Town Tepeyanco, Tlaxcala Municipality of Tepeyanco
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.
From Chiautempan: 15 min by car (12 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to Tepeyanco
Where to stay near Tepeyanco
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Tepeyanco.
Tours to Tepeyanco
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in Tepeyanco; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Puebla City
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How to get to Tepeyanco
- From Chiautempan: about 15 min by road (~12 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 7 min by car to Huejotzingo
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Tours from Puebla City, near Tepeyanco
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About Tepeyanco
Tepeyanco is the seat of the municipality of the same name in southern Tlaxcala, about 2,260 metres up and 10 km south of the state capital on the road to Puebla. It had 3,613 inhabitants at the 2020 census and is part of the Puebla-Tlaxcala metropolitan area. The town sits among fruit orchards and is known for its avocados; there is even a variety named after it. The Nahuatl name is translated as "on the new hill" or "in the new town", and old documents also spell it Topoyanco.
The lordship of Tepeyanco arose at the end of the early Texcalac phase, after the fall of Cacaxtla, and became one of the strongest and most populous in Tlaxcala thanks to its springs, good farmland and the Acuitlapilco lagoon, where people farmed on chinampas. Its warriors fought alongside the Spaniards at Cholula and at the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521, and Tolinpanecatl of Tepeyanco stood out among the Tlaxcalan captains. The Franciscans settled here in 1544, in one of the first convents outside Tlaxcala city: work began in October 1554 with 150 pesos from the royal treasury, and by 1558 the church was open for worship. Later the seat of the parish moved to Zacatelco. On 26 December 1859, during the Reform War, the Liberals won a battle here against the Conservatives.
Of the convent of San Francisco, the fortress-style church survives, with decorative merlons, a round arch with fine mouldings and two façade windows that reveal two 16th-century building stages; at the north end of the atrium, once a cemetery, the arches of the old open chapel still stand, and the rest of the convent is in ruins. Next to it is the parish church of San Francisco de Asís, with a Puebla-style brick and glazed-tile façade, figures of San Diego de Alcalá, San Pascual Bailón, the Immaculate Conception and Saint Joseph, and a trefoil arch; inside are Solomonic and estípite altarpieces brought from the convent church. A stone arch leads into the atrium.
The feast of San Francisco de Asís is on 4 October and starts on the 3rd: there is a Moors and Christians dance with a brass band, a blessing of the cars bought during the year, mañanitas with mariachis at 5 am, a procession, a dance in the square and fireworks at night, with the teponaxtle drum playing in the atrium. At carnival, camadas of charros dance in embroidered capes and wooden masks, and the huehues wear capes and embroidery made by hand in the municipality. For San Sebastián the town holds the Feria de las Cazuelas, when some 300 families serve snacks to visitors.
How to get to Tepeyanco
Drive from Chiautempan: 15 min, 12 km
From Tlaxcala city it is about 9 km, roughly 12 minutes: head out toward Chiautempan and take federal highway 119 (Tlaxcala-Puebla) south; Tepeyanco lies beside the highway and you enter on Calle 20 de Noviembre. From Puebla it is about 27 km, roughly 30 minutes, north on the same Puebla-Tlaxcala federal highway.
By public transport: Valles buses run from Puebla's CAPU to Tlaxcala's CATLA terminal every 15 minutes (about 40 minutes), and from Tlaxcala you continue by local transport or taxi to Tepeyanco; there is no direct bus from Puebla to the town.
Directions to Tepeyanco on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Tepeyanco
- Chiautempan · 12 km by road, 15 min
- San Martín Texmelucan · 32 km by road, 25 min
- Puebla · 26 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 Tepeyanco
Neighbourhoods and villages of Tepeyanco
Part of Tepeyanco or just outside it, closest first.
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San Cosme Atlamaxac · Town · 1 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. -
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. -
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. -
San Juan Huactzinco · Town · 2 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. -
San Jerónimo Zacualpan · Town · 3 km from the centre
Southern Tlaxcala town with a clock-tower church, tule weaving, carnival charros and a San Jerónimo fiesta on 30 September. -
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. -
Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla · Town · 3 km from the centre
Seat of one of Tlaxcala's smallest municipalities, with an industrial park, a charros carnival and the chapel of Juan Diego. -
Santiago Tlacochcalco · Village · 3 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. -
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. -
Acuamanala · Village · 4 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. -
Santa Cruz Quilehtla · Town · 4 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. -
Santa María Acuitlapilco · Town · 4 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.
Day trips and tours from Tepeyanco
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Tepeyanco and tours that leave from it.
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Before you go: getting to and around Tepeyanco
- 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 Tepeyanco.
Before you go to Tepeyanco: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- San Francisco de Asís feast: 4 October, from the 3rd (or the Saturday), with Moors and Christians dance and fireworks. Carnival with camadas of charros and huehues before Lent. INAFED, Enciclopedia de los Municipios · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Tepeyanco: what to see and do
The church of the 1554 Franciscan convent, with its merlons and mouldings.
The arches of the old open chapel at the north end of the atrium.
The brick and glazed-tile façade of the San Francisco de Asís parish church.
The Solomonic and estípite altarpieces brought from the convent church.
The San Francisco feast on 3 and 4 October, with Moors and Christians.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Tepeyanco
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Tepeyanco.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in Tepeyanco; 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 21 km more to Tepeyanco, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 7 min by road from Huejotzingo, the base for Tepeyanco.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Huejotzingo: download a map of the way to Tepeyanco before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Tepeyanco mild
Tepeyanco shares the climate of Huejotzingo, 21 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and November.
See the month-by-month climate of Huejotzingo
Weather in Tepeyanco 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 Tepeyanco, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Near Tepeyanco
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.