Far Southeast: Santiago Tulyehualco on Foot

Why Tulyehualco

Santiago Tulyehualco is the town that makes the city’s alegrías, the puffed amaranth bars sold at every traffic light. It also has olive trees said to descend from the first planted in the Americas, a chapel from 1607, a museum to the man who wrote “Cielito Lindo”, and a nieve fair that has been running, on and off, since 1529. Its flavors include octopus. Most of the city has never been.

It is far. Tulyehualco sits on the south-eastern edge of Mexico City, in the borough of Xochimilco, right on the line with Tláhuac, at the foot of the extinct Teuhtli volcano. From Roma Norte that is roughly 30 km, an hour or more each way by car, and longer on a weekday afternoon. Plan a whole day around it, not a morning.

This walk suits people who have done the Xochimilco trajineras and want to see where the canals end and the farm towns begin, food people, and anyone curious about amaranth. It is not a pretty colonial town. Much of it is plain concrete, the main roads are loud with microbuses, and the walk starts and ends in Tláhuac. The center is lively and friendly, and you will go home with a bag of sweets.

Practical basics

The walk is about 3.2 km, one way, and takes half a day with stops. Take an Uber or taxi to the start and home from the end. Do it on a Saturday, start around noon so lunch falls at the right time, and if you can, come during one of the two fairs.

For transit users, the nearest rail is Metro Tláhuac, the terminus of Line 12, about 4 km north of the center; microbuses and taxis run south from there to Tulyehualco, and the finish is only about 2 km south of the station. From Tren Ligero Xochimilco, buses and microbuses run east along the Xochimilco–Tulyehualco road.

If you are short of time, skip the olive park and start at the church (stop 2). That cuts the walk to about 1.9 km, but you miss the olive trees, which are half the point.

Walk it in daylight. Parque de los Olivos is a family park by day; reviewers mention thefts at night. Don’t wander into Parque Las Mesitas, a few blocks south-west of the olive park; reviews describe it as neglected and unsafe. Between the town and the lake you share narrow sidewalks with buses, so walk facing the traffic and keep your phone in a front pocket.

A short history

The name is Nahuatl and means a place surrounded by tule, the reeds that grew along the lakeshore. Xochimilcas are said to have settled here around 1181, on the northern slopes of the Teuhtli. Tulyehualco stood where one of the great pre-Hispanic dikes met the land: built under Cuitláhuac, it kept the salty water of Lake Chalco out of the fresh water of Lake Xochimilco and doubled as a causeway towards Tláhuac. It is still one of the 14 pueblos of Xochimilco and a chinampa town.

Franciscans arrived early in the 16th century, and the chapel of Santiago Apóstol dates from 1607. The borough says Fray Martín de Valencia, one of the first twelve Franciscans in New Spain, brought the olive to Mexico in 1531 and that Tulyehualco was the first place in the Americas to grow it. Olive trees once lined more than two kilometers of the lakeshore, and an oil mill was built here. Two historic groves survive, the Olivar de Santa María to the east and the Olivar de las Ánimas to the west.

Ice came first, though. Long before freezers, ice was carried down from Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl and kept for priests and lords. The town’s ice fair dates to 1529, was held now and then until 1885, and has been annual since; 2026 was the 139th edition. Amaranth was sacred before the conquest, shaped with honey into figures of the gods and eaten; the Spanish banned it, and it survived as a sweet.

Quirino Mendoza y Cortés was born here on 10 May 1862. His father was the parish organist. He wrote his first piece at 18 and “Cielito Lindo” at about 20, later “Jesusita en Chihuahua” too, and died in 1957. The main square is named after him.

The 20th century was hard on the old town. A tram from Xochimilco, inaugurated in 1908, was meant to reach Tulyehualco and never did. In the 1960s a new church went up against the 1607 chapel and the old atrial wall came down. The Feria de la Alegría y el Olivo started in the early 1970s; the 2026 edition was its 53rd. The 2017 earthquake damaged the chapel, which was repaired in 2021. Tulyehualco is one of the city’s Barrios Mágicos, and in May 2023 it finally got a museum about itself.

The route

The walk runs one way, from the olive park in the south-east through the center of Tulyehualco and north to the lake at Tláhuac, in 6 numbered stops. The amaranth shops, the nieve and lunch fall along the way between them. Follow it on the Santiago Tulyehualco on Foot map, which shows every stop, the walking route and the nearest coffee and bread.

The walk, part 1: the olive grove to the square

The first half goes from the olive trees into town, past the first amaranth shop, to the church and the main square.

1. Parque de los Olivos

División del Norte s/n, Col. La Loma, Tláhuac · daily 6:00–18:00 · free

Start under the olives. This park of about four hectares, between Tulyehualco and San Juan Ixtayopan, keeps the old olive grove, and the city tourism site says Fray Martín de Valencia planted the country’s first olive trees here in 1531. One tree in Parque Los Olivos, said to be more than 500 years old, won a heritage olive tree award in 2023: 13 meters tall, with a crown 20 meters across. There are also soccer fields and a playground. Strictly speaking, you are in Tláhuac.

Sweets on the way: about 13 minutes north-west along División del Norte, in Tulyehualco’s barrio of Nativitas, is Amaranto Alegrillín (Vicente Guerrero 37, daily 8:00–20:00), a family amaranth shop that sells retail and wholesale: alegrías, churritos, wafers, amaranth bread, chocolates and enjambres, the honey-and-seed clusters. A few doors down, at Vicente Guerrero 8, is Amaranza (gold circle on the map), the third-generation family business Chilango wrote about in 2026, known for its cookies and panqués. Don’t buy too much yet. There are more shops ahead.

2. Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol

Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Santiago Tulyehualco · Mon 8:00–18:00, Tue–Fri 8:00–20:00, Sat 8:00–18:00, Sun 7:00–20:00 · free

From the park it is about 16 minutes on foot, north-west through Nativitas, to the parish church, which is really two buildings. The original chapel of Santiago Apóstol dates from 1607; in 1963 a bigger church went up beside it, dedicated to Nuestra Señora de San Juan de los Lagos. Go into the old chapel. It has three altars, one to Our Lady of the Rosary from the 17th century, sculptures of the Immaculate Conception, San Rafael, San Miguel and Santiago, and a Nazarene altar with nine oil paintings of the Passion. The atrium is a garden with a stone cross, a fountain and a statue of Fray Martín de Valencia, the man with the olives.

Coffee break: Cafe Luna Azul, on Hermenegildo Galeana a couple of minutes south of the church (brown circle on the map). Gold Cuetzalan, a few minutes west of the square, is the other choice.

3. Plaza Quirino Mendoza y Cortés

Pino Suárez at Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez · open space · free

A minute or two west of the church is the main square, with its kiosk, gardens and benches. It is where the town meets and where both fairs happen. The Feria de la Alegría y el Olivo runs from late January to mid-February, with more than 80 producers and, in 2023, a 250-meter amaranth palanqueta made on the spot. The Feria de la Nieve fills the square during Holy Week with more than 200 flavors, among them rose petal, pulque, mole, tequila, rattlesnake and octopus. Entry to both is free.

Nieve: Nieves Don Diego (José María Pino Suárez 5, daily 11:00–20:00) is by the square and open all year. This is the tradition the Feria de la Nieve is built on: nieve made by hand, turned for about an hour in a wooden tub packed with ice and salt. Reviewers say Don Diego is cheaper and better than the fair stalls. Dessert before lunch is allowed here; it is practically the town sport.

Lunch: walk two or three minutes west on Belisario Domínguez to Comida Casera María Bonita (Belisario Domínguez 26, Mon–Sat 13:30–19:00, closed Sun). It serves a home-cooked comida corrida, soup, rice and a main, in a small, very clean room. A reviewer paid 70 pesos (~3.70 USD) for the full meal. Leave room for the rice pudding, or don’t; one reviewer found it underdone. If it is closed, or before 13:30, eat at Fonda Doña Tacho by the market (stop 5). Gold Cuetzalan (Av. Francisco I. Madero 20, brown circle on the map) is a couple of minutes further west for coffee and live music some days.

The walk, part 2: the museum to the lake

The second half is the museum and the market, the last amaranth and olive shops, and a walk north to the water.

4. Museo Cielito Lindo

Belisario Domínguez, on the Plaza Cívica · Tue–Fri 10:00–19:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–17:00 · free

Walk back about three minutes east to the civic square and the museum of Quirino Mendoza y Cortés, opened in May 2023. It is small: his life and some personal belongings, plus rooms on the ice and amaranth fairs and other local traditions. You may be asked to register at the door. At noon, “Cielito Lindo” plays.

5. Mercado Tulyehualco

División del Norte · Mon–Fri 8:00–20:00, Sat–Sun 7:00–18:00 · free

Two minutes north is the market, where the fairs started and where locals shop for olive and amaranth products: oil, black and green olives, olive paste, amaranth flour, granola and atole. Look for handmade tortillas and amaranth-flour tamales.

Food and amaranth by the market: Fonda Doña Tacho (División del Norte 96) does set meals and enmoladas on weekdays (Mon–Fri 7:00–20:00). Two or three minutes west, Productos de Amaranto Carmelita (Av. Aquiles Serdán 19, daily 10:00–18:00) is the best-known amaranth shop in the center. The owner calls it a workshop, not a factory, and everything is made fresh each day: alegrías, palanquetas, obleas, churritos and flour. The service gets mixed reviews and prices are not always displayed, so ask before you fill a bag. For bread for the road, Tulyebollo (Av. Aquiles Serdán 10) and Lecaroz (Calz. Tláhuac–Tulyehualco 8615) are both close (gold circles on the map).

Amaranth and olives on the way north: about five minutes north-east of the market, across the line into Tláhuac again, Productos de Amaranto Yolo (Martín Heredia 17, Mon–Fri 8:00–20:00, Sat 8:00–19:00, Sun 8:00–13:00) has a wide range of traditional sweets, and reviewers praise the freshness and the prices. By now you know what you like. Seven minutes further north, Olivos Mendoza Saldaña (Emiliano Zapata 94, Barrio Los Reyes, Mon–Thu 9:00–22:00, Fri–Sun 10:00–22:00) sells the other half of the town’s fame, olive oil and olives, cured here. Reviewers mention good oil at a fair price; one says they had run out of oil before Christmas, so don’t come in December expecting liters.

6. Lago de los Reyes Aztecas

Gabriel Hernández 16, La Guadalupe, Tláhuac · trajineras daily about 9:00–21:00; check · about 400 pesos (~21 USD) an hour per boat

From the market it is about 20 minutes north to the water, past the two shops above. The Lago de los Reyes Aztecas is what is left of the lake that once reached Tulyehualco: canals, chinampas, greenhouses, tule and nesting ducks and herons. It has about 40 trajineras, against more than 100 at each Xochimilco landing, so it is much quieter. Chilango reported 400 pesos an hour, up to 100 less than in Xochimilco, and you can bring your own food and drink. The water lilies that clog the canals were brought from France as decoration under Porfirio Díaz, according to the boatmen; they clear them every Monday. Call an Uber from the landing when you are done.

Coffee, food and drink

For lunch, María Bonita or the market; for dessert, Nieves Don Diego; for coffee, keep expectations modest and go to Gold Cuetzalan.

If you just want a familiar cup, there is none near the route. The nearest chain cafés are the two Starbucks at Plaza Zapotitlán, Av. Tláhuac 163, about 6 km north, on the way back towards the city.

Shops worth the detour

Tulyehualco’s shopping is edible. Bring an empty bag.

• Amaranth shops: Alegrillín (Vicente Guerrero 37), Carmelita (Av. Aquiles Serdán 19) and Yolo (Martín Heredia 17) for alegrías, churritos in many flavors, obleas, palanquetas, amaranth flour, granola and cookies. Amaranza, at Vicente Guerrero 8, for cookies and panqués.
• Olivos Mendoza Saldaña (Emiliano Zapata 94, Barrio Los Reyes): olive oil and cured olives.
• Olivarera Tulyehualco, Av. Aquiles Serdán 238, west of the center: amaranth and olive products (Mon–Sat 9:00–18:00).
• Mercado Tulyehualco (stop 5): olive paste, olives, amaranth flour and atole.
• Nieves Don Diego (Pino Suárez 5): nieve by the liter, if your ride home is short. It isn’t.

Which day to walk

Saturday gets you the most; Sunday afternoon the least. Only the places with limited days are listed below.

On a Sunday, eat at the market instead of María Bonita and do Yolo before 13:00.

Keep walking

Tulyehualco is a long way from the other walks in this series, but it borders three areas worth adding to the day.

West: Xochimilco’s chinampas. The Xochimilco–Tulyehualco road runs west past San Luis Tlaxialtemalco, with its plant market and the Bosque de San Luis Tlaxialtemalco, a forest park on the slopes of the Teuhtli, and on to the Xochimilco landings. Take a taxi.

East: San Juan Ixtayopan and Mixquic. Just east of the olive park, Ixtayopan has the Plaza de la Soledad and a sawdust carpet every January. Further on, San Andrés Mixquic is famous for its Day of the Dead.

North: Tláhuac. From the lake, the center of San Pedro Tláhuac and Metro Tláhuac are about 2 km north.

About the author and where to stay

Brian has lived in Roma Norte for about five years and writes the See Mexico City guides. He speaks seven languages and still gets lost on purpose.

When you visit, stay with us at Penthouse El Cielo de Roma in Roma Norte.

Photo credits

Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under the licenses shown. Numbers match the captions.

Map: drawn from OpenStreetMap data, © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License.

Sources

Hours and prices checked October 2026; confirm before you go.

• Mexico City tourism: Santiago Tulyehualco, Santiago Apóstol Tulyehualco, Iglesia y Plaza de la Soledad, Bosque de San Luis Tlaxialtemalco
• Alcaldía Xochimilco: Qué hacer
• CDMX Travel: Parque de los Olivos
• Revista Zócalo: Tláhuac resguarda árbol de olivo con más de 500 años de historia
• México Desconocido: Santiago Tulyehualco y la Feria de la Alegría, La Feria de la Nieve de Tulyehualco
• Time Out México: Feria de la Nieve
• Chilango: Feria de la Nieve 2026, Productores de amaranto de Tulyehualco, Feria de la Alegría y el Olivo, Ruta por Barrios Mágicos, Trajineras del Lago de los Reyes Aztecas
• SDP Noticias: Alegría y olivos en Xochimilco
• Food & Pleasure: Museo Cielito Lindo en Xochimilco
• Wikipedia: Quirino Mendoza y Cortés, Xochimilco
• N+: Lista de los Barrios Mágicos de la CDMX