Tlayacapan
A Quiet Colonial Town In Morelos Centred On A Fortress Like Augustinian Convent (Part Of The UNESCO World Heritage Monasteries On The Slopes Of Popocatepetl, 1994), With Potters, A Regional Museum, A Weekend Market And The Brinco Dancers Of Carnival. A Calm Half Day Trip From Cuernavaca Or Mexico City · Tlayacapan, Morelos
Tlayacapan is a quiet Pueblo Magico in eastern Morelos, about 25 km east of Cuernavaca, built around the fortress-like Augustinian convent of San Juan Bautista. The convent, founded in the 1500s, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage group of early monasteries on the slopes of Popocatepetl, listed in 1994, and its thick walls, open chapel and cloister survive in good shape. The town is also known for its potters, who work clay in family workshops, and for the Brinco dancers, whose feathered hats and leaps fill the streets at Carnival. A regional museum, a Sunday market and a cemetery with a local character add to the walk. It suits history and craft lovers and anyone wanting a calm half day from Cuernavaca or Mexico City. It is worth the detour on a weekday, when the lanes are almost empty, or at Carnival for the dancers. It is not worth it for someone who wants nightlife, big shops or constant activity, and Tepoztlan nearby draws far bigger crowds.
Tlayacapan, a Pueblo Magico with a 16th-century Augustinian convent in eastern Morelos, about 25 km east of Cuernavaca; coordinates approximate, Tlayacapan, Morelos, Mexico
The streets, plaza and exterior of the convent are open all day and are FREE to walk. The convent and its cloister normally open in daytime, commonly morning to late afternoon, with a small ticket or donation for the museum areas, and they are CLOSED during some services and on certain weekdays, so confirm on the day. The Sunday market runs through the morning and early afternoon. Pottery workshops keep their own hours, and many are closed on quiet weekdays unless you ask. Carnival dates change each year.