Calpulalpan to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes Road Trip

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Calpulalpan to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes is 358 miles (576 km), about 6 h 1 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Querétaro — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Guanajuato — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Jalisco — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Aguascalientes — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Aguascalientes is the Mexican state that contains San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Aqueduct of Padre TemblequeTeotihuacanMuseo Arqueológico de ApaxcoTula National ParkTulaCerro de las CampanasCelaya CathedralHistoric centre of AguascalientesMuseo Regional de AguascalientesCalpulalpanSan José de Gracia, Aguascalientes
Route from Calpulalpan to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance358 mi (576 km)
Driving time, no stops6 h 1 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-M40D → MEX-57D → MEX-47D → MEX-45D → MEX-45 → AGS 19
Mexican states on the routeTlaxcala (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Querétaro (Level 2), Guanajuato (Level 3), Jalisco (Level 3), Aguascalientes (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-M40D, MEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 14.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

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 Calpulalpan to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes is like

MEX-45D (142 mi) and MEX-M40D (78 mi) carry about 61% of the 358 miles. MEX-M40D, MEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-45 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 7 states: Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Aguascalientes. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Calpulalpan to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–44Tlaxcala
MEX-M40D4–8278Hidalgo, State of Mexico
connecting roads82–831Hidalgo
MEX-57D83–11835Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro
MEX-47D118–17153Querétaro, Guanajuato
MEX-45D171–313142Guanajuato, Jalisco
MEX-45313–34229Jalisco, Aguascalientes
local roads342–3453Aguascalientes
MEX-45345–3494Aguascalientes
AGS 19349–3578Aguascalientes
local roads357–3581Aguascalientes
  • Mile 4 of this route: Tlaxcala → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 11 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 24 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 40 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 55 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 84 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 117 of this route: State of Mexico → Querétaro (state line)
  • Mile 158 of this route: Querétaro → Guanajuato (state line)
  • Mile 268 of this route: Guanajuato → Jalisco (state line)
  • Mile 316 of this route: Jalisco → Aguascalientes (state line)

Stops between Calpulalpan and San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Historic centre of Aguascalientes (mile 331), Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (mile 331)
  • Nature and outdoors: Tula National Park (mile 71), Cerro de las Campanas (mile 160)
  • Museums and history: Teotihuacan (mile 22), Museo Arqueológico de Apaxco (mile 55), Tula (mile 71), Celaya Cathedral (mile 183), Historic centre of Aguascalientes (mile 331), Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (mile 331)

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque

Mile 21 · Aqueduct · 2 mi from the route

Built by Franciscan friar Francisco de Tembleque between 1554 and 1572, this 16th-century water system runs more than 48 km between Zempoala and Otumba. Its tallest arcade at Tepeyahualco reaches almost 40 meters, and UNESCO listed it in 2015.

Teotihuacan

Mile 22 · Historic site · 13 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built between the 1st and 7th centuries AD, this UNESCO-listed ancient city lines the Avenue of the Dead, where you can walk between the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.

Museo Arqueológico de Apaxco

Mile 55 · Museum · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Founded in 1985, the Museo Arqueológico de Apaxco sits across from the parish church of San Francisco de Asís and beside the town hall in Apaxco, State of Mexico.

Tula National Park

Mile 71 · National Park of Mexico · 1 mi from the route

This park protects the ruins of Tula, ancient capital of the Toltecs. Walk up to the main pyramid to stand beside the Atlantes, basalt warrior figures more than four meters tall, and look for the Coatepantli wall's reliefs of snakes devouring skeletons.

Tula

Mile 71 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

Once the Toltec capital, the Tula archaeological zone is best known for its Atlantes, basalt warrior figures over four meters (13 feet) tall crowning the main pyramid. Visitors also see a ball court, the Burnt Palace and the Coatepantli wall, carved with snakes devouring skeletons.

Cerro de las Campanas

Mile 160 · National Park of Mexico · 12 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Rising within Querétaro City, the Cerro de las Campanas is a hill that is protected as a Mexican national park.

Celaya Cathedral

Mile 183 · Church building · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Celaya's main Catholic church, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, occupies the space of a former chapel that was annexed to the neighboring Temple of St. Francis.

Historic centre of Aguascalientes

Mile 331 · Historic district · 0.2 mi from the route

The historic center of Aguascalientes is the city's zone of historic monuments, which INAH has declared part of the nation's heritage.

Museo Regional de Aguascalientes

Mile 331 · History museum · 0.3 mi from the route

An early 20th-century building by self-taught architect Refugio Reyes holds this INAH museum of Aguascalientes history, with fossils, archaeological finds, colonial paintings by Juan Correa and more than 300 devotional ex-voto paintings.

When you get to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes

Santuario del Cristo Roto, San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes

Statue · in San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes

A 28-meter broken Christ, the Cristo Roto, stands on an island in the Presidente Calles dam at San José de Gracia, reachable only by boat. Sculptors Erasmo Aguilar and Miguel Romo Santino made it to recall what the town lost when the dam was built.

More drives to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes

From Calpulalpan to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Calpulalpan to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes?

About 6 h 1 min of driving without stops, over 358 miles.

How far is San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes from Calpulalpan by car?

About 358 miles (576 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 Calpulalpan to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes?

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 Calpulalpan to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes?

The U.S. State Department rates Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Querétaro Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Guanajuato Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Jalisco Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Aguascalientes Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Calpulalpan to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes use?

In order: MEX-M40D, MEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D, MEX-45 and AGS 19. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Calpulalpan and San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes?

Closest to the road: Tula National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 71, 1 mi from the route); Historic centre of Aguascalientes (historic district, mile 331, 0.2 mi from the route); Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (history museum, mile 331, 0.3 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.