Downtown Zacualpan at rush hour

Zacualpan de Amilpas is a small rural town of about 9,000 residents (2015) in the Central Mexico state of Morelos.

Understand

The first people to settle around Zacualpan were the Olmecs, between 1000 - 900 BC, and later the Toltecs around 900 AD. At the time of the Spanish conquest, Chichimecas occupied the area.

Establishment of Zacualpan as a Spanish town began in the 1520s, but the first significant development came a decade later when the Augustinian friars began building the Templo de la Inmaculada Concepción (Church of the Immaculate Conception) in 1535. Three haciendas were built in the 16th century to foster commercial and industrial development. These are Hacienda San Nicolás, Hacienda Cuentepec, and Hacienda Chicomocelo.

Located on the lower slopes of Popocatépetl, the area has a hilly terrain full of ravines and box canyons. With an elevation of 1,640 meters, it is temperate with a transition zone from pine and oak to tropical forest. This temperate climate supports a wide range of fruits and vegetables and Zacualpan's economy is based largely on agriculture.

Get in

By car

From Cuernavaca, it's just over an hour by car to Zacualpan. Take the MEX 115D toll road east toward Cuautla and then continue on MEX 160 east to Zacualpan. If you don't want to drive, a taxi from Cuernavaca to Zacualpan will only cost about M$250 (May 2023).

Get around

It's a small town, so walking is easy, but you'll need a car or taxi for anything further out.

See

Church of the Immaculate Conception

• Templo de la Inmaculada Concepción (Church of the Immaculate Conception). The church, dating from 1535, is the oldest building in town and is the center of town activity. It is one of several historic 16th century monasteries on the slopes of Popocateptl that collectively make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Based on the church's elevated height above nearby streets, there is evidence that indigenous stories about the Spanish building the church atop an existing temple may be valid. The church is built of rose colored granite with a semi-circular arch on the main facade, braced by a pair of square pilasters and a Rennaissance style frieze. An open chapel occupies one side of the church while the monastery and fills the other. A central courtyard is contained within high walls with arches and porticoes. 

• Hacienda Cuautepec - the ruined ex-hacienda has several standing structures including the main house and a series of arched patios. There's nobody at the site and nobody to charge admission. It's just the ruins of the old hacienda with crumbling brick walls and graffiti on interior stucco walls. Cool place to take photos.

• Hacienda Chicomecelo - the ruined ex-hacienda consists mostly of an eerie old church with a long-gone roof and weeds growing out from the stone and stucco walls. There's a lagoon here where locals picnic and sometimes swim.

Do

Festivals

• Festival of Our Lady of the Rosary, late September. Celebrate the town's patron saint with food, fireworks and Chinelos dancers. The festival also features the mojiganga, a local carnival-like celebration that includes costumed masked characters and elaborately decorated parade floats.

Natural areas

• Presa San Andres - quiet lake close to the highway on the north side of town. Open areas for walking or picnics. Kids like to feed the ducks.

Buy

The barter queen of Zacualpan (Reina de Trueque)

• Tianguis - Sunday is market day in Zacualpan with stalls going up around the zocalo very early Sunday morning and the streets filling with local buyers doing their shopping before mass. Tianguis are common in Mexico but a unique feature of the Zacualpan tianguis is that locals will barter between themselves --- this many onions for so many apples. No need for cash or credit cards! Each year the town designates a young woman to be the "Barter Queen". The queen evangelizes the barter system and will explain the importance of bartering in the town's traditional culture.

Eat

• 1 Don Zenon, Del Vivero, Los Tres Reyes, ☏ +52 735 109 4390. Carnitas and barbacoa. M$200. (updated May 2023)
• 2 Frida Kahlo, Alhóndiga de Granaditas, Tlacotepec. 18:00 - 23:00 (closed W). Cozy place with traditional Mexican cuisine. Takeout available. (updated May 2023)
• 3 La Troje Cafe, Calle Juárez S/N Barrio de San Pedro, Centro Zacualpan. F-Su 18:00 - 23:00, closed M-Th. Bright artsy space with light food and drinks. (updated May 2023)

Drink

Aguardiente de caña is a locally produced rum that is sold in two varieties: blanco or reposado. Blanco is a clear, light rum like brands labeled as "silver" or "white". Reposado is a light golden color, similar to the young, aged tequilas also sold as "reposado" (which means "rested"). Both are 38% alcohol (76 proof). The local brand is Aguardiente Zacualpan Legítimo. Rum is not a common liquor in Mexico, so it is worth sampling it for the experience if you get a chance.

• 1 Los Tragos de Zacualpan, Zaragoza y Aldama 4, Calle Ignacio Zaragoza 10A, Aldama. 08:00 - 21:00. Friendly, eclectic place serving up drinks made with the local rum. Many flavors and varieties! Try 'em all and crawl back to your room. (updated May 2023)
• 2 Palomas Doña Andrea, Calle 16 de septiembre S/N, Guadalupe Victoria. 10:00 - 18:00. They call their drinks "palomas" and they're available in a wide range of creative flavors. Made with local aguardiente de caña (rum, though they call it "brandy"). M$50 per liter. (updated May 2023)

Sleep

• 1 Casa de los Arboles, Allende 13, San Pedro. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Loudly, vibrantly, proudly Mexican--full of color and celebrations of Mexican art and culture, from walls decorated with catrinas to an old trajinera from the canals of Xochimilco. Rooms are spacious, clean, and comfortable. Swimming pool and upscale restaurant. Unique. M$2500. (updated May 2023)

Go next

• Atlixco
• Cuautla