What’s so special about “Tetela de Ocampo” to be named a Pueblo Magico

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Tetela de Ocampo, Puebla, is located on the interserrana highway that connects Chignahuapan with Zacapoaxtla. Located at the top of a hill, the views from its viewpoints over the Sierra, such as the Church of the Assumption, are spectacular. The center of this mountain town preserves its traditional architecture, with steep streets, whitewashed facades, and large ailerons.

The zócalo is the meeting point of Tetela de Ocampo, between ancient trees and the portals of the Municipal Palace. In the surroundings, you can perform adventure activities, such as climbing Cerro Frailes.

Founded by 4 Chichimeca tribes, around the year 1200, Tetela de Ocampo is today a magical corner of the Sierra Mágica de Puebla that preserves its ancient traditions and is also a heroic city, thanks to its outstanding participation in the fighting during the French occupation in Mexico.

One of the most deeply rooted traditions in Tetela de Ocampo is the Huehue de Chirrión carnival, which has different characteristics that make it unique and differentiate it from others.

Tetela shelters in its mountains extraordinary natural landscapes that range from infinite banks of mist, imposing canyons, gigantic waterfalls, crystalline water springs, lush forests, a great variety of endemic flora and fauna.

Tetela de Ocampo is located on the interserran highway that connects Chignahuapan with Zacapoaxtla. Located at the top of a hill, the views from its viewpoints over the Sierra, such as the Church of the Assumption, are privileged. The center of this mountain city preserves the traditional architecture and the zócalo is the meeting point of Tetela de Ocampo, between ancient trees and the portals of the Municipal Palace. You can also do adventure activities, such as climbing Cerro Frailes.

EL MIRADOR DE TETELA
It is located fifteen minutes from the center of the municipality, passing the town of La Cañada and can only be accessed by car. In the place, the best view of the day and the pleasant panorama that the municipality has at night is appreciated.

HISTORICAL MURAL
Located inside the Municipal Palace and where the Battle of May 5 and the participation of Tetela are captured with great beauty.

HISTORICAL CENTER there are corridors decorated with monuments that represent the past of the municipality; some of these are the statues of Don Benito Juárez, the 3 Juanes, the monuments of the National Symbols and the Tetelan Soldier.

The Municipal Palace, the Zócalo, the “Tres Juanes” museum, the church dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption and the palace portals that has a room that exhibits various documents, objects and images of the 6th Battalion are also located here. of the National Guard and the illustrious characters of Tetela.

Museum of the 3 Juanes

HEMICICLO TETELA DE OCAMPO:  dedicated to the three Juanes of the Sierra Norte de Puebla. Los tres Juanes de la Sierra Norte is the name with which it refers to the group formed by Juan Nepomuceno Méndez, Juan Crisóstomo Bonilla, and Juan Francisco Lucas. The three were prominent liberal leaders of the Sierra Norte de Puebla who lived, fought, and shared the same ideological, historical and geographical context of the history of Mexico. They were called that way because they all bear the same name.

CHURCH OF SANTA MARÍA DE LA ASUNCIÓN: This church is in the Gothic-Spanish style, its construction began in 1873 and was completed on February 29, 1808. The façade shows neoclassical columns with an arch housing the entrance to the Church, you can also see pronounced and accented empty niches. The roof is characterized by its Latin cross shape and its nave consists of seven sections representing the benefactor number in the Catholic religion. This 18th century church houses the Blessed Virgin of the Assumption, patron of Tetela de Ocampo.

MUNICIPAL PALACE: Presiding over the great zócalo or main square, it was built in the s. XIX this simple building as Municipal Palace, neoclassical – rustic style, perfectly integrated into the mountain character of the city. On its first floor, it houses the Los Tres Juanes Museum, and under the portals, you can access a room where artifacts from the 6th Battalion of the National Guard that fought in the battle of May 5 are exhibited.

CERRO DE LOS FRAILES: Tetela de Ocampo is surrounded by hills. In fact, its name derives from the Nahuatl “teteles” or mounds or hills. The Cerro de Los Frailes or de Los Picos, named by the locals, is one of the ideal places for ecotourism. Here you can go hiking along a long path that surrounds the hill. Fans of adventure activities know the hill for its possibilities to practice climbing and rappelling at an expert level.


