Barrio de Tlaxcala

Barrio de Tlaxcala lies north of San Luis Potosí's historic centre and is regarded as the cradle of the city: it is the oldest of the seven barrios that ringed the colonial core. It began in 1592 as the Villa de Tlaxcalilla, founded by Tlaxcalan and Guachichil families who settled in a spot with water, away from the dry mining areas. The Tlaxcalans, moved here by the colonial government, lived apart from the Spanish but were key to pacifying the region.

Its heart is the parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, built by the Franciscans around 1605, which keeps its original cloister and arcade along with pieces of religious art. In front of it opens the barrio's plaza, with tall trees and street lamps. The streets are cobbled or paved in cantera stone, lined with adobe and stone houses and with murals that tell the barrio's history. On 15 September 1933 a great flood struck the Tlaxcala and Santiago barrios hardest, with heavy loss of life.

On 15 August the plaza fills for the feast of the Virgin of the Assumption, with dances, music, games and