Pahuatlán

Pahuatlán (also known as Pahuatlan del Valle) is a quaint village in the mountains of northwest Puebla. Sometimes described as part of the Huasteca region, the town is actually home to a large Otomi and Nahua population. It has a picturesque colonial center and is known for a number of handcrafts including weaving, pottery, and the artisans making amate paper in the nearby village of San Pablito. The town has been designated as one of Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos.

Understand
This part of Puebla is very rural with few large towns. Pahuatlán is the largest town in the municipality (county) with a population just over 3,500 in 2010. The second largest town is San Pablito with a population of almost 3,200. San Pablito is an interesting village that's worth a visit if you are interested in indigenous artesanias because it is the best source for a unique pre-Hispanic type of paper called amate that is made from tree bark. Three artisans have workshops in San Pablito and welcome visitors to learn about their traditional craft and watch it being made. (Amate may also be sold in local artesania shops or the Sunday tianguis.) Other nearby villages include Xolotla and Cuauneutla (both of which grow a lot of coffee).

Local culture in Pahuatlan includes traditional huapango music. The town claims to have originated the Danza de los Voladores, which is performed during town festivals. A pole for voladores is in the town's zocalo.

Get in
From Mexico City, it is about a 2-hour bus ride to Xicotepec (Futura buses depart from Indios Verdes). Xicotepec is the nearest bus station to Pahuatlán. From there, it is a 50-km taxi ride on twisty (but scenic) mountain roads to Pahuatlán.

Get around
The town itself is very compact and enjoyable to walk. You'll want to use taxis to reach some of the more remote sites.

See





 * Cascada Velo de Novia (Bridal Veil Falls) on the Río Acalpa

Do

 * Carnaval - for eight days leading up to Ash Wednesday the town celebrates carnaval with music, dance, food and drink. The highlight are the Huehues of Pahuatlán, costumed characters wearing carved wood masks.
 * Semana Santa - Holy week (the week before Easter) is the town's biggest celebration, featuring music, dance, and the Festival Cultural de la Sierra.

Buy

 * Tianguis - Sunday is the weekly tianguis, held in the main plaza (zocalo). This is a good place to find local artesanias, especially rebozos, pottery and fresh cut flowers.

Eat
There are few restaurants in Pahuatlan, though most hotels serve at least breakfast and may have an on-site restaurant serving other meals. While there are few restaurants, there are quite a number of panaderias, bakeries selling fresh baked goods and typically also serving coffee and sometimes other food. There are also more cantinas than restaurants in this town and some of the cantinas serve light meals.





Connect
This is a remote, mountainous, rural area. Cell phone reception is often spotty and will likely be 3G (5G not available here). Expect your apps to lose connectivity frequently.

Go next

 * Huachinango
 * Xicotepec
 * Tulancingo
 * Tuxpan