The Wayro route from Cuautla to Zacatecas is 445 miles (716 km), about 8 h 2 min of driving without stops.
| Distance | 445 mi (716 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 8 h 2 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-160D → MEX-95D → Periférico → MEX-57 → MEX-47D → MEX-45D → MEX-45 |
| Mexican states on the route | Morelos (Level 3), Mexico City (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Querétaro (Level 2), Guanajuato (Level 3), Jalisco (Level 3), Aguascalientes (Level 2), Zacatecas (Level 4) |
| Toll roads | MEX-160D, MEX-95D, MEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 17.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
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 insurance | Required 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 Cuautla to Zacatecas is like
MEX-45D (163 mi) and MEX-57 (70 mi) carry about 52% of the 445 miles. MEX-160D, MEX-95D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-57, MEX-45 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 9 states: Morelos, Mexico City, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas. Of the 9 stops listed below, 6 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Cuautla to Zacatecas, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | Morelos |
| MEX-160D | 4–24 | 20 | Morelos |
| connecting roads | 24–25 | 1 | Morelos |
| MEX-95D | 25–53 | 28 | Morelos, Mexico City |
| local roads | 53–58 | 5 | Mexico City |
| Periférico | 58–88 | 30 | Mexico City, State of Mexico |
| MEX-57 | 88–158 | 70 | State of Mexico, Hidalgo |
| connecting roads | 158–159 | 1 | Querétaro |
| MEX-47D | 159–212 | 53 | Querétaro, Guanajuato |
| MEX-45D | 212–354 | 142 | Guanajuato, Jalisco |
| MEX-45 | 354–383 | 29 | Jalisco, Aguascalientes |
| local roads | 383–386 | 3 | Aguascalientes |
| MEX-45 | 386–415 | 29 | Aguascalientes, Zacatecas |
| MEX-45D | 415–436 | 21 | Zacatecas |
| MEX-45 | 436–444 | 8 | Zacatecas |
| local roads | 444–445 | 1 | Zacatecas |
- Mile 40 of this route: Morelos → Mexico City (state line)
- Mile 73 of this route: Mexico City → State of Mexico (state line)
- Mile 106 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
- Mile 125 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
- Mile 158 of this route: State of Mexico → Querétaro (state line)
- Mile 199 of this route: Querétaro → Guanajuato (state line)
- Mile 309 of this route: Guanajuato → Jalisco (state line)
- Mile 357 of this route: Jalisco → Aguascalientes (state line)
- Mile 411 of this route: Aguascalientes → Zacatecas (state line)
Stops between Cuautla and Zacatecas
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (mile 19), Cuicuilco (mile 60), Jardín Botánico del Instituto de Biología (mile 62), Los Pinos (mile 71), Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (mile 112), Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (mile 372)
- Nature and outdoors: Jardín Botánico del Instituto de Biología (mile 62), El Cimatario National Park (mile 195), Cerro de las Campanas (mile 201)
- Museums and history: Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (mile 19), Cuicuilco (mile 60), Angel of Independence (mile 71), Los Pinos (mile 71), Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (mile 372)
Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum
Tepoztlán's Dominican monastery, built between 1555 and 1580, keeps original 16th-century murals in its cloister. Upstairs, the museum covers local daily life, faith, festivals and dances, and the complex is part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Cuicuilco
In Mexico City's Tlalpan borough, Cuicuilco preserves a pyramid whose construction began a few centuries BCE, during the Late Preclassic period, near the old southern shore of Lake Texcoco.
Jardín Botánico del Instituto de Biología
Run by UNAM's Institute of Biology, this botanical garden in Mexico City belongs to the Mexican Association of Botanical Gardens and works on plant conservation.
Angel of Independence
Officially the Monumento a la Independencia, El Ángel is a victory column on Paseo de la Reforma, built in 1910 by architect Antonio Rivas Mercado for the centennial of the start of the War of Independence.
Los Pinos
In Chapultepec Forest, Los Pinos served as the official residence and office of Mexico's presidents from 1934 to 2018.
Templo y exconvento de San Francisco
The Templo y Exconvento de San Francisco is a church and former convent located in the city of Tepeji del Río, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo.
El Cimatario National Park
El Cimatario National Park protects about 24 square kilometers of land just south of the city of Santiago de Querétaro.
Cerro de las Campanas
Rising within Querétaro City, the Cerro de las Campanas is a hill that is protected as a Mexican national park.
Museo Regional de Aguascalientes
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 Zacatecas
Zacatecas climbs the steep slopes of a narrow valley between the Bufa and Grillo hills in north-central Mexico. Founded in 1546 after the discovery of a rich silver lode, its historic center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, and the city is also part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the colonial silver route listed by UNESCO in 2010.
- Zacatecas Cathedral: Built between 1730 and 1760, the cathedral dominates downtown with Baroque façades that mix European and Indigenous decorative elements. source
- Teatro Calderón: The downtown theater dates from 1834 and is one of the civic landmarks UNESCO highlights in the historic center. source
- Mercado González Ortega: The iron-framed market building from 1886 stands in the historic center near the cathedral. source
Teatro Fernando Calderón
Built between 1891 and 1897 to plans by architect George Edward King, Zacatecas' Teatro Calderón honors playwright Fernando Calderón and witnessed violent events during the Toma de Zacatecas.
Cathedral Basilica of Zacatecas
Dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption, the Cathedral of Zacatecas is the main church of the Diocese of Zacatecas.
Museo Toma de Zacatecas
On the Cerro de la Bufa, this museum explains the military and social story behind the Taking of Zacatecas during the Mexican Revolution, along with glimpses of daily life in the city at the time.
More drives to Zacatecas
- Del Rio, TX to Zacatecas
- South Padre Island, TX to Zacatecas
- McAllen, TX to Zacatecas
- Laredo, TX to Zacatecas
- Corpus Christi, TX to Zacatecas
- Brownsville, TX to Zacatecas
From Cuautla to other places in Mexico
- Cuautla to Malinalco
- Cuautla to Metepec
- Cuautla to Zitácuaro
- Cuautla to Tlalpujahua
- Cuautla to Amealco
- Cuautla to Tequisquiapan
Coming to Zacatecas from the United States? Border crossings, permits and routes from U.S. cities: Driving to Zacatecas, Mexico from the U.S.
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Cuautla to Zacatecas?
About 8 h 2 min of driving without stops, over 445 miles.
How far is Zacatecas from Cuautla by car?
About 445 miles (716 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 Cuautla to Zacatecas?
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 Cuautla to Zacatecas?
The U.S. State Department rates Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Mexico City Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo 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; Zacatecas Level 4: Do Not Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Cuautla to Zacatecas use?
In order: MEX-160D, MEX-95D, Periférico, MEX-57, MEX-47D, MEX-45D and MEX-45. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Cuautla and Zacatecas?
Closest to the road: Cuicuilco (archaeological site, mile 60, 0.2 mi from the route); Los Pinos (museum, mile 71, 0.2 mi from the route); Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (history museum, mile 372, 0.2 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.