Cacaxtla-Xochitécatl

Cacaxtla and Xochitécatl are two archaeological sites on neighboring hills just across the state line in Tlaxcala, about 12 kilometers northeast of Huejotzingo. Cacaxtla was the capital of the Olmeca-Xicalanca, a people probably from the Gulf coast who dominated this part of the valley between about 650 and 900 AD, after the decline of Cholula. Its palace stood on the Gran Basamento, a platform some 200 meters long with views across the valley.

The reason to come is the murals. Uncovered after workers stumbled on them in 1975, they keep strong colors and are painted in a style much closer to the Maya than to central Mexico. The most famous, the Battle Mural, runs about 26 meters and shows one group of warriors defeating another, with Maya-looking figures among the defeated. Other panels show a bird man and a jaguar man. A huge roof now covers the whole platform to protect them.

Xochitécatl, about a kilometer west, is much older: its Pyramid of the Flowers and Spiral Building were begun around 800 BC on top of an extinct volcano, and the site was later reused by Cacaxtla. From the top you see Popocatépetl, Iztaccíhuatl and La Malinche.