Zacualpan De Amilpas: Monasteries, Markets and Festivals

Monasteries, the history of sugarcane and recurring festivals give Zacualpan De Amilpas a range of cultural character. For planning your trip, it’s worth considering two questions: Which historic places would you like to visit, and would a Sunday market or an annual festival fit your travel dates? The architecture of the Ex-Convento, traditions in September and October, and the Festival del Trueque offer specific points to consider.

Monastery Architecture and the History of the Haciendas

The Convento de la Inmaculada Concepción in Zacualpan de Amilpas is part of the UNESCO serial World Heritage property “Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl.” The Ex-Convento was founded in 1535. Its distinctive features include an open chapel located slightly above the atrium. A large round arch and an adjoining portal with two arches complete the complex. If you’re interested in architectural forms, these features can serve as specific points of reference as you explore the monastery.

The cloister of the Templo y Exconvento de la Inmaculada Concepción also has a detailed painted family tree of the Augustinians on its walls. Alongside the arches and open chapel, it offers a different focus: rather than considering the building’s spatial layout, visitors can turn their attention to the history of the order as depicted here.

The Ex Hacienda de San Nicolás Cuautepec is also part of the area’s history. Jesuits founded it in the 16th century to grow and process sugarcane. An irrigation system with aqueducts carried water to the fields. The administrative center included the owner’s residence, offices, a sugar mill, a chapel and housing for permanent workers. Together, these functions show how cultivation, processing and administration were connected within the hacienda.

In Tlacotepec, which is also part of the municipality of Zacualpan de Amilpas, work on the Ex Hacienda Chicomocelo began in the early 17th century and was completed in 1650. Large millstones from the hacienda were brought to the center of Tlacotepec to preserve them and show them to tourists. The area’s history can therefore also be explored through individual historic objects, not just the buildings themselves.

Sunday Market and Festivals Throughout the Year

The Festival del Trueque takes place on Sundays from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. Local producers barter fruit, flowers, vegetables, sweets and pottery without using money. The selection may vary from one market day to another. If you’re planning to visit the market, check the exact times again before your trip. Bartering gives Sunday a different character from ordinary shopping: the focus is on the direct exchange of goods.

Several annual traditions follow in September and October. The Mojiganga takes place on the last Sunday in September and is considered a tradition at least 180 years old. Organized Comparsas perform in costumes made from regional materials and dance to the music of a brass band. Check the date and program for the relevant year. The Fiesta Patronal de la Virgen del Rosario takes place on the first Sunday in October at the Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción. Its festivities include Voladores de Papantla, colorful carpets of flowers and sawdust along the processional routes, and fireworks; individual program items and the schedule may vary.

Las Malinches is also an annual tradition: it takes place on September 16 in the center of Tlacotepec. Girls and young women from the town perform songs, recitations and dances. This event therefore differs in location and program from the September and October festivities associated with the Mojiganga and the Virgen del Rosario.

A separate, historically dated event was the Cuarto Festival Cultural de los Diablos on April 20, 2025. At that edition, three- to four-meter-high papier-mâché figures paraded through the municipality’s main streets and were then symbolically burned. The festival also included an arts and crafts corridor and a food exhibition. These details refer to the 2025 edition; they do not establish an annual date for future years.

Local Specialty and Scenery

In Tlacotepec, Pan de Tlacotepec is baked in wood-fired ovens and sold on Sundays in special baskets in the main square of the municipal seat. If you’d like to include a visit to the sale in your travel plans, check the local arrangements in advance, as schedules may change.

The municipality is considered a scenic place for beautiful sunrises and sunsets, as well as views toward Popocatépetl. Visibility depends on the season and weather. Along with the historic buildings and festival calendar, this offers a range of travel options: you can tailor your accommodation search to a particular Sunday, an annual tradition, or a visit focused on the history of monasteries and haciendas, and check the relevant dates before booking.

Discover more destinations: Anenecuilco, Jojutla De Juárez, Santa Fe, Xochitepec, Cuernavaca, Xoxocotla, Tlayacapan, Los Arcos.

For the overview of the wider region: Morelos.