A little history: Prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores, Atlixco was part of Cuauhquecollán, an area that is known to have been inhabited since at least 1100 CE. It was conquered by the Aztecs in the 1500s.

Once the pesky Spanish arrived and realised this was a wonderfully fertile and useful area, it was, of course, then conquered by them, too. The first wheat mill in the state of Puebla was here.

⭐️ Today, Atlixco is a delight of a pueblo mágico with magnificent views of Popocatéptl, wonderful murals and a thriving flower industry (hence its popular name, Atlixco de las Flores). It also hosts a number of interesting festivals throughout the years, which attract people from all over the country.

🌶️ Weird fact: In 2008, Atlixco broke a world record for making the world’s largest chile en nogada.

Where to stay in Atlixco

Where to eat in Atlixco

I didn’t eat much in Atlixco because I just wasn’t hungry at all. Had I had an appetite, I’d have eaten a meal at VICA, just off the plaza, or in Mercado Benito Juarez because I’m an absolute sucker for market food.

🍦Atlixco has something of a reputation for its ice creams. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s up there with Dolores Hidalgo as a centre of ice-creamy weirdness and excellence but it is good for sure.

I stopped in at Ximitl Helados y Nieves Artesanales on my way up to the Mirador de Cristal and bought two scoops: one of cempasuchil and one chile en nogada. Both were excellent (and honestly, this is is why I wasn’t hungry for the rest of the day 😋).

What to do in Atlixco

My recommendation is to start your day as early as you can manage so that you get the very best views of Popocatépetl, taking into account both that you probably do want to see this awesome view and very often, clouds gather as the day progresses.

Cerro de San Miguel & the Mirador de Cristal

Head up, following signs from the main plaza, towards the Cerro de San Miguel. It’s unlikely you’ll miss it since this is a huge hill slap bang in the middle of town. First you’ll reach Netotiloyan (Plazuela De La Danza). Here you’ll find more signs encouraging you to head up to either the Capilla San Miguel Arcángel or the Mirador de Cristal.

🚰 It is a short but tiring trek up to the top of this view point so I definitely recommend taking water with you

Capilla San Miguel Arcángel

There’s a chapel on the very top of the cerro. You’ll also find toilets and a small snack kiosk nearby.

🪽The “alas de San Miguel” are also here for anyone wishing to take some fun photos for social media.

La Escalera Ancha

This flight of stairs is famous for the mural painted on it. There’s also a flower clock monument at the top of the stairs.

🤭 Embarrassingly, I missed this famous staircase when looking for it from the top. What I didn’t consider is that from this vantage point, you won’t see the mural so I stomped around getting sweaty, annoyed and confused for a while before I realised how silly I was being.

Both Ave. Hidalgo and Calz 16 Septiembre are interesting streets to meander along – with cute shops, some lovely street art and colourful murals to enjoy.

Zocalo (main plaza)

Much like most Mexican towns, Atlixco has a really beautiful zocalo where, of course, life happens all around you.

Quiosco de Atlixco – stop for a coffee

Although I’m not generally a fan of the Italian Coffee Company, I highly recommend you take time to stop for a coffee or a drink here. The building itself is gorgeous, as you can see in the photo above, and its location right in the centre of the zocalo means the views from its rooftop terrace are an absolute delight. And honestly, the coffee isn’t terrible.

Palacio Municipal

Atlixco’s Palacio Municipal, like so many others in Mexico, is decorated with enormous murals that outline the history of the town. Here, artist, Juan Manuel Martínez Caltenco, has done a fabulous job of covering the walls of the courtyard (both ground floor and first floor) in fascinating and informative murals.

I’m always a fan of a trip to a Mexican Palacio Municipal and these super accessible murals make this palacio one of my favourites.

What else is there on the plaza?

There’s a big church, the Parroquia de Santa María de la Natividad, a number of good looking restaurants, and the Atlixco tourist buses leave from here.

Walk down Avenida Nicolás Bravo (the continuation of Hidalgo). You’ll find it becomes pedestrianised and there are artisania shops here. On the left is the Convention Centre. The road ends with the Arco Conmemorativo.

I walked through here, all the way to the outskirts of town to learn more about the flowery side of the city. If you don’t feel like walking, you could always take a cab or the tour bus.

Atlixco, Ciudad de las Flores

People talk about the city being a city of flowers and it is, I guess. Because I was in Atlixco in October when things were starting to hot up for Día de Muertos, I decided to walk through the Valle de Catrinas, hoping to see the fields full of cempasuchiles (the gorgeous marigold flowers used on the Día de Muertos ofrenda).

Sadly, in early October, they’re not yet fully in bloom. Later in the month, I am certain this would be an absolutely incredible place to visit – they put up giant catrinas in the fields amongst the flowers. Just imagine that with Popocatépetl smoking away in the distance.

People recommend visiting the Jardín Mágico, so I did. It’s a small decorative botanical garden.

Honestly I was massively underwhelmed. I know I rarely say that, but I really wasn’t impressed as I wandered around. It’s fine, it’s a nice enough place to spend 30 minutes but it wasn’t for me. There are far more impressive and imaginative gardens all over Mexico.

If I were to return, I’d go to the Museo de Arte Bonsai or Museo de la Navidad instead.

Festivals

For a smallish town, there’s so much going on every month. If you’re visiting, why not try to check out one of the following:

January

Festival de la Ilusión (Festival of Joy) – on the 4th of January, the town launches balloons and envelopes with the local children’s wishes for Kings’ Day. On 5th Jan there is a Kings’ Day parade and on the 6th, in the Centro de Convenciones there is a big, city wide celebration with music and shows. 

February

La Noche de las Estrellas (Night of the Stars) – last Saturday of the  month. People head up the Cerro de San Miguel to the observatory to learn about space together. 

March

Festival de la Flor (Flower Festival) – celebrating this city’s main economic activity: flower growing. During the last two weeks of the month. giant flower carpets (tapetes) are created and large flower sculptures are erected around the town.

September

El Huey Atlixcayotl (The Great Atlixco Tradition) – running for around 60 years now, this is a revival of an Indigenous celebration honouring Quetzalcoatl and giving thanks for the harvest. 

October

​Fería de Atlixco – the last two weeks of the month 

Valle de las Catrinas – during the month of October, Atlixco is turned into a living art gallery stocked with monumental catrinas around the town as well as an actual (ticketed and paid) event in the Convention Centre at the weekends during October (and extra nights in the final week). 

November

Desfile de Calaveras – Nov 2 is the culmination of the Valle de las Catrinas and Día de Muertos. There’s a whole procession through town.

Festival de la Iluminación – on Nov 20, large illuminated figures are put up around town. This is actually a fairly new event, only being inaugurated in 2010. Over half a million people show up to see this during Nov-Jan.

Feria de la Nochebuena (Poinsettia Fair) begins on November 25 and runs through the Christmas season.