the municipality is found in the southwest of the sierra norte de puebla in a transition zone. the landscape consists of more or less individual mountains interspersed with large and small flat areas. there are caves interspersed in these mountain areas. most of these flat areas are tilted towards the eastern coast with the gulf of mexico. the municipality proper is in one of these larger flat areas about fourteen km long and nine km wide with an average altitude of 2,500 meters above sea level with variations between 1,360 and 2,600. main elevations include moxhuite, kiosco, matlahuacala, los cazares, tecoxcalman, peña blanca, xahuatl, tampol tenampulco, titicanale, chignahuimazatla, texis proterito, pelón and zempoala.