Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business Zacatlán de las Manzanas, the town of apples, sits high in the Sierra Norte de Puebla among orchards, pine forests and deep canyons. It is a Pueblo Mágico with a cobbled centre, a flower clock in the main square, a monastery from the 16th century and waterfalls within a short drive. The air is cool, mornings are often wrapped in fog and the local bakeries and cider makers give the town a flavour all its own.
Zacatlán is a small town with a lot packed into a walkable centre.
It also makes an easy break from the larger cities. The town is about 130 kilometres from Puebla, and the cool climate, with temperatures that usually stay between 12 and 18 degrees over the year, is a relief after the lowlands.
Most of the historic sights stand within a few blocks of the main square and can be covered on foot in a morning.
The plaza is the heart of Zacatlán, with a kiosk that hosts live music on Sundays. Its best-known sight is the flower clock, which has two faces, each about five metres across, driven by a single mechanism.
The flower clock in the plaza is a double-faced clock made by the local Centenario company. Photo: Terguz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Zacatlán is home to Relojes Centenario, a company founded in 1921 by Alberto Olvera Hernández that builds monumental clocks for churches, stations and government buildings. The company built the flower clock in the square.
Relojes Centenario, founded in 1921, builds monumental clocks for buildings across Mexico. Photo: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
On one side of the square stands the monastery founded by the Franciscans in 1567. It is the oldest such construction in the state of Puebla, and its church has been in continuous use since its founding.
The Franciscan monastery on the main square was founded in 1567. Photo: Cessvilla, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Just off the square, the parish church of San Pedro is a Renaissance-style basilica with a main portal dating from 1564. Look for the sculpture of Saint James the Greater on the facade and the gold leaf work in the chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Along Calle Nigromante, a series of mosaic murals made from coloured glass decorates walls, benches and parts of buildings. They are newer than the cemetery murals and show contemporary themes.
The most memorable scenery lies a short walk or taxi ride from the centre, where the land drops into forested valleys.
The cemetery is filled with monuments and mausoleums, and its walls are covered with bright murals for several blocks. On foggy mornings it feels quiet and slightly mysterious.
Murals cover the walls of the town cemetery for several blocks. Photo: Isaacvp, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
This wide, forested canyon is one of the most popular places for sightseers and hikers in Zacatlán. Most visitors head for the glass-floored lookout, the Puente Cristal Mirador, near the cemetery, though the glass floor makes some people dizzy.
The Barranca de los Jilgueros is a wide, forested canyon beside the town. Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Tulimán is the largest of the waterfalls around Zacatlán. Fourteen mountains lie within a half-hour drive of town, and many feed rivers and falls.
In San Miguel Tenango, this private valley covers more than 300 hectares and is known for stacked rock formations. Local legend says the rocks are giants turned to stone, while geologists say they formed through volcanic activity millions of years ago.
The Valle de Piedras Encimadas is known for stacked rock formations formed by volcanic activity. Photo: Comisión Mexicana de Filmaciones, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Zacatlán produces about a million bottles of cider every year, and this traditional cider house lets you see how cider is pressed and prepared. Natural and hard ciders are on offer, along with fruit liqueurs.
Everything good about Puebla's cuisine appears on the menus here, along with a few local specialties. The best known is pan de queso, a cheese-filled bread that is sold in the town's bakeries and is hard to find elsewhere.
For a sit-down meal, order mole poblano, the rich chile and spice sauce that Puebla claims as its own. Try the bakeries early in the day, when the bread comes warm from the oven, and walk the streets around the square for taquerias that stay open late.
Popular dishes to try in Zacatlán
The Centro puts you steps from the square, the monastery and the restaurants. It suits first-time visitors and anyone without a car, with traditional hotels, a few boutique options and most of the bakeries within a short walk.
Linda Vista is the area along the canyon rim, where some hotels offer rooms with views over the Barranca de los Jilgueros. Ask for a room on the canyon side when you book.
Paseo de la Barranca and the canyon itself have cabins and campsites for hikers and families who want forest air.
Where to stay in Zacatlán
The climate is cool and damp for most of the year, and rain can fall in any month, with fog common in the mornings and evenings. Dry months are generally easier for hiking, but the orchards and forests are greener after rain.
August is the biggest month, when the Feria de la Manzana fills the town with food, concerts, folk dances and exhibitions of clocks. It draws large crowds, so book rooms early.
The nearest major airport is in Puebla, and many visitors also fly into Mexico City. ATAH runs buses from the TAPO terminal in Mexico City, with a ride of about three hours, and hourly buses leave Puebla's CAPU terminal for the trip of around two and a half hours. Combis connect Apizaco with Zacatlán.
The bus station is in Barrio San Bartolo, about one and a half kilometres from the main square, so take a taxi or a combi to the centre. The centre is compact and easy to walk.
Spend the morning at the main square, the flower clock, the monastery and the church. Visit the clock museum after lunch, walk the Vitromurales and finish at the cider house with a tasting.
Start early at the cemetery murals and the Barranca de los Jilgueros lookout.
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