Puebla’s hotel offer is wide and varied. There are options for all tastes, needs, and pockets. A thriving city with so much historical richness has to live up to the requirements of the tourism sector.

In the State of Puebla, you can find the classic one and two-star lodgings. A little more comfort in  3-star hotels. All luxury services in  4-star hotels and exquisite services in  5-star hotels.

For those who seek a taste for detail, Puebla offers the elegance and warmth of its Boutique Hotels and its colonial mansions specially prepared to provide an unforgettable stay.

Nature lovers will find many options for lodging in cabins in Chignahuapan, Cuetzalan, Tetela de Ocampo, Zacatlán, Huauchinango, Zacapoaxtla and other locations.

SEARCH, FIND AND RESERVE YOUR HOTEL  with the platform offered by CorazondePuebla.com.mx and Booking.com

GRUTAS DE CARRERAGCO: Guided tours of the caves, lodging, restaurant, sleeping bag rental and camping area, ecotourism lodge, palapas, reception and parking.

LA CAÑADA – OLD MINING TOWN: Ex-haciendas, old metallurgical factories, high rocky hills, framed in an evergreen color. The Cempoala River crosses the region from the south of the canyon to Zapotitlán.


In LA CAÑADA you can do the following activities:
Camping, swimming in the river, climbing hills, visiting the spring. Visits to mines, former estates, and metallurgical factories require prior authorization.

 EL ZOTOLO: it is a hill located on the east side of Tetela. Climbing the Zotolo takes between 3 and 5 hours of walking, it is a hill almost 3000 meters high. On a clear day, you can see from there Pico de Orizaba, the edges of the city of Zacatlán, and some towns in the state of Veracrúz. The trees in the area reach a height of 20 meters.

ACONCO WATERFALL: Aconco means “water pots”, it is located in Xaltatempa de Lucas, approximately 20 minutes from the center of Tetela, it is a unique place with two waterfalls of 40 and 70 meters respectively. The waterfall is surrounded by abundant vegetation and has steps to observe it from different angles. A place where ecology, the care, and warmth of its people, guarantees you a day full of adventure, fun, and exploration.

LOS PICOS: Los Picos or Cerro de los Frailes, is the name of this pointed monolith that stands on the tip of the western hill of La Cañada. Its name derives from the Nahuatl “teteles” or mounds or hills. It is an excellent place to practice rappelling at a professional level or to go hiking, always taking the necessary precautions as they are very high places and with dangerous areas, especially in the rainy season.

EL ZOYAYO: It is an ideal place to feel above the sky. It is recommended to go up when the fog sets over the town of Tetela. From El Zoyayo you can have a free view of the 4 cardinal points.

GASTRONOMY: A typical dish of Tetela is the famous chileatole. The mole poblano differs from the mole de Tetela in the concentration of its spices, the mole poblano is sweeter than the Tetelense, but no less exquisite.


Dishes that you cannot miss: mole de olla or tixmole, chayotestle in soup, weathered or stuffed; tlayoyos, sauce with egg, turkey mole. Equally unmissable are: crystallized peaches, pumpkin candy, pepita ham, etc. And fruit wines: peach, capulín, plum, huiquiño.

FERIA DEL DURANZO: it is the most important festival in Tetela de Ocampo and it takes place in August. For 10 days you can find all the distinctive elements of Tetela in the Zóocalo of the town.

TLAPALCALLI HOUSE MUSEUM: also known as the House of Paintings, you will find the paintings and sculptures of Rafael Bonilla Cortés, an artist from the municipality of Tetela de Ocampo.

In the museum, you can visit a gallery of more than 500 paintings in a retrospective and permanent pictorial exhibition of Bonilla. The museum is located 15 minutes from the Municipal Palace and recently, through the Rafael Bonilla Arte y Cultura AC foundation, guided tours, photography and painting exhibitions, and free children’s painting workshops were resumed with the support of the Casa of Municipal Culture Juan N. Méndez.


How to get to Tetela de Ocampo

From the capital of Puebla to Tetela the distance is 146 km, which is covered in 3 hours.

By bus, the line that goes to Tetela is ATAH.

By car from Puebla, take the Mexico-Puebla highway to the Puebla-Tlaxcala track, cross or go around Tlaxcala towards Apizaco. Continue on 119, go through Tlaxco and continue on 119 until Tetela de Ocampo.

Source: corazondepuebla.com.mx

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