Tlaltizapán to Ixtenco Road Trip: Distance, Time & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Tlaltizapán to Ixtenco is 109 miles (176 km), about 2 h 9 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Tlaxcala is the Mexican state that contains Ixtenco. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Las Pilas archaeological siteChalcatzingoMonasteries on the slopes of PopocatépetlConvento de Santiago ApóstolHistoric centre of PueblaInternational Museum of the BaroqueJardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de PueblaConvent Church of Santo Domingo, PueblaLa Malinche National ParkTlaltizapánIxtenco
Route from Tlaltizapán to Ixtenco with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance109 mi (176 km)
Driving time, no stops2 h 9 min
Main roads, in orderMOR 9 → MEX-94D → PUE 438D → MEX-190D → MEX-190
Mexican states on the routeMorelos (Level 3), Puebla (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-94D, MEX-190D, MEX-150D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 4.4 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 Tlaltizapán to Ixtenco is like

PUE 438D (35 mi) and MEX-94D (17 mi) carry about 48% of the 109 miles. MEX-94D, MEX-190D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-190 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 3 states: Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala. None of the 9 stops below is right on the road, so plan each as a short side trip.

The route from Tlaltizapán to Ixtenco, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Morelos
MOR 92–119Morelos
connecting roads11–121Morelos
MEX-94D12–2917Morelos
PUE 438D29–6435Morelos, Puebla
MEX-190D64–7410Puebla
connecting roads74–751Puebla
MEX-19075–8914Puebla
connecting roads89–912Puebla
local roads91–10918Puebla, Tlaxcala
  • Mile 38 of this route: Morelos → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 103 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)

Stops between Tlaltizapán and Ixtenco

  • Nature and outdoors: Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (mile 81), La Malinche National Park (mile 101)
  • Museums and history: Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 27), Chalcatzingo (mile 29), International Museum of the Baroque (mile 75), Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla (mile 85)

Las Pilas archaeological site

Mile 27 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

Set inside a bathing park in Jonacatepec, Las Pilas was a ceremonial center devoted to water, where inhabitants built channels to collect and store underground water for irrigation; burials were found within the channel system.

Chalcatzingo

Mile 29 · 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.

Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl

Mile 36 · World Heritage Site · 15 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Inscribed by UNESCO in 1994, this World Heritage site groups early 16th-century monasteries that Franciscan, Dominican and Augustinian friars built on the slopes of Popocatépetl, with large open spaces used to evangelize the Indigenous population.

Convento de Santiago Apóstol

Mile 39 · Convent · 7 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the town of Ocuituco, the Temple and Ex-convent of Santiago Apóstol (Templo y Exconvento de Santiago Apóstol) belongs to the UNESCO-listed group of 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, inscribed in 1994.

Historic centre of Puebla

Mile 75 · Urban area · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Laid out from scratch in 1531, Puebla's UNESCO-listed core is a grid of tile-covered houses, colonial churches and the 16th–17th-century cathedral, with the old archbishop's palace that houses the Palafox Library, established in 1646.

International Museum of the Baroque

Mile 75 · Art museum · 1 mi from the route

Designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito and opened in 2016, Puebla's baroque museum wraps its galleries in curving white concrete walls beside a reflecting pond. Exhibits cover baroque painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theater and literature.

Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla

Mile 81 · Botanical garden · 2 mi from the route

On the Ciudad Universitaria campus of BUAP in Puebla, the university botanical garden covers about 10.7 hectares and was formerly named after Ignacio Rodríguez Alconedo.

Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla

Mile 85 · Church building · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Behind the facade of Puebla's Santo Domingo church hides the Capilla del Rosario, inaugurated in 1690. Gold covers its walls, pilasters and vaults, and contemporaries hailed it as the eighth wonder of the New World.

La Malinche National Park

Mile 101 · National Park of Mexico · 6 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Tlaxcala's La Malinche National Park surrounds the inactive Matlalcuéyetl volcano, with pine, oak and fir forests on its slopes, hiking trails, birdwatching, and stone cabins and campsites at the Malintzi Vacation Center.

When you get to Ixtenco

Museo Nacional del Títere

Museum · in Ixtenco

On the main square of Huamantla, the National Puppet Museum (Museo Nacional del Títere) fills eight galleries with puppets from Mexico and abroad, including pieces tied to the Rosete Aranda family, whose company toured Mexico for generations.

More drives to Ixtenco

From Tlaltizapán to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Tlaltizapán to Ixtenco?

About 2 h 9 min of driving without stops, over 109 miles.

How far is Ixtenco from Tlaltizapán by car?

About 109 miles (176 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 Tlaltizapán to Ixtenco?

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 Tlaltizapán to Ixtenco?

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

What roads does the drive from Tlaltizapán to Ixtenco use?

In order: MOR 9, MEX-94D, PUE 438D, MEX-190D and MEX-190. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Tlaltizapán and Ixtenco?

Closest to the road: Las Pilas archaeological site (archaeological site, mile 27, 1 mi from the route); Chalcatzingo (archaeological site, mile 29, 2 mi from the route); International Museum of the Baroque (art museum, mile 75, 1 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.