Atlixco
A Sunny Colonial Town Of A Famous Year Round Spring Climate, Flower Nurseries, A Sunday Market, A Hilltop Chapel With Views And The Atlixcayotl Festival Of Indigenous Dance In September. A Quiet Day Out Of Puebla Or Cholula And A Base For The Popocatepetl Views, With Flower Fairs, Ice Cream And A Mezcal Tradition · Atlixco, Puebla
Atlixco is a Pueblo Magico about 35 km south-west of Puebla city, at the foot of the Cerro de San Miguel, and it is known for what locals call the best climate in Mexico: warm, sunny and spring-like for most of the year. The old centre has a large zocalo with arcades, a handsome parish church, tiled fountains and streets of colonial houses. Around the town, flower nurseries sell plants, and the hillside chapel of San Miguel gives wide views over the valley toward Popocatepetl on clear days. On Sundays the tianguis fills the streets with produce, flowers and street food, and in September the Atlixcayotl festival brings indigenous dance and music to the hill, though dates vary from year to year. Atlixco is also known for ice cream, mezcal and fruit sweets. It suits people who want a calm half-day from Puebla or Cholula, with a long lunch, a short climb and a market. It is worth the trip on a Sunday or during the festival. On weekdays it is quiet, which some visitors will prefer. It is less rewarding if you expect large monuments.
Atlixco, a Pueblo Magico at the foot of the Cerro de San Miguel about 35 km south-west of Puebla city; coordinates approximate, Atlixco, Puebla, Mexico
The streets, the zocalo and the exterior of the churches are FREE and open at any hour. The parish church is usually open in the morning and again in the late afternoon, and may be CLOSED at midday. The Cerro de San Miguel chapel is open on most days with a steady flow of visitors, and at weekends crowds climb in the afternoon. The Sunday tianguis runs from early morning to mid-afternoon and is the best day to see the town full. Nurseries open in the morning and close by late afternoon. Many small shops close on Mondays. Festival days change the schedule, so check ahead.