Tetela de Ocampo to Ixcateopan Road Trip: Route, Tolls & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Tetela de Ocampo to Ixcateopan is 239 miles (385 km), about 5 h 9 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala — 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.
Santuario de Nuestro Padre Jesús de AquixtlaTeatro XicohténcatlGreat Pyramid of CholulaMuseo Regional de CholulaChalcatzingoXochicalcoGrutas de Cacahuamilpa National ParkWilliam Spratling MuseumTetela de OcampoIxcateopan
Route from Tetela de Ocampo to Ixcateopan with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance239 mi (385 km)
Driving time, no stops5 h 9 min
Main roads, in orderPUE 148 → MEX-119 → MEX-117D → MEX-119D → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MEX-95 → MEX-92D
Mexican states on the routePuebla (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3), Guerrero (Level 4)
Toll roadsMEX-117D, MEX-119D, MEX-94D, MEX-95D, MEX-92D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 9.6 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 Tetela de Ocampo to Ixcateopan is like

MEX-94D (38 mi) and PUE 438D (33 mi) carry about 30% of the 239 miles. MEX-117D, MEX-119D, MEX-94D, MEX-92D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-119, MEX-95 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 4 states: Puebla, Tlaxcala, Morelos, Guerrero. Of the 8 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Tetela de Ocampo to Ixcateopan, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–11Puebla
PUE 1481–2827Puebla
connecting roads28–291Puebla
MEX-11929–6132Puebla, Tlaxcala
connecting roads61–632Tlaxcala
MEX-117D63–7512Tlaxcala
MEX-119D75–8611Tlaxcala, Puebla
local roads86–10721Puebla
PUE 438D107–14033Puebla, Morelos
MEX-94D140–17838Morelos
connecting roads178–1835Morelos
local roads183–1918Morelos
MEX-95191–20918Morelos, Guerrero
connecting roads209–2112Guerrero
MEX-92D211–2165Guerrero
connecting roads216–2171Guerrero
local roads217–23922Guerrero
  • Mile 41 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
  • Mile 84 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 133 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
  • Mile 203 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)

Stops between Tetela de Ocampo and Ixcateopan

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Santuario de Nuestro Padre Jesús de Aquixtla (mile 27), Teatro Xicohténcatl (mile 71), William Spratling Museum (mile 217)
  • Nature and outdoors: Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 208)
  • Museums and history: Museo Regional de Cholula (mile 93), Chalcatzingo (mile 141), Xochicalco (mile 191), William Spratling Museum (mile 217)

Santuario de Nuestro Padre Jesús de Aquixtla

Mile 27 · Sanctuary · 0.7 mi from the route

In the Sierra Norte de Puebla, the sanctuary of Nuestro Padre Jesús in Aquixtla draws thousands of pilgrims during the year who come to give thanks for favors received.

Teatro Xicohténcatl

Mile 71 · Theatre building · 0.9 mi from the route

Tlaxcala's Teatro Xicohténcatl opened in 1873 and was reopened in 1888 after remodeling. Look up to see John Fulton's ceiling mural of the nine muses, painted in Art Nouveau style against a Tlaxcalan landscape.

Great Pyramid of Cholula

Mile 93 · Pyramid · 2 mi from the route

Under a hilltop church dedicated to the Virgin of los Remedios lies Tlachihualtepetl, a pyramid built in superimposed stages with a base about 400 meters per side. Excavations have opened roughly 8 km of tunnels inside the mound.

Museo Regional de Cholula

Mile 93 · Anthropology museum · 1 mi from the route

Right beside the Great Pyramid and archaeological zone of Cholula, this public museum displays collections ranging from pre-Hispanic and colonial art to contemporary and folk art.

Chalcatzingo

Mile 141 · 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.

Xochicalco

Mile 191 · 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 208 · 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.

William Spratling Museum

Mile 217 · 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 Tetela de Ocampo to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Tetela de Ocampo to Ixcateopan?

About 5 h 9 min of driving without stops, over 239 miles.

How far is Ixcateopan from Tetela de Ocampo by car?

About 239 miles (385 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 Tetela de Ocampo 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 Tetela de Ocampo to Ixcateopan?

The U.S. State Department rates Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala 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 Tetela de Ocampo to Ixcateopan use?

In order: PUE 148, MEX-119, MEX-117D, MEX-119D, 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 Tetela de Ocampo and Ixcateopan?

Closest to the road: Santuario de Nuestro Padre Jesús de Aquixtla (sanctuary, mile 27, 0.7 mi from the route); Teatro Xicohténcatl (theatre building, mile 71, 0.9 mi from the route); William Spratling Museum (museum, mile 217, 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.