The Wayro route from Tlaxco to Tetela del Volcán is 94 miles (152 km), about 2 h 4 min of driving without stops.
| Distance | 94 mi (152 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 2 h 4 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-119 → MEX-117D → MEX-119D → PUE 438D |
| Mexican states on the route | Tlaxcala (Level 2), Puebla (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3) |
| Toll roads | MEX-117D, MEX-119D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 3.8 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 Tlaxco to Tetela del Volcán is like
PUE 438D (21 mi) and MEX-119 (15 mi) carry about 38% of the 94 miles. MEX-117D, MEX-119D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-119 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 3 states: Tlaxcala, Puebla, Morelos. Of the 7 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Tlaxco to Tetela del Volcán, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-119 | 1–16 | 15 | Tlaxcala |
| connecting roads | 16–18 | 2 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-117D | 18–29 | 11 | Tlaxcala |
| connecting roads | 29–30 | 1 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-119D | 30–40 | 10 | Tlaxcala, Puebla |
| local roads | 40–62 | 22 | Puebla |
| PUE 438D | 62–83 | 21 | Puebla |
| local roads | 83–94 | 11 | Puebla, Morelos |
- Mile 39 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 88 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
Stops between Tlaxco and Tetela del Volcán
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Casa de Piedra (mile 16), Parque ecológico Los Ladrillos (mile 37)
- Nature and outdoors: Parque ecológico Los Ladrillos (mile 37)
- Museums and history: Museo Casa de Piedra (mile 16), Basílica de Ocotlán (mile 25), Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia de Tlaxcala (mile 26), Cholula (mile 45)
Museo Casa de Piedra
Apizaco's old railroad station, dating from 1916, now houses the Museo Casa de Piedra. Inside, photographs and documents trace the town's history, especially its long ties to the railroads.
Basílica de Ocotlán
On Cerro de San Lorenzo near the city of Tlaxcala, the Basílica de Ocotlán is a standout of Mexican Churrigueresque Baroque, begun in 1670 and home to an ocote-wood image of the Virgin tied to a 1541 legend.
Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia de Tlaxcala
Set in the cloisters of Tlaxcala's former Franciscan convent, founded in 1528, the regional museum (Museo Regional de Tlaxcala) traces the state from paleontology and pre-Hispanic cultures through the colonial era to the Revolution, with pottery, sculpture and paintings.
Parque ecológico Los Ladrillos
Opened on April 2, 2015, Los Ladrillos Ecological Park is a nature reserve in the municipality of Zacatelco, in Tlaxcala.
Cholula
Cholula's Great Pyramid grew in successive construction phases around an adobe core. INAH repair work on its Pocito staircase after the 2017 earthquakes turned up broken pre-Hispanic braziers and a small limestone figure of the rain god Tláloc.
Tonantzintla Observatory
The Tonantzintla Observatory in Puebla was home to the National Astrophysical Observatory directed by Guillermo Haro. Its main instrument, a Schmidt camera, was a wide-field telescope built for photographing the sky.
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.
When you get to Tetela del Volcán
Convento de Santiago Apóstol
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.
Former convent of Saint Dominic de Guzmán
In the town of Hueyapan, the 16th-century church and former convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán keeps original frescoes and moldings inside, around a modest cloister typical of its era.
Convento de San Juan Bautista
This convent in Tetela del Volcán, known for its carved wooden sacristy and light-filled cloister walks, was cleaned of soot left from its use as a barracks during the Mexican Revolution in a conservation project completed in 2009.
More drives to Tetela del Volcán
- Cuernavaca to Tetela del Volcán
- Mexico City to Tetela del Volcán
- Zacatelco to Tetela del Volcán
- Tlaxcala to Tetela del Volcán
- Apizaco to Tetela del Volcán
- Metepec to Tetela del Volcán
From Tlaxco to other places in Mexico
- Tlaxco to Chipilo
- Tlaxco to Otumba
- Tlaxco to Omitlán
- Tlaxco to Atlatlahucan
- Tlaxco to Jilotepec
- Tlaxco to Zimapán
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Tlaxco to Tetela del Volcán?
About 2 h 4 min of driving without stops, over 94 miles.
How far is Tetela del Volcán from Tlaxco by car?
About 94 miles (152 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 Tlaxco to Tetela del Volcán?
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 Tlaxco to Tetela del Volcán?
The U.S. State Department rates Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Tlaxco to Tetela del Volcán use?
In order: MEX-119, MEX-117D, MEX-119D and PUE 438D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Tlaxco and Tetela del Volcán?
Closest to the road: Museo Casa de Piedra (railway museum, mile 16, 0.9 mi from the route); Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia de Tlaxcala (museum, mile 26, 1 mi from the route); Parque ecológico Los Ladrillos (park, mile 37, 0.5 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.