Atlixco, a colorful little city with grand churches and a commanding view of the active Popocatépetl volcano. 15.5 miles (25 kms) west of Puebla and accessible from Puebla by tour bus (220 pesos p.p. 6 hour trip) or local bus from the CAPU bus terminal. I would recommend hiring a taxi for the excursion. Charges are approx. 300 pesos for the return journey and 100 pesos per hour of waiting. The tour bus will not take you to the top of cerro (mountain) de San Miguel which is the main landmark of the city.
Natividad church Atlixco, Puebla-Mexico
Like most places in Mexico, the buildings are colorful and streets cobblestoned. People are friendly, courteous, kind and generous. Food is fresh and available everywhere especially freshly squeezed fruit juices.
Atlixco street, Puebla-Mexico
The road leading up to the landmark church/hermitage of San Miguel is lined with colorful homes beautifully decorated with flower pots hanging on the outside walls. These people truly love and take pride in their neighborhoods! To see more pictures, click here.
Atlixco street, Puebla-Mexico-2
Halfway up, you will come upon the church of Parroquia Santa Maria de la Asuncion. We were fortunate to happen upon a wedding ceremony, it was awesome!
Parroquia Santa Maria de la Asuncion, Atlixco, Puebla-Mexico
From this halfway point, the drive up to the entrance of the hermitage of San Miguel is steep. Once you get to the parking lot, you have to walk up a lot of steps, at least 100 if not more however, there are a lot of lookout points where you can rest and have a picturesque, panoramic view of the city. To see more pictures, click here.
Panoramic view Atlixco, Puebla-Mexico
The yellow church and trees in the middle right of the picture is the zócalo. From one of these lookout points, you can also see the imposing active Popocatépetl volcano. This was the best picture we could get on the day we visited.
Popocatépetl volcano, Atlixco-Cholula-Mexico
Halfway up to the hermitage, you will find this big open air arena with a 30 meter pole that is used for the ritual and “dance of the flyers”. I have watched this performance in Playa del Carmen and Teotihuacan-Mexico City it is amazing. To see more pictures, click here.
Arena for “dance of the flyers”.
Click here to see more pictures of Atlixco.
You should also consider visiting Mexico City, Puebla and Cholula.
TIPS
- Atlixco is a small city and walking around the zócalo maybe 5 blocks in all directions will expose you to a lot of the local culture, food, habits and lifestyle of these wonderful people.
- To the west of the zócalo is the main landmark of the city, the hermitage of San Miguel on the mountain.
- We felt very safe here.
- To get a good picture of the volcano, I was told early morning is a good choice.
