Discover San Martín de las Pirámides

When choosing a hotel in San Martín de las Pirámides, it is worth considering the town’s different attractions: churches and plazas in the center, obsidian-related crafts, and Cerro Gordo, the hill visible from everywhere. San Martín de las Pirámides lies east of the Teotihuacán archaeological zone and is the region’s second Pueblo Mágico.

Churches, crafts, and plazas

A short walk through the center passes the Parroquia de San Martín Obispo de Tours, the Iglesia Ecce Homo, and the Capilla de Santa María Palapa. The route offers a compact overview of the town’s churches; it does not indicate whether their interiors are accessible.

The Templo de Ecce Homo was built in the late 1970s. The church contains a painting of Jesus Christ depicted as Ecce Homo. The construction period and subject of the painting give the visit a specific cultural context. The “Museo de la Obsidiana” library, established in 2020–2021, presents the history of local crafts and a variety of works, especially those made from obsidian.

Plazas are also part of the townscape. The plaza features two monoliths named Chalchihuitlicue and Huehueteotl. Plaza Juárez in the center has benches and a kiosk. This lets you experience the history of local crafts, the named monoliths, and public plazas as distinct aspects of the town, rather than reducing them to a single landmark.

Hills and activities

Cerro Gordo is a hill visible from every point in San Martín de las Pirámides. It therefore serves as a widely recognizable landmark in the town’s landscape. If you would rather plan an activity than a walk, hot-air balloon rides are offered in San Martín de las Pirámides. Check before your trip whether a ride is available for your dates.

More perspectives on the Municipio San Martín de las Pirámides

The wider travel destination of Municipio San Martín de las Pirámides encompasses other cultural and landscape-related themes. The Feria Nacional de la Tuna is celebrated in August. Its food exhibition features jams, liqueurs, soft drinks, fruit pastes, sweets, and snacks made from prickly pears and Xoconostle varieties grown in the municipio. If you want to plan your trip around the Feria, check the specific dates in advance.

Another cultural theme is the “Memoria y Territorio” project: this cultural gathering explores the identity and resistance of the valley’s communities. Architecture offers another way to engage with regional history. Construction of the Parroquia of San Martín de las Pirámides was completed in 1920 in the Plateresque style adopted from Italy. The Parroquia also has a musical clock that plays a different song every six hours.

For an active outing, a cycling tour runs through San Martín de las Pirámides along the outer edge of the archaeological zone. It is approximately ten kilometers long and takes three hours. In addition, cycling routes in the Valle de Teotihuacán, outside the archaeological zone, pass through the town’s streets and lead to access points for caves and obsidian workshops. The short loop to the churches in the center and the regional cycling tours therefore differ considerably in scope and type of activity.

For the broader travel overview: Municipio San Martín de las Pirámides.