Tlaxcala

Tlaxcala, city, Mexico

Tlaxcala, city (1990 pop. 50,486), capital of Tlaxcala state, E central Mexico. It is the site of the oldest Christian church in the Americas, founded (1521) by the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés. Nearby is a famous Mexican shrine, the Santuario y Colegiata de Ocotlán.

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Tlaxcala, state, Mexico

Tlaxcala (tläskä`lä), state (1990 pop. 761,277), 1,555 sq mi (4,027 sq km), E central Mexico. Tlaxcala is the capital. It is the smallest and one of the most densely populated Mexican states. The western part lies within Mexico's central plateau; the remainder, however, is extremely mountainous, with a temperate to cold climate. Maguey, cereals, and subsistence crops are grown in the valleys. Light manufacture has developed on a significant scale. Textile and fighting bulls are traditional and still important products of the state. In the mountains are the sources of the Río Balsas. Defeated by Hernán Cortés after fierce resistance, the Tlaxcaltecs later became valuable Spanish allies against the Aztecs.

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Tlaxcala

State (pop., 2000: 962,646), central Mexico. The smallest Mexican state, it consists largely of plateau and covers 1,551 sq mi (4,016 sq km); the capital is Tlaxcala town. It occupies roughly the same area as the Indian principality of Tlaxcala, which was the main Indian ally of Hernán Cortés in his conquest of Mexico. Almost exclusively agricultural, it produces cereals, raises both dairy cows and fighting bulls, and has numerous handicrafts, notably the weaving of serapes and woolen cloth.

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Tlaxcala

 in full Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl

Town (pop., 2000: 73,213), capital of Tlaxcala state, Mexico. It is located in a mountainous region at the foot of La Malinche volcano. Settled by a Nahua people around the 14th century, it vied for power in the 15th–16th century with the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán (modern Mexico City). Though the inhabitants initially opposed Hernán Cortés, they later became his allies and aided him in his defeat of Azetec leader Montezuma II. It was a refuge for the Spaniards when they were driven out of Tenochtitlán in 1520. Cortés established the first Christian church (San Francisco) in the Americas there in 1521. The sanctuary of Our Lady of Ocotlán and archaeological ruins are nearby.

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Tlaxcala

1. a state of S central Mexico: the smallest Mexican state; formerly an Indian principality, the chief Indian ally of Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. Capital: Tlaxcala. Pop.: 961 912 (2000 est.). Area: 3914 sq. km (1511 sq. miles)

2. a city in E central Mexico, on the central plateau, capital of Tlaxcala state: the church of San Francisco (founded 1521 by Cortés) is the oldest in the Americas. Pop.: 25 000 (1990 est.)