The Wayro route from Tlaxcala to Ixcateopan is 167 miles (268 km), about 3 h 36 min of driving without stops.
| Distance | 167 mi (268 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 3 h 36 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-119D → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MEX-95 → MEX-92D |
| Mexican states on the route | Tlaxcala (Level 2), Puebla (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3), Guerrero (Level 4) |
| Toll roads | MEX-117D, MEX-119D, MEX-94D, MEX-95D, MEX-92D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 6.7 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 7 |
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 Tlaxcala to Ixcateopan is like
MEX-94D (38 mi) and PUE 438D (34 mi) carry about 43% of the 167 miles. MEX-119D, MEX-94D, MEX-92D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-95 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 4 states: Tlaxcala, Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero. Of the 7 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Tlaxcala to Ixcateopan, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–3 | 3 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-119D | 3–14 | 11 | Tlaxcala, Puebla |
| local roads | 14–34 | 20 | Puebla |
| PUE 438D | 34–68 | 34 | Puebla, Morelos |
| MEX-94D | 68–106 | 38 | Morelos |
| connecting roads | 106–111 | 5 | Morelos |
| local roads | 111–119 | 8 | Morelos |
| MEX-95 | 119–137 | 18 | Morelos, Guerrero |
| connecting roads | 137–139 | 2 | Guerrero |
| MEX-92D | 139–144 | 5 | Guerrero |
| connecting roads | 144–145 | 1 | Guerrero |
| local roads | 145–167 | 22 | Guerrero |
- Mile 12 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 61 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
- Mile 131 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)
Stops between Tlaxcala and Ixcateopan
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): William Spratling Museum (mile 145)
- Nature and outdoors: Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 134)
- Museums and history: Chalcatzingo (mile 69), Xochicalco (mile 119), William Spratling Museum (mile 145)
Great Pyramid of Cholula
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.
Historic centre of Puebla
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.
Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl
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.
Chalcatzingo
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
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
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
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
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
- Tlaltizapán to Ixcateopan
- Tepoztlán to Ixcateopan
- Metepec to Ixcateopan
- Oaxtepec to Ixcateopan
- Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan
- Zacualpan de Amilpas to Ixcateopan
From Tlaxcala to other places in Mexico
- Tlaxcala to Omitlán
- Tlaxcala to Atlatlahucan
- Tlaxcala to Huasca de Ocampo
- Tlaxcala to Actopan
- Tlaxcala to Metepec
- Tlaxcala to Malinalco
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Tlaxcala to Ixcateopan?
About 3 h 36 min of driving without stops, over 167 miles.
How far is Ixcateopan from Tlaxcala by car?
About 167 miles (268 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 Tlaxcala 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 Tlaxcala to Ixcateopan?
The U.S. State Department rates Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla 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 Tlaxcala to Ixcateopan use?
In order: 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 Tlaxcala and Ixcateopan?
Closest to the road: Great Pyramid of Cholula (pyramid, mile 21, 1 mi from the route); Chalcatzingo (archaeological site, mile 69, 2 mi from the route); William Spratling Museum (museum, mile 145, 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.