucan: 25 min by car (31 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Where to stay near Santa María Ixtulco
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Santa María Ixtulco.
Tours to Santa María Ixtulco
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in Santa María Ixtulco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
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How to get to Santa María Ixtulco
- From San Martín Texmelucan: about 25 min by road (~31 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 7 min by car to Huejotzingo
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Tours from Puebla City, near Santa María Ixtulco
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About Santa María Ixtulco
Santa María Ixtulco is a locality in the municipality of Tlaxcala, about 3.8 km in a straight line east of Ocotlán, with 6,086 inhabitants at the 2020 census according to PueblosAmérica. It is best known as the birthplace of Próspero Cahuantzi: the Enciclopedia de los Municipios says he was born here in 1834, fought the French Intervention under General Antonio Carvajal and was governor of Tlaxcala from 1885 to 1911.
The village calendar is set by the Virgin of Candelaria, celebrated on 2 February with eight days of religious and cultural events and fairground rides. According to Wikipedia, on that day families prepare turkey mole to share; if 2 February falls between Wednesday and Saturday, the mole is made the following Sunday. To raise funds, a tamal fair with mole prieto is held on the third Saturday of January: on Friday neighbours help the mayordomos of the three barrios, Chimalpa, Dulce Nombre and Santa María, make the tamales, which are handed out at each barrio's dance.
Carnival starts on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. The camadas Ixtulco Infantil, Juvenil de Ixtulco, Santa María, Primera Camada de Disfraces and Mujeres Embriagadas dance, and each series ends with a remate with invited groups. At the Candelaria fair of a recent edition, the parade left from the La Concepción chapel and the opening was held in the Plaza de la Constitución.
How to get to Santa María Ixtulco
Drive from San Martín Texmelucan: 25 min, 31 km
Santa María Ixtulco is in the municipality of Tlaxcala, along the Apizaco-Puebla highway corridor and Avenida Xicohténcatl, where businesses use those addresses, about 3.8 km east of Ocotlán. From the Tlaxcala bus terminal it is a few minutes by combi or taxi; there are no published combi schedules. From Puebla, buses from CAPU to Tlaxcala (Autobuses Valles, roughly every 15 minutes, about 40 minutes) or a drive of about 30 minutes and 31 km bring you to the capital; from Apizaco the access is along the highway toward Tlaxcala. According to PueblosAmérica, Huejotzingo is about 40 km (56 minutes by car) and Huamantla about 65 km (44 minutes). The city of Puebla is about 31 km away, roughly 35 minutes.
Directions to Santa María Ixtulco on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Santa María Ixtulco
- San Martín Texmelucan · 31 km by road, 25 min
- Puebla · 35 km by road, 35 min
- Huamantla · 42 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 Santa María Ixtulco 10
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
Landmarks and museums
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Basílica de Ocotlán · Landmark · 3 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. -
Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción · Landmark · 4 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 · 4 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 · 4 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 · 4 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.
Archaeological sites
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Zona Arqueológica de Tizatlán · Archaeological site · 2 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. -
Ocotelulco · Archaeological site · 3 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 · 4 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.
Nature reserves
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Parque nacional Xicoténcatl · Nature reserve · 4 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 · 4 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 Santa María Ixtulco
Neighbourhoods and villages of Santa María Ixtulco
Part of Santa María Ixtulco or just outside it, closest first.
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Apetatitlán de Antonio Carvajal · Town · 1 km from the centre
San Pablo Apetatitlán, an old staging town on the Veracruz road 7 km from Tlaxcala, with a protected historic core and the Baroque San Pablo church. -
Tlatempan · Town · 1 km from the centre
Apetatitlán locality with the Padre Jesús church and workshops making wooden masks for dancers. -
Chiautempan · Town · 2 km from the centre
Santa Ana Chiautempan, 6 km from Tlaxcala: the cradle of the sarape, with a July fair, a 16th-century Franciscan convent and mole prieto. -
San Buenaventura Atempan · Village · 2 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 Esteban Tizatlán · Town · 2 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. -
Tecolotla · Village · 2 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. -
Belén Atzitzimititlán · Town · 3 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. -
Ocotlán · Town · 3 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 · 3 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. -
San Matías Tepetomatitlán · Village · 3 km from the centre
Village of 3,273 people about 6 km from Tlaxcala city, with a church to Saint Matthias and views of the hills to the west. -
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. -
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. -
Acxotla del Río · Town · 4 km from the centre
Totolac community beside the Zahuapan river, with an 1876 Nativity church and a Virgin procession eight days before 8 September. -
Amaxac de Guerrero · Town · 4 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 · 4 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. -
La Trinidad Chimalpa · Village · 4 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. -
Los Reyes Quiahuixtlán · Town · 4 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. -
San Francisco Ocotelulco · Village · 4 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 Miguel Tlamahuco · Village · 4 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.
Day trips and tours from Santa María Ixtulco
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Santa María Ixtulco 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 María Ixtulco
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and November.
- 14 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 María Ixtulco.
Before you go to Santa María Ixtulco: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Tamal and mole prieto fair: third Saturday of January. Candelaria festival: 2 February, with eight days of events. Carnival: from the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, with remates over four Sundays. Wikipedia, Santa María Ixtulco · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Santa María Ixtulco: what to see and do
Walk the village streets, hung with papel picado at festivals, and the church of Santa María.
Ask about the house and memory of Próspero Cahuantzi, born here in 1834.
Come for the Candelaria fair, with the festival on 2 February and eight days of events.
Try the tamales with mole prieto from the January fair and the turkey mole of Candelaria.
Join the carnival and the remates of the Ixtulco Infantil, Juvenil, Santa María and costume camadas.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Santa María Ixtulco
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Santa María Ixtulco.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in Santa María Ixtulco; 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 28 km more to Santa María Ixtulco, 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 María Ixtulco.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Huejotzingo: download a map of the way to Santa María Ixtulco before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Santa María Ixtulco mild
Santa María Ixtulco shares the climate of Huejotzingo, 28 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and November.
See the month-by-month climate of Huejotzingo
Weather in Santa María Ixtulco 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 María Ixtulco, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Near Santa María Ixtulco
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.