Salamanca to Tehuacán Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Salamanca to Tehuacán is 333 miles (536 km), about 5 h 14 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Guanajuato — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Querétaro — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Puebla is the Mexican state that contains Tehuacán. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Celaya CathedralEl Cimatario National ParkTula National ParkTeotihuacanExconvent of Santa María MagdalenaXochitecatlCacaxtlaMuseo Poblano de Arte VirreinalSalamancaTehuacán
Route from Salamanca to Tehuacán with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance333 mi (536 km)
Driving time, no stops5 h 14 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-45D → MEX-47D → MEX-57D → MEX-M40D → MEX-150D → MEX-135D
Mexican states on the routeGuanajuato (Level 3), Querétaro (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2), Puebla (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D, MEX-150D, MEX-135D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 13.3 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 Salamanca to Tehuacán is like

MEX-M40D (107 mi) and MEX-150D (69 mi) carry about 53% of the 333 miles. MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D, MEX-150D, MEX-135D are toll highways (cuota). It runs through 6 states: Guanajuato, Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla. Of the 8 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Salamanca to Tehuacán, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Guanajuato
MEX-45D2–3937Guanajuato
MEX-47D39–9152Guanajuato, Querétaro
MEX-57D91–12736Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo
MEX-M40D127–234107Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Puebla
MEX-150D234–30369Puebla
MEX-135D303–32825Puebla
local roads328–3335Puebla
  • Mile 52 of this route: Guanajuato → Querétaro (state line)
  • Mile 93 of this route: Querétaro → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 126 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 156 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 170 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 187 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 199 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 207 of this route: Hidalgo → Tlaxcala (state line)
  • Mile 230 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)

Stops between Salamanca and Tehuacán

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Tula National Park (mile 139)
  • Nature and outdoors: El Cimatario National Park (mile 56), Tula National Park (mile 139)
  • Museums and history: Celaya Cathedral (mile 27), Teotihuacan (mile 188), Xochitecatl (mile 239), Cacaxtla (mile 239), Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal (mile 254)

Celaya Cathedral

Mile 27 · 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.

El Cimatario National Park

Mile 56 · National Park of Mexico · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

El Cimatario National Park protects about 24 square kilometers of land just south of the city of Santiago de Querétaro.

Tula National Park

Mile 139 · 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.

Teotihuacan

Mile 188 · 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.

Exconvent of Santa María Magdalena

Mile 234 · 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.

Xochitecatl

Mile 239 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

Xochitécatl is a pre-Hispanic archaeological site in the state of Tlaxcala. INAH runs it together with nearby Cacaxtla as a single zone, and the Xochitécatl site museum displays finds from the area.

Cacaxtla

Mile 239 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built on a hill rising above the Tlaxcala-Puebla valley, Cacaxtla is known for its pre-Hispanic murals on the Gran Basamento, a large platform now sheltered under a roof. INAH manages it together with nearby Xochitécatl.

Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal

Mile 254 · Museum · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Puebla's San Pedro Museo de Arte, formerly the Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal, opened in 2000 and focuses on New Spanish painting, with galleries for permanent and temporary exhibitions.

When you get to Tehuacán

Museo del Valle de Tehuacán

Museum · in Tehuacán

Inside an 18th-century former Carmelite convent in Tehuacán, the Valley of Tehuacán Museum opened in 2002 and focuses on the history of corn and its ties to the valley's early peoples.

More drives to Tehuacán

From Salamanca to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Salamanca to Tehuacán?

About 5 h 14 min of driving without stops, over 333 miles.

How far is Tehuacán from Salamanca by car?

About 333 miles (536 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 Salamanca to Tehuacán?

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 Salamanca to Tehuacán?

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

What roads does the drive from Salamanca to Tehuacán use?

In order: MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D, MEX-150D and MEX-135D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Salamanca and Tehuacán?

Closest to the road: Tula National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 139, 1 mi from the route); Exconvent of Santa María Magdalena (convent, mile 234, 1 mi from the route); Xochitecatl (archaeological site, mile 239, 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.