Town Yauhquemehcan, Tlaxcala Municipality of Yauhquemehcan
Yauhquemehcan locality with a baroque church from about 1737, the Santa Úrsula fiesta on 21 October and a carnival of cuadrillas dances.
From Chiautempan: 15 min by car (14 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
Where to stay near Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Santa Úrsula Zimatepec.
Tours to Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
Day trips around Tlaxco sometimes stop in Santa Úrsula Zimatepec; 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 Úrsula Zimatepec
- From Chiautempan: about 15 min by road (~14 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 1 h 6 min by car to Tlaxco
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Tours from Puebla City, near Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
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About Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
Santa Úrsula Zimatepec lies in the northeast of the municipality of Yauhquemehcan at roughly 2,440 metres above sea level, and at the 2020 census it had 10,139 inhabitants, the largest locality in the municipality. The name is Nahuatl: cimatl, the edible root of a wild bean, plus tepetl, hill, explained by the hill near the centre of the village, from which building stone is quarried.
On the plaza stands the baroque church of Santa Úrsula, virgin and martyr, dated to about 1737. The patron-saint fiesta is on 21 October and is one of the big dates of the year. The other major event is carnival, danced on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, with the cuadrillas as its traditional dance. Fiesta food includes mole de guajolote, barbacoa, carnitas, tlacoyos, tamales, esquites and pan de fiesta.
The local economy rests mainly on commerce, and many residents also work in Apizaco, in car dealerships and small businesses. According to the Instituto Electoral de Tlaxcala register quoted by INAFED, Zimatepec chooses its community president by constitutional ballot rather than by customary law. The municipality sits in central Tlaxcala, inside the Tlaxcala-Apizaco metropolitan zone.
How to get to Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
Drive from Chiautempan: 15 min, 14 km
Zimatepec is in the northeast of Yauhquemehcan, a municipality in central Tlaxcala that INAFED places 16 km from Tlaxcala city by highway 117 (San Martín Texmelucan-Tlaxcala-Apizaco) and by highway 136 Apizaco-Yauhquemehcan. From Tlaxcala head toward Apizaco; from Apizaco the village is a few kilometres to the south. For public transport, start from the Tlaxcala bus terminal or downtown Apizaco and continue locally to the plaza; there are no published schedules or line names. About 42 km and 50 minutes from Puebla, and 22 km from Tlaxco.
Directions to Santa Úrsula Zimatepec on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
- Chiautempan · 14 km by road, 15 min
- Huamantla · 30 km by road, 25 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 38 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 Úrsula Zimatepec 2
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
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Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia (Apizaco) · Landmark · 2 km from the centre
Grey-stone neo-Gothic basilica in central Apizaco, finished in 1961; its two 50 m towers make it the tallest church in Tlaxcala. -
Museo Casa de Piedra · Landmark · 3 km from the centre
A 1916 stone house beside the Apizaco tracks, now a museum of the railway, the city and bullfighting, with a miniature train ride.
Map of Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
Neighbourhoods and villages of Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
Part of Santa Úrsula Zimatepec or just outside it, closest first.
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San Benito Xaltocan · Town · 2 km from the centre
Locality in Yauhquemehcan larger than its own municipal seat: 6,633 people in 2020; church of San Benito with two towers and a clock. -
San José Tetel · Town · 2 km from the centre
Second-largest locality in Yauhquemehcan (7,826 people in 2020), right beside Apizaco at 2,475 m, with its own carnival dance groups. -
San Lorenzo Tlacualoyan · Village · 2 km from the centre
A locality of Yauhquemehcan with an 18th-century church of San Lorenzo and a patron-saint fiesta on 10 August, with bells all night. -
Yauhquemehcan · Town · 3 km from the centre
Municipal seat beside Apizaco with a San Dionisio parish church from about 1670: grey stone façade, stucco tower and a huge gilded main altarpiece. -
El Rosario Ocotoxco · Village · 4 km from the centre
Locality in Yauhquemehcan devoted to Our Lady of the Rosary, at 2,400 m and next to the Diocesan Seminary of Tlaxcala. -
San Francisco Tlacuilohcan · Village · 4 km from the centre
Village in Yauhquemehcan at 2,436 m, "place of scribes" in Nahuatl, with a St Francis church from 1787 and its own carnival camada. -
Santa Anita Huiloac · Town · 4 km from the centre
Village just south of Apizaco with an 18th-century church to Saint Anne and a carnival of two camadas that dance lancer and French quadrilles. -
Topilco de Juárez · Town · 4 km from the centre
Xaltocan locality founded on 5 December 1973, next to the municipal seat, with a church of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Day trips and tours from Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Santa Úrsula Zimatepec 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 Úrsula Zimatepec
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, November, and December.
- 4 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 Úrsula Zimatepec.
Before you go to Santa Úrsula Zimatepec: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Santa Úrsula fiesta on 21 October; carnival with cuadrillas on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Wikipedia · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Santa Úrsula Zimatepec: what to see and do
The baroque church of Santa Úrsula, from about 1737.
The hill at the centre of the village, source of the local building stone.
The patron-saint fiesta on 21 October.
Carnival with cuadrillas dances, Sunday to Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
Mole de guajolote, barbacoa, tlacoyos and pan de fiesta on fiesta days.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Santa Úrsula Zimatepec.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Tlaxco sometimes stop in Santa Úrsula Zimatepec; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at PBC (Puebla): about 1 h 6 min by road to Tlaxco, then 22 km more to Santa Úrsula Zimatepec, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 1 h 6 min by road from Tlaxco, the base for Santa Úrsula Zimatepec.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Tlaxco: download a map of the way to Santa Úrsula Zimatepec before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Santa Úrsula Zimatepec cool
Santa Úrsula Zimatepec shares the climate of Tlaxco, 22 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Tlaxco
Weather in Santa Úrsula Zimatepec now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tlaxco
Tlaxco is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Santa Úrsula Zimatepec, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Huamantla · Tlaxcala · 28 km away
- Ixtenco · Tlaxcala · 31 km away
- Huejotzingo · Puebla · 39 km away
- Cholula · Puebla · 43 km away
- Chignahuapan · Puebla · 48 km away
Near Santa Úrsula Zimatepec
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.