Atlixco

History

Around AD 1100 the valley was occupied by Teochichimeca and Xicalanca peoples, and it later fell under the power of Tenochtitlan. Its fertile, well-watered position made it a battleground: Calpan, Huejotzingo, and Cholula all fought over it, and when the Spanish arrived it was held by Huejotzingo.

As the Spanish community grew, settlers obtained royal permission to found the Villa de Carrión, today's Atlixco; its first town council record is dated September 22, 1579, the same year Philip II granted its coat of arms. In 1632 it became independent of Huejotzingo. The valley's wheat made it known as the granary of New Spain by the early 17th century, and that wealth attracted Franciscans, Augustinians, Carmelites, Mercedarians, the hospital order of San Juan de Dios, and Poor Clare nuns, who built the convents and churches that still mark the center. In 1706 the crown created the title of Duke of Atlixco.

President Nicolás Bravo raised Atlixco to the rank of city in 1843. On May 4, 1862, the day before the Battle of Puebla, local forces drove back the conservative troops of Leonardo Márquez and kept them from reinforcing the French. Over the 20th century the economy shifted from grain to flowers and ornamental plants. Atlixco was named a Pueblo Mágico in 2015.