Atlixco to Ixcateopan Road Trip: Where to Stop on the Way

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Atlixco to Ixcateopan is 130 miles (210 km), about 2 h 55 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Guerrero — Level 4, Do Not TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Guerrero is the Mexican state that contains Ixcateopan. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.
Convento de Santiago ApóstolMonasteries on the slopes of PopocatépetlChalcatzingoLas Pilas archaeological siteXochicalcoGrutas de Cacahuamilpa National ParkChurch of Santa Prisca de TaxcoWilliam Spratling MuseumAtlixcoIxcateopan
Route from Atlixco to Ixcateopan with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance130 mi (210 km)
Driving time, no stops2 h 55 min
Main roads, in orderPUE 438D → MEX-94D → MEX-95 → MEX-92D
Mexican states on the routePuebla (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3), Guerrero (Level 4)
Toll roadsMEX-94D, MEX-95D, MEX-92D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 5.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below8

Driving this route in a car with U.S. plates

Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP)Required: this route is outside the zones where U.S.-registered cars can skip the temporary import permit (Baja California, Baja California Sur and part of Sonora)
Mexican auto insuranceRequired for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you drive

Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.

What the drive from Atlixco to Ixcateopan is like

MEX-94D (38 mi) and PUE 438D (25 mi) carry about 48% of the 130 miles. MEX-94D, MEX-92D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-95 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 3 states: Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero. Of the 8 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Atlixco to Ixcateopan, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–77Puebla
PUE 438D7–3225Puebla, Morelos
MEX-94D32–7038Morelos
connecting roads70–755Morelos
local roads75–827Morelos
MEX-9582–10119Morelos, Guerrero
connecting roads101–1032Guerrero
MEX-92D103–1074Guerrero
connecting roads107–1092Guerrero
local roads109–13021Guerrero
  • Mile 24 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
  • Mile 94 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)

Stops between Atlixco and Ixcateopan

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco (mile 109), William Spratling Museum (mile 109)
  • Nature and outdoors: Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 97)
  • Museums and history: Chalcatzingo (mile 32), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 34), Xochicalco (mile 82), Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco (mile 109), William Spratling Museum (mile 109)

Convento de Santiago Apóstol

Mile 23 · Convent · 7 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the town of Ocuituco, the Temple and Ex-convent of Santiago Apóstol (Templo y Exconvento de Santiago Apóstol) belongs to the UNESCO-listed group of 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, inscribed in 1994.

Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl

Mile 25 · World Heritage Site · 15 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Inscribed by UNESCO in 1994, this World Heritage site groups early 16th-century monasteries that Franciscan, Dominican and Augustinian friars built on the slopes of Popocatépetl, with large open spaces used to evangelize the Indigenous population.

Chalcatzingo

Mile 32 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

At the foot of Cerro Chalcatzingo in eastern Morelos, this early site is known for stone reliefs carved mainly between 700 and 500 BC, some among the region's earliest stone sculpture and several in Olmec style, spread across the hillside.

Las Pilas archaeological site

Mile 34 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

Set inside a bathing park in Jonacatepec, Las Pilas was a ceremonial center devoted to water, where inhabitants built channels to collect and store underground water for irrigation; burials were found within the channel system.

Xochicalco

Mile 82 · Archaeological site · 12 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

A fortified hilltop city that thrived between about 650 and 900, Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you can see the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpent with its carved reliefs, ball courts, an underground observatory and a site museum.

Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park

Mile 97 · National Park of Mexico · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Protected as a national park since 1936, this area near Taxco centers on the Cacahuamilpa caverns, where a guided route of about 4 km passes chambers up to 80 meters high, decorated with flowstone and floor-to-ceiling columns.

Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco

Mile 109 · Church building · 0.4 mi from the route

Silver baron José de la Borda paid for Santa Prisca with the bonanza from his San Ignacio mine in Taxco, and the church was dedicated in 1759, the same year his nearby house on the plaza was finished.

William Spratling Museum

Mile 109 · Museum · 0.4 mi from the route

Taxco's archaeological museum grew from the collection of William Spratling, the American who revived the town's silver craft in the 1930s. It shows pre-Hispanic pieces, including Olmec and Mezcala-style works, plus a gallery on silversmithing.

When you get to Ixcateopan

Ixcateopan

Archaeological site · in Ixcateopan

Some 36 kilometers from Taxco in the rugged mountains of northern Guerrero, the ruins at Ixcateopan de Cuauhtémoc belong to a city that served as an important regional ceremonial center.

More drives to Ixcateopan

From Atlixco to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Atlixco to Ixcateopan?

About 2 h 55 min of driving without stops, over 130 miles.

How far is Ixcateopan from Atlixco by car?

About 130 miles (210 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.

Do I need a permit to drive my U.S. car from Atlixco to Ixcateopan?

Yes. A temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) is required for a U.S.-registered car on this route, which is outside the zones where it can be skipped. Mexican auto insurance is required for every vehicle.

Is it safe to drive from Atlixco to Ixcateopan?

The U.S. State Department rates Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Guerrero Level 4: Do Not Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Atlixco to Ixcateopan use?

In order: PUE 438D, MEX-94D, MEX-95 and MEX-92D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Atlixco and Ixcateopan?

Closest to the road: Las Pilas archaeological site (archaeological site, mile 34, 1 mi from the route); Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco (church building, mile 109, 0.4 mi from the route); William Spratling Museum (museum, mile 109, 0.4 mi from the route). All stops are described above.

How we put this guide together

Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway mile markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route (roughly 2 to 7 miles depending on the type, farther for World Heritage sites): at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, with no more than five of one type, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place and city descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.

Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.