Calpulalpan to Zacualpan de Amilpas Road Trip: Stops & Tolls

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Calpulalpan to Zacualpan de Amilpas is 84 miles (135 km), about 1 h 50 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Morelos is the Mexican state that contains Zacualpan de Amilpas. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Parque nacional XicoténcatlExconvent of Santa María MagdalenaConvento de HuejotzingoFormer convent of Saint Dominic de GuzmánConvento de San Juan BautistaCalpulalpanZacualpan de Amilpas
Route from Calpulalpan to Zacualpan de Amilpas with the 5 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance84 mi (135 km)
Driving time, no stops1 h 50 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-136 → MEX-M40D → PUE 438D
Mexican states on the routeTlaxcala (Level 2), Puebla (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3)
Toll roadsMEX-M40D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 3.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below5

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 Zacualpan de Amilpas is like

PUE 438D (24 mi) and MEX-M40D (18 mi) carry about 50% of the 84 miles. MEX-M40D is a toll highway (cuota); MEX-136 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 3 states: Tlaxcala, Puebla, Morelos. None of the 5 stops below is right on the road, so plan each as a short side trip.

The route from Calpulalpan to Zacualpan de Amilpas, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
MEX-1360–99Tlaxcala
MEX-M40D9–2718Tlaxcala, Puebla
local roads27–5730Puebla
PUE 438D57–8124Puebla, Morelos
local roads81–843Morelos
  • Mile 24 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 78 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)

Stops between Calpulalpan and Zacualpan de Amilpas

Parque nacional Xicoténcatl

Mile 22 · National Park of Mexico · 11 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Covering roughly 600 hectares in central Tlaxcala, Xicohténcatl National Park takes in the historic center of Tlaxcala city plus Quiahuixtlán, Ocotelulco and Tepeticpac, which correspond to three of the old Tlaxcalan lordships.

Exconvent of Santa María Magdalena

Mile 28 · Convent · 1 mi from the route

The former convent of Santa María Magdalena (Exconvento de Santa María Magdalena) is a 17th-century Baroque church built by the Dieguino friars, still in use as a Catholic temple of the Archdiocese of Puebla.

Convento de Huejotzingo

Mile 38 · Convent · 1 mi from the route

Founded by Franciscans in the 16th century, the former convent of San Miguel Arcángel in Huejotzingo shows colonial Plateresque architecture on the western slopes of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1994.

Former convent of Saint Dominic de Guzmán

Mile 76 · Convent · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the town of Hueyapan, the 16th-century church and former convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán keeps original frescoes and moldings inside, around a modest cloister typical of its era.

Convento de San Juan Bautista

Mile 76 · Convent · 6 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

This convent in Tetela del Volcán, known for its carved wooden sacristy and light-filled cloister walks, was cleaned of soot left from its use as a barracks during the Mexican Revolution in a conservation project completed in 2009.

More drives to Zacualpan de Amilpas

From Calpulalpan to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Calpulalpan to Zacualpan de Amilpas?

About 1 h 50 min of driving without stops, over 84 miles.

How far is Zacualpan de Amilpas from Calpulalpan by car?

About 84 miles (135 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 Zacualpan de Amilpas?

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 Zacualpan de Amilpas?

The U.S. State Department rates Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Calpulalpan to Zacualpan de Amilpas use?

In order: MEX-136, MEX-M40D and PUE 438D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Calpulalpan and Zacualpan de Amilpas?

Closest to the road: Exconvent of Santa María Magdalena (convent, mile 28, 1 mi from the route); Convento de Huejotzingo (convent, mile 38, 1 mi from the route); Former convent of Saint Dominic de Guzmán (convent, mile 76, 5 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.