A Day in Zacapoaxtla

If you haven’t heard of Zacapoaxtla yet, you’ve come to the right place. Zacapoaxtla is a charming town located in the mountains northeast of Puebla, Mexico. It’s located on the way to Cuetzalan, a more popular destination in the Sierra Norte. Despite its charms, there is little information online, not even Google Street view — rare these days!

I was headed back toward Puebla from Cuetzalan and I decided to stop for one night. I didn’t have much information to go on — the buses don’t drive through the centro, so I wasn’t too sure what it looked like. A few photos online showed the main square and the two churches on it. I decided not to reserve a hotel in advance.

The bus terminal is at the northern edge of town, so after arriving, I headed south (uphill) toward the centro. I stopped at the Hotel Plaza, and was given a fantastic room (I think it was #10) on the second floor. The room was huge and had three windows overlooking the main plaza. I took a few photos from my room, and one fisheye style image that shows the plaza.

Fisheye view of square, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

Church, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

About two blocks west of the square, there is an overlook from which you can see a beautiful view of one of the town’s churches and its cemetery.

Church and cemetery, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

I was enamored with this view, so I decided to try and catch it before sunrise the next morning.

I decided to walk towards this church, and check out the cemetery as well. I was traveling shortly after Dia De Los Muertos, and I had found that in Cuetzalan, people were still decorating graves even though it was a few days after the actual holiday.

Church and cemetery, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

Cemetary, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

After visiting the cemetery, I walked back toward the square, and then south, to the southern edge of town. On the southern edge of town, there are some nice overlooks from the streets to the hills beyond. I mostly took photos of interesting things I saw on the street.

VW and Restaurant, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

Cocina Mayra, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

Beer sign, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

Street, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

VW, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

Ruined home, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

VW, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

The next morning, I got up early and took some pre-sunrise photos around the central square and of the cemetery.

Church and cemetery, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

Morning street, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

Square, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

Early morning street, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla.

I ended up heading back to Puebla at about 10:00 in the morning, so I ended up spending just less than a day in Zacapoaxtla. I enjoyed wandering around, and I think it might be a place to return to. It seems as though there are some interesting waterfalls in the mountains nearby, but on such a short stopover, I didn’t explore outside of town. I’d be shocked if many tourists came here, but my impression after a short visit is that it was well worth the time.