TLAXCALA CENTRO DE MÉXICO ENGLISH VERSION Parish of San Bernardino Contla. Tlaxcala City Hall offices; the former House of Calpulalpan Stone; and the Xicohténcatl Theatre, Tlaxcala was one of the most important in the turn-of-the-century eclectic The monastic complex formerly ded- cities in Central Mexico in the pre-His- style under Porfirio Díaz. The city also icated to San Simón and San Judas panic period. Viceregal authorities has many museums, such as the Re- is now known as San Antonio. Visit built the colonial city in a small valley. gional Museum, Museum of Memo- former pulque-producing haciendas The state capital is now a beautiful city ry, Art Museum, the Living Museum nearby, such as the Hacienda San Bar- that preserves 16th-century buildings of Folk Arts and Traditions. Another tolomé del Monte. such as the former Convent of Nues- attraction is the Jorge “El Ranchero” tra Señora de la Asunción and from Aguilar Bullring, one of the country’s Ocotelulco the 17th century, such as the Basilica oldest, built in 1817, and now the venue ALONSO DE LOURDES MARÍA PHOTO: of Ocotlán. The latter structure com- for the annual Tlaxcala Fair held in Oc- This site was one of the major Tlax- memorates the apparition of the Virgin tober and November. caltec towns in the Late Postclassic San Bernardino Contla Chiautempan Mary in 1541 to a local native man from period (AD 1200–1521); in fact, at the Tlaxcala, Juan Diego Bernardino, and time of Hernán Cortés’s arrival, it was A textile-producing town specializ- A town renowned for its textiles. It is regarded as one of the finest exam- the most important of the four se- ing in cotton, wool, and synthetic fi- produces all sorts of wool and cotton ples of baroque art in Tlaxcala. Other ñoríos or domains in Tlaxcala. Archae- ber weavings. It is known for its salti- garments, particularly serapes. attractions worth mentioning are the ologists uncovered pre-Hispanic llos, textiles with shapes and colors Government Palace, which displays a polychrome murals depicting reli- derived from indigenous traditions. mural of the state’s history; the Parish gious motifs on a bench and an altar. of San José; the Royal Chapel of In- Santa María Nativitas dians, which is now the Palace of Jus- tice; the Hidalgo Arcade, built to house This town is the home of the remains PHOTO: SECTUR TLAXCALA PHOTO: ALONSO DE LOURDES MARÍA PHOTO: the food market and that served as the Basilica de Ocotlán. City of Tlaxcala. of the former Convent of Santa Na- tividad, founded in 1570, and the ECO / RAÍCES Parish of Santa María Nativitas, H th AC built in the 17 century. The Sanctu- P . A CITY OF TLAXCALA . S M ary of San Miguel del Milagro, DRA IE P EZ founded after the apparition of Saint ÁNCH S PHOTO: Michael the Archangel in 1631, is also MILIANO ALONSO DE LOURDES MARÍA PHOTO: E GA Altar with fire serpents, Ocotelulco. E RT in this municipality. Sanctuary of San Miguel del Milagro. O Living Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions Y IRA E L Z Tizatlán MBR E E E 1 Z O UÁR E D OVI E J M N FOLK Art AYO E D NITO ÁNCH E LAHUICOL S E 20 B T INDepe At the time of the conquest, it was a Tlax- NDENCIA Tlaxcala is known for its wool and cotton terios (psalteries). Other types of folk art ND E Parish of San José LL caltec señorío (domain) governed by Xi- ARIANO MITLA textiles. Contla and Guadalupe Ixcotla of- made in the region include pottery, fine A M to the Basilica A V. coténcatl the Elder, who opposed the fer traditional serapes, rugs, ponchos, tap- metalwork, totomoxtle (corn leaf) fig- DI of Ocotlán EGO GNACIO S I ISTERIO M OS M UÑOZ Government Palace DE L native alliance with the Spaniards. Here estries, and blankets. In San Esteban Tiza- ures, majolica, embroideries, seed paint- CAMARGO Xicohténcatl Theatre GURIDI visitors can see pre-Hispanic murals tlán, artisans carve wood into handsome ings, and alebrijes (fantastic papier mâ- Y A Palace of Justice LCOC with symbols associated with sacrifice. huejote (Bonpland willow) canes, hori- ché creatures). ER H LARDIZÁBAL zontal drums, and chess sets of pre-His- IDALGO Art Museum panic armies. In Tlatempan and Apetati- O C Hidalgo Arcade ALZADA tlán Carnival masks are made of carved Former House of Stone CHA PIT wood or resin with European features, EL ICOHTÉNCATL Museum of Memory X worn in one of Mexico’s most important J OS É M A Carnival traditions in Tlaxcala prior to . M NCIA OR ÍAZ E ELO D S Lent. Burnished red clay, typical of San GU ND ERR M ERO epe OR E Sebastián Atlahapa, is still modeled with- ND LO .P. / RAÍCES .P. ORFIRIO I S A P . M Former Convent of Nuestra out the use of potters’ wheels or molds. SECTUR TLAXCALA PHOTO: E Señora de la Asunción Altar B, Tizatlán. Altzayanca is known for its sonorous sal- Artisan from Tlatempan. MBR E TI PHOTO: ep “El Ranchero” S Regional Museum E Aguilar Bullring D 16 TLAXCALA HIDalgo to Zacatlán MEXICO PUebla Tlaxco Calpulalpan Benito Juárez Francisco Villa to Texcoco Atlangatepec Lázaro Cárdenas San Simeón Xipetzinco Toluca de Nanacamilpa de Sanctorum de 119 Mariano Arista Lázaro Cárdenas Guadalupe Ahuatepec Terrenate mexico 136 Altzayanca OF Apizaco tlaxcala Yauhquemehcan state Atlihuetzia 136 Ignacio Allende Tizatlán Tlatempan Xicoténcatl Villa Mariano Ocotelulco San Bernardino Contla Matamoros Guadalupe Ixcotla Cuauhtémoc 117 Apetatitlán 136 tlaxcala 190 Huamantla 150 Chiautempan to Perote San Sebastián Atlahapa to Mexico City Cuapiaxtla 119 La Malinche Cacaxtla National Park Ixtenco Xochitécatl Tepeyanco Nativitas Zacatelco Xicohtzinco toURIST attractions Papalotla CAPITAL to Tehuacán Panzacola TOWN PUebla HIGHLIGHTS ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE MAGICAL TOWN MONUMENT Vicente Guerrero ATURAL AREA N IVIL ARCHITECTURE C INDIGENOUS TOWN AIRPORT to Puebla RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE FOLK ART CENTRAL SQUARE TWO-WAY HIGHWAY UISINE HACIENDA C FEDERAL HIGHWAY MUSEUM LOCAL FESTIVAL SECONDARY HIGHWAY Note: The symbols refer to the ROAD spots described in this guide. Flower carpet, Huamantla. Xochitécatl. Tlaxco Apizaco A town that stands out for its pulque- This industrial city has numerous at- making tradition and for the Parish tractions such as La Monumental of San Agustín. It has several natural Bullring, the largest in the state, the attractions, such as The Labyrinths Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Mi- plus the Cruz Verde and San José de sericordia, and the House of Stone OTO: OTO: SECTUR TLAXCALA las Delicias ranches. Railroad Museum. PH La Malinche Apetatitlán skill, and thematic richness. These National Park murals depict scenes of battles, rites, OTO: MARÍA DE LOURDES ALONSO DE LOURDES MARÍA OTO: Here craftsmen make carved PH and rulers. However, their most enig- Located on the slopes of the Volcano wooden masks with European fea- Parish of San Dionisio,Yauhquemehcan. matic feature is their pictorial style, Matlalcuéyetl, it is also known as La tures for Carnival celebrations in because they blend features from Malinche. It was declared a national Tlaxcala, in addition to a wide range Yauhquemehcan Central Mexican Teotihuacan with park in 1938. About 4000 m (13,100 of religious images. those of the Classic Maya from south- ft.) above sea level, it has thousands It is the home of the Parish of San ern Mexico and Guatemala. of hectares of pine and oak forests. Atlangatepec Dionisio, one of the region’s most Visit San Juan Canyon, one of the beautiful churches. It also has nat- Xochitécatl most beautiful in Mexico. Its main attraction is Atlanga Dam, ural attractions such as Atlihuetzia where visitors can enjoy a boat ride, Falls. A site occupied in the Preclassic (ca. Cuapiaxtla go parasailing, or try their hand at 800 BC) and abandoned as a result sport fishing. Cacaxtla of an eruption of Popocatépetl. At its The Cuapiaxtla Desert, composed of peak the main plaza was an impor- dunes, is an unusual geographic spot Zacatelco One of the major archaeological sites tant ritual center including four pyra- PHOTO: MARÍA DE LOURDES ALONSO DE LOURDES MARÍA PHOTO: that can be visited in the vicinity of in Central Mexico. It was occupied in mids, the largest of which is known this town. Visit the Parish of Santa Inés, built in the Epiclassic (AD 650–900) by the Ol- as the Pyramid of Flowers. On clear Huamantla the 17th century and one of the most meca-Xicalancas. The center boasts days the hilltop site offers a fine view noteworthy colonial structures in some of the most important mural of volcanoes Iztaccíhuatl, Popoca- Named a “magical town” by the Tour- vent, one of the few black Christs that Tlaxcala. The town is known for its ex- paintings from pre-Hispanic times, tépetl, Malinche, and the Pico de ism Ministry, it is famed for its color- has survived from the 16th century. It quisite cacao. for their dimensions, magnificent Orizaba. ful sawdust and flower carpets for the has two interesting museums: the procession of Our Lady of Charity on National Puppet Museum, the only Eagle August 14 in a celebration known as one of its kind in Latin America, and ruler,Cacaxtla. the “Night No Ones Sleeps,” and the the Bullfighting Museum. Nearby Open Chapel of San Luis Obispo, are the former Hacienda of San PHOTO: SECTUR TLAXCALA PHOTO: which houses the Lord of the Con- Francisco Soltepec (La Escondida). Dunes, Cuapiaxtla. CUISINE Tlaxcala’s mosaic of mestizo dishes, includes pipián (squash seed sauce), and dairy Tlaxcaltec tortilla or lima bean soup, mil- products: requesón, other cheeses and pa soup (corn, chayote, carrots, chili, cream. Desserts range from fruit and vege- / RAÍCES squash blossoms), tlatlapas (bean and table compotes, camote (sweet potatoes), ECO H prickly pear with guajillo chili), lima bean and buñuelos (fried dough) with brown- AC P O soup with prickly pear, mixiote (mutton in sugar syruo and requesón.