BY: GRACIELA ZAMORA for Travel Off Path
Tlaxcala is a small and beautiful destination that is worth visiting. You will be surprised by some of the unique things to do and places you can explore at this hidden destination. Bordered by Puebla and Mexico City, here are the top places to visit in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
Visit the Archaeological Site of Cacaxtla
This unique archaeological zone, famous among archaeology lovers for being entirely covered by a modern metal structure acting as a roof. The site shows its visitors the architectural remains of several overlapping buildings, decorated with important relics of the mural painting. In ancient times, the chambers of the ruling classes of the past eras were richly ornamented.
Basilica of Our Lady of Ocotlán
This majestic Basilica is located 20 minutes from downtown Tlaxcala. In 1541, there was a plague that invaded the region, and people believed that the apparition brought the miracle of a spring where the locals could drink the water and be cured. Visitors can still visit this spring and often take the water with them.
Visit the Magical Town of Huamantla
Twenty-eight miles from the city of Tlaxcala, you will find the Magical Town of Huamantla. Its French architecture invites you to walk through its streets to admire it, and its exciting museums are a must: the Rosete Aranda National Puppet Museum exhibits pieces, some made by the Rosete Aranda family, and others from Asia and Europe. For its part, the Bullfighting Museum, located next to the Plaza de Toros la Taurina, is another site you must visit, with many exhibits of posters of the twentieth century period and the usual attire of the bullfighting tradition.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.480.1_en.html#goog_113330853
Stroll through Val’Quirico
A real estate and tourism development was founded to be a place where values such as respect and solidarity coexist. Val’Quirico is a kind of hybrid between subdivision and shopping center, but all imagined and executed in the form of a village. Not just any town, but the inspiration to build it comes from the typical villages of the Tuscany region of Italy. The model is narrow streets and squares which are accessed through tunnel-type steps.
The buildings are built with materials such as stone, adobe, wood, and brick – the same, precisely, from which an ancient Tuscan village would be built. For the food, don’t even worry. The place is full of restaurants with delicacies as diverse as paella, gourmet burgers, French cuisine, and, of course, the best Italian food that your imagination can evoke.
Walking Through La Malinche National Park
La Malinche National Park is ideal for enjoying regional nature and outdoor activities for natural attractions. This site, declared in 1938, has hostels on the slopes of the volcano at the top. You can appreciate the landscape of three states, as well as the Pico de Orizaba, the Itzaccíhuatl, and the Popocatépetl Volcanoes. It will take your breath away.
Marvel at the Firefly Sanctuary
The most impressive spectacle of Mexican nature takes place in the deep forests of Tlaxcala. The Sanctuary of the Fireflies is a natural show that seems out of this world and takes place in Nanacamilpa and Españita. These places receive hundreds of visitors each season, where thousands of these insects illuminate the dark natural landscape with their mating rituals.
by Graciela Zamora
Source: Travel Off Path
