Town Apetatitlán de Antonio Carvajal, Tlaxcala Municipality of Apetatitlán de Antonio Carvajal
Apetatitlán locality with the Padre Jesús church and workshops making wooden masks for dancers.
From San Martín Texmelucan: 25 min by car (30 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to Tlatempan
Where to stay near Tlatempan
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Tlatempan.
Tours to Tlatempan
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in Tlatempan; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Puebla City
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How to get to Tlatempan
- From San Martín Texmelucan: about 25 min by road (~30 km)
- Nearest airport: Puebla (PBC), 7 min by car to Huejotzingo
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Tours from Puebla City, near Tlatempan
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About Tlatempan
Tlatempan is the third-largest of the six localities in the municipality of Apetatitlán de Antonio Carvajal, with 3,363 people at the 2020 census (2,837 in 2010), at about 2,260 metres above sea level. It lies less than 1 km from Apetatitlán and from Santa María Ixtulco, and about 1.6 km from San Esteban Tizatlán. The name comes from Nahuatl tlalli (earth), tentli (edge) and pan (on), meaning "at the edge of the land".
The locality's most distinctive trade is mask carving: according to the municipal profile, its workshops make masks of ayacahuite or cedar with glass eyes, movable eyelids and natural-hair lashes, much sought after by dancers. In the same municipality, Apetatitlán's artisans carve religious figures in ayacahuite.
The religious centre is the Padre Jesús church, with a stone clock tower and a churchyard of old tombstones. Tlatempan's Padre Jesús image belongs to a devotion shared with Apetatitlán and Chiautempan: in April 2023, during Holy Week, the three images met at the Briones bridge, something local press said had not happened in more than a century. That procession is described as the most important in the state. The municipal profile records the temple of Jesús Nazareno from 1679, with a devotion that once drew followers from 42 towns.
How to get to Tlatempan
Drive from San Martín Texmelucan: 25 min, 30 km
Tlatempan is less than 1 km from Apetatitlán de Antonio Carvajal, whose seat lies about 6 km east of Tlaxcala city, so it is a few minutes by car or taxi from central Tlaxcala or from Santa María Ixtulco, under 1 km away. From the Pueblo Mágico of Huejotzingo, Puebla, it is about 41 km and approx. 38 minutes by car; from the city of Puebla, approx. 35 minutes (about 32 km). There is no published public-transport route just for Tlatempan; the usual way is shared transport from Tlaxcala toward Apetatitlán, then on foot or by taxi.
Directions to Tlatempan on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Tlatempan
- San Martín Texmelucan · 30 km by road, 25 min
- Huamantla · 41 km by road, 35 min
- Puebla · 36 km by road, 40 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in Tlatempan 9
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.
Map of Tlatempan
Neighbourhoods and villages of Tlatempan
Part of Tlatempan 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. -
Santa María Ixtulco · Town · 1 km from the centre
Birthplace of governor Próspero Cahuantzi, with a Candelaria festival on 2 February, a tamal and mole prieto fair and five carnival camadas. -
Belén Atzitzimititlán · Town · 2 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. -
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. -
Chiautempan · Town · 3 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. -
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 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. -
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 Gabriel Cuauhtla · Town · 4 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 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. -
Santa Cruz Tetela · Village · 4 km from the centre
A Chiautempan village at 2,295 m, with prickly-pear groves and farm plots; its Nahuatl name means stony place.
Day trips and tours from Tlatempan
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Tlatempan 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 Tlatempan
- The nearest airport is Puebla (PBC).
- The best months to go are January, February, March, and November.
- 15 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 Tlatempan.
Before you go to Tlatempan: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- Holy Week, with the Padre Jesús procession; 12 December (Virgin of Guadalupe) and 29 June (St Paul and St Peter) are fiestas of the municipality. Gentetlx / Wikipedia · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Tlatempan: what to see and do
The Padre Jesús church, with its stone clock tower
Churchyard with old tombstones
Workshops making wooden masks of ayacahuite or cedar for dancers
The Padre Jesús Holy Week procession, shared with Apetatitlán and Chiautempan
The parish of San Pablo in Apetatitlán, less than 1 km away
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Tlatempan
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Tlatempan.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Huejotzingo sometimes stop in Tlatempan; 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 29 km more to Tlatempan, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puebla (PBC), about 7 min by road from Huejotzingo, the base for Tlatempan.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Huejotzingo: download a map of the way to Tlatempan before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Tlatempan mild
Tlatempan shares the climate of Huejotzingo, 29 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and November.
See the month-by-month climate of Huejotzingo
Weather in Tlatempan 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 Tlatempan, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
Near Tlatempan
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.