When Mexico City wants speed and sunshine on the water, it heads for Lake Tequesquitengo. Affectionately known as “Teques”, this warm, open lake in the lowlands of Morelos is the country’s premier watersports playground — a weekend world of wakeboards and jet-skis, sailboats and parachutes, lakefront hotels and beach clubs, all under a near-permanent blue sky. And beneath its lively surface lies one of Mexico’s most famous legends: a whole town and its church, swallowed by the rising water and resting on the lakebed to this day.
| What it is | Mexico’s top watersports lake — a warm, open weekend-resort lake in Morelos |
| Where | Morelos, about 1.5 hours south of Mexico City and ~40 minutes south of Cuernavaca |
| Famous for | Wakeboarding, water-skiing, jet-skis, sailing, scuba diving and skydiving — plus the sunken-church legend |
| Climate | Hot and sunny most of the year — lower and warmer than the highland lakes |
| Don’t miss | A skydive or boat ride over the lake, and the story of the drowned town |
| Best time | Year-round; weekends are lively, weekdays quieter |
What and where: Mexico’s watersports lake
Tequesquitengo sits in the warm lowlands of Morelos, an easy hour-and-a-half drive south of Mexico City and around forty minutes beyond Cuernavaca, which makes it one of the capital’s favourite quick escapes for sun and water. Unlike the cool, misty highland lakes of Michoacán, “Teques” is hot, open and resort-like, ringed by hotels, weekend homes and clubs with their own jetties and beaches. It is a naturally salty, closed-basin lake with no outlet — a detail that, as you will see, sits at the heart of its most famous story. For sheer fun on the water it is the equal of the sailing scene at Valle de Bravo, just hotter and closer to the capital.
Watersports, scuba and skydiving
This is, above all, a lake to play on. The warm, calm water is made for wakeboarding and water-skiing, and you will see jet-skis, kayaks, paddleboards, banana boats and sailboats out across it all weekend; clubs and hotels rent gear and run lessons. Tequesquitengo is also one of the few places near Mexico City where you can scuba dive in a lake — and famously, it has long been a centre for skydiving, with a drop zone where tandem jumpers freefall over the water before drifting down to the shore. Add hot-air-balloon flights at dawn and lakeside restaurants for the afternoon, and you have a full weekend of adrenaline and relaxation in one place.
The legend of the sunken church
Tequesquitengo’s most haunting feature you cannot see from a jet-ski. In the nineteenth century the lake, which has no natural outlet, began to rise — the popular legend blames divine punishment after the villagers of old San Juan Bautista carried on a fiesta during Holy Week, while the likelier cause was water from nearby haciendas draining into the basin. Either way, the town was slowly flooded, its people forced to higher ground, and for years the spire of its church stood eerily above the surface as a marker of the drowned village. Today the old church and town lie on the lakebed, and the submerged ruins have become a curiosity for divers — a sunken church beneath one of Mexico’s busiest play-lakes.
Getting there, best time and staying
Reaching “Teques” is simple: it is about an hour and a half by car from Mexico City via the Cuernavaca and Acapulco highways, or roughly forty minutes from Cuernavaca itself, with buses to the nearby towns of Jojutla and Puente de Ixtla. Because it sits low and warm, the lake is enjoyable year-round — hot and sunny in the dry season, a touch greener in the summer rains — though it is busiest at weekends and on long holidays, when half the capital seems to be on the water. Accommodation ranges from lakefront resort hotels and clubs to the storied Hacienda Vista Hermosa, a 16th-century estate turned hotel nearby. Book ahead for weekends, come midweek for calm, and whatever you do, get out onto the water — or above it. For a complete tour of the country’s lakes, pair it with the great expat shore of Chapala or the wild magic of Catemaco.
Frequently asked questions about Lake Tequesquitengo
Where is Lake Tequesquitengo?
In the state of Morelos, about 1.5 hours south of Mexico City and around 40 minutes south of Cuernavaca.
What is there to do at Lake Tequesquitengo?
Wakeboarding, water-skiing, jet-skiing, kayaking, sailing, scuba diving, skydiving and hot-air ballooning, plus lakefront hotels, clubs and restaurants — it is Mexico’s leading watersports lake.
Is there really a sunken church in Lake Tequesquitengo?
Yes. The old village of San Juan and its church were flooded when the lake rose in the 19th century; the church spire stood above the water for years, and the ruins now lie on the lakebed and can be dived.
Can you skydive at Tequesquitengo?
Yes — it is a well-known skydiving destination, with a drop zone offering tandem jumps over the lake, no experience required.
Can you scuba dive in Tequesquitengo?
Yes, it is one of the few lakes near Mexico City where you can scuba dive, including dives toward the submerged remains of the old town.
How do you get to Tequesquitengo from Mexico City?
It is about a 1.5-hour drive south on the Cuernavaca and Acapulco highways, or roughly 40 minutes from Cuernavaca; buses run to nearby Jojutla and Puente de Ixtla.
When is the best time to visit Tequesquitengo?
It is warm and enjoyable year-round; weekends and holidays are lively and busy, while weekdays are much quieter.
Where can you stay at Lake Tequesquitengo?
There are lakefront resort hotels and clubs around the shore, as well as the historic 16th-century Hacienda Vista Hermosa nearby.
Explore more in our complete guide to the lakes of Mexico — the biggest lakes, the regions, and the best ones to visit.
