Village Ixtaczoquitlán, Veracruz Municipality of Ixtaczoquitlán Altas Montañas (Orizaba and Córdoba)
Nahua community beside the Galicia caves, where the xochitlali offering to Mother Earth is held on the first Friday of March.
From Córdoba: 25 min by car (19 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
See everything nearby ↓
Plan your visit to Cuesta del Mexicano
Where to stay near Cuesta del Mexicano
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Cuesta del Mexicano.
Tours to Cuesta del Mexicano
Day trips and guided outings from Córdoba often include Cuesta del Mexicano; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Tours from Veracruz
Private Sunrise Taj Mahal Tour from Delhi By Car -All inclusive
★ 5.0 (549) · From US$14
How to get to Cuesta del Mexicano
- From Córdoba: about 25 min by road (~19 km)
- Nearest airport: Veracruz (VER), 1 h 25 min by car to Córdoba
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Tours from Veracruz, near Cuesta del Mexicano
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
About Cuesta del Mexicano
Cuesta del Mexicano is a Nahua community of 863 people (2020) in the municipality of Ixtaczoquitlán, at 783 metres, on the road linking Zapoapan and Tuxpanguillo. The name explains itself: the houses sit on a long, steep slope (cuesta). Until the 1980s it was a hamlet of 200 to 300 people; by 1990 it had passed 700.
What sets it apart are the Galicia caves on its land and the ritual held inside them: the xochitlali, or cave festival. Every first Friday of March, a date matching the start of the old Mexica year, the community's elders go into the cave to thank Mother Earth for the year's harvest and leave an offering to Tonantzin. The ceremony opens by asking permission of the four directions, standing for earth, air, fire and water, and continues with dances, pre-Hispanic music and songs such as Xochipitzahuatl and Zacamatilixtli, asking for good crops. In the days around it there are often ball-game demonstrations and staged legends.
The rest of the calendar is Marian: Our Lady of Lourdes on 11 February, the Virgin of Juquila on 7 October, the Immaculate Conception on 8 December and Guadalupe on the 12th. Feast days bring flower arches, mole, bean tamales, buñuelos and atoles; embroidery is the other household craft.
How to get to Cuesta del Mexicano
Drive from Córdoba: 25 min, 19 km
From Córdoba it is about 20 km and 23 minutes: Highway 150 (the Córdoba–Fortín boulevard) to Fortín, the Fortín–Villa Unión road, the Villa Unión–Zapoapan road and, finally, about 4.4 km on the Zapoapan–Cuesta del Mexicano road. From Orizaba it is about 20 km and 24 minutes: Highway 150 east, the road to the Tuxpango valley, over the Tuxpango ridge and then Calzada de Tláloc and the main avenue, passing near Tuxpanguillo. Long-distance buses stop at the Córdoba and Orizaba terminals; we found no published combi routes or timetables to Cuesta del Mexicano, so a taxi from Fortín or Córdoba is the safe choice. For the xochitlali, arrive early.
Directions to Cuesta del Mexicano on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
From the nearest cities to Cuesta del Mexicano
- Córdoba · 19 km by road, 25 min
- Orizaba · 20 km by road, 25 min
- Tehuacán · 88 km by road, 1 h 25 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Cuesta del Mexicano: hours, prices and tips
- Best time of day
- The first Friday of March, for the xochitlali ritual in the Galicia caves. Wikipedia (Xochitlalis) · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Cuesta del Mexicano: what to see and do
The Galicia caves, setting of the xochitlali.
The xochitlali ritual on the first Friday of March.
The flower arches of the Marian feasts.
Bean tamales and buñuelos from the local kitchen.
The road up the slope, looking over the valley toward Tuxpanguillo.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Cuesta del Mexicano
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Cuesta del Mexicano.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Córdoba often include Cuesta del Mexicano; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at VER (Veracruz): about 1 h 25 min by road to Córdoba, then 11 km more to Cuesta del Mexicano, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Veracruz (VER), about 1 h 25 min by road from Córdoba, the base for Cuesta del Mexicano.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Córdoba: download a map of the way to Cuesta del Mexicano before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
When to go to Cuesta del Mexicano mild
Cuesta del Mexicano shares the climate of Córdoba, 11 km away. The best months to visit are February, March, April, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Córdoba
Weather in Cuesta del Mexicano now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Córdoba
Córdoba is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Cuesta del Mexicano, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Orizaba · Veracruz · 14 km away
- Coscomatepec · Veracruz · 31 km away
- Xico · Veracruz · 68 km away
- Coatepec · Veracruz · 72 km away
- Huautla · Oaxaca · 76 km away
Closest to Cuesta del Mexicano
-
Campo Grande · Village · 3 km away
-
Naranjal · Village · 3 km away
-
Tuxpanguillo · Village · 4 km away
-
Villa Unión · Village · 5 km away
-
Sótano de Popocatl · Cave · 6 km away
-
Cuapichapan · Village · 7 km away
-
Coetzapotitla · Village · 8 km away
-
Magdalena · Town · 8 km away
Near Cuesta del Mexicano
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.