Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
I pushed on the door of the Museum of Memory. The door was open but the museum, I
was quickly told, was closed. Of the four museums, only Tlaxcala's regional museum was
open.
Walking the streets of Tlaxcala, I followed the paths of history. Vivid murals in radiantly
vibrant colors by the artist Desiderio Hernandez Xochitiotzin outlined Tlaxcala's history
in the Palacio Municipal. In my mind they were equal to any of Diego Rivera's. I huffed
and puffed my way uphill to the Santuario de Ocotlán, a spectacular wedding-cake-white,
Baroque church honoring the Virgin. It has been the site of pilgrimage since 1541 when
the Virgin appeared here. And I stopped at the Capilla de Pocito de Agua (Chapel of the
Small Well) where the water is considered sacred and miraculous.
The Antigua Casa de Piedra (Ancient House of Stone), once a private mansion, is now
Hotel San Francisco, a fine luxury hotel. The Capilla de San Francisco (Chapel of St.
Francis), part of one of the earliest monasteries, housed the original stone baptismal basin
where four Tlaxcalan chiefs were baptized upon conversion to Christianity. Tlaxcala hon-
ors the four chiefs and also Xicotencatl, a recalcitrant foe who tried to rouse his people
against the Spaniards.
Outside the city are two magnificent archaeological sites, which were only excavated
in 1975. Cacaxtla is a unique temple complex with vibrant, preserved frescos of the
battle between Birdmen and Jaguarmen. Nearby lies the less complex but larger ruin of
Xochitecatl with both a standard large pyramid and a spiral mound.
Next stop: Puebla, the City of Tiles. Less than two hours away, Puebla was only a $5 bus
ride from Tlaxcala.
Expenses: Bus and taxis $6, meals $30, Hotel San Francisco $75, laundry $7, Total: $116.
