Day of the Dead in Tlaxcala

Between mountains, forests and ancestral customs

Tlaxcala is a place full of stories and adventures

Today I will tell you about the Day of the Dead in Tlaxcala, but first I will give you some information about this corner of Mexico.

With almost 4 thousand square kilometers, Tlaxcala is the smallest state in Mexico. It is located in the center of the country, bordering the state of Mexico, Puebla and Hidalgo. Its capital is called Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl and it has two Pueblo Mágicos: Huamantla and Tlaxco.

Its history goes back to pre-Hispanic times, being one of the few cities that resisted the conquest of the Mexican Empire. In those times, Tlaxcala was divided into four lordships: Maxixcatzin, Xicohténcatl, Tlahuetxolotzin de Tepeticpac, and Citlalpopocatzin.

The colonial city of Tlaxcala was founded by Hernán Cortés in 1520 on the remains of the pre-Hispanic city, but in 1525 Pope Clement ordered the foundation of the New Hispanic city of Tlaxcala under a decree. This is how it became the seat of the first bishopric of New Spain, with its own coat of arms with the title “Ciudad muy noble, ciudad muy leal”.

This has been a bit of the history of Tlaxcala, now let’s talk about its attractions.

As I told you at the beginning of this blog, despite being small, Tlaxcala hides very surprising places. Let’s start with its Pueblos Mágicos, which are so named because they are corners that combine historical attributes, legends, gastronomy, transcendent events… In short, as the name suggests, they are magical places for travelers.

Huamantla

Founded on October 18, 1534 by order of the Spanish Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza under the name of San Luis de Huamantla. The “Huamantla” part of the number comes from the Nahuatl language and means “place of the formed trees” as an apology to his heroic troops who were ready to peel to defend their territory.

Have you heard of “The night when no one sleeps”? It is one of the most incredible traditions that Huamantla has, which is celebrated every year on the night of August 14 to 15 in honor of the Virgin of Charity.

During this celebration, the main streets of Huamantla are covered with colorful carpets made of sawdust to host a procession with the Virgin. This celebration is part of the employers’ fair, which concludes with the Huamantlada.

In addition to this, travelers can also get to know other attractions such as the National Puppet Museum, La Malinche Natural Park, Xalapaxco Hill, the Pulque Museum, and the Hacienda Tepeyehualco in addition to being one of the most popular places to enjoy of the day. of Muertos in Tlaxcala.

Tlaxco

Sind duda, an ideal destination for travelers who love mountains and forests. Tlaxco is surrounded by these incredible settings, as well as having a polco culture as standard, thanks to all its haciendas pulqueras.

If you dare to visit Tlaxco, visit the haciendas Tepetzala, Xochuca, and Xalostoc.

Among the beautiful attractions of this Pueblo Mágico is the Laguna de Atlangatepec located just 20 kilometers away. Here you can do sport fishing or boat trips.

Tlaxco also has an ancient story to tell, since in its caves of La Parada and La Gloria you can admire cave paintings.

Among the festivities of Este Pueblo Mágico are the Fiesta of San Agustín on August 28, the Dance of the Negritos, the Fair of cheese, wood and polka, as well as the Fiesta of Calvario on the Sundays of Lent.

Now that you know a little bit about their Pueblo Mágicos, I would like to tell you that Tlaxcala has endless other attractions. Here is a short list:

• Sanctuary of the Fireflies in the forests of Nanacamilpa.
• Cuapiaxtla desert 16 kilometers from Huamantla.
• Cascada de Atlihuetzia near the town of the same number.
• Hoyanca de Sanctorúm, yes, it is as mystical as it sounds, because it is the crater of a meteorite.
• Tizatlán Botanical Garden in the state capital.
• Peña del Rosario in the Village of Acopinalco del Peñon.

READ MORE: 7 MAGICAL VILLAGES IN SOUTHEASTERN MEXICO

Day of the Dead in Tlaxcala

Without a doubt, this celebration has catapulted us as Mexicans into the world, since our special way of honoring those who have left has crossed borders and the Day of the Dead in Tlaxcala is no exception.

As in San Luis Potosí it is in the Xantolo and in the Yucatan in the Hanal Pixan; in Tlaxcala it is celebrated in different ways depending on the place.

In pre-Hispanic times, the Tlaxcaltecas were governed by a Nahuatl calendar called Tonalamatl, which divided the year into 18 months of 20 days each. It is for this reason that the children’s party called Miccailhuipzintli is celebrated from August 9 to 28. The adults’ festival is called Hueymiccailhui and is celebrated from August 29 to September 17.

• In Tlaxcala, the presence of the Ottoman, Nahuatl, and Olmeca-Chichimeca cultures has resulted in religious syncretism, which is why many old traditions have been mixed with new ones, here are several examples of this:
• In the town of San Juan Totolac, offerings are mostly made with bread because this place is famous for its bakers.
• In San Juan Ixtenco, the crosses that are placed in the house or the pantheon are always natural, since they are cut from a tree whenever and wherever they have the shape of a crucifix.
• Tepehitec makes it a habit for all of them to attend the pantheon at night to wait for the souls and thus dine with them and leave them offerings.
• In San Luis Teolocholco, a small town near the Iztaccíhuatl volcano, the offerings are mostly made with corn, a sacred element in many cultures, leaving aside bread.

Did you know that the Fiesta de Todos Los Santos de Tlaxcala is one of the oldest in Mexico?

It dates back to 1826 and is still celebrated in the state. From October 28 is when the Day of the Dead begins to be celebrated, since this day is for the injured souls or those who will suffer in a repentant way from this world.

Tlaxcalteca cuisine also has several typical dishes such as tlatlapas, pollo Tocatlan, mole de guajolote, atole de amaranto, pulque, muéganos huamantlecos, quesón with piloncillo, or the famous mixiote of mutton and many more recipes to enjoy the Dfrutar deía. Dead in Tlaxcala.

How are you? You were hardly surprised by Dia de Muertos in Tlaxcala and all that Mexico has to show you. It is for this reason that it is the next event held at the Festival of Traditions of Life and Death in Xcaret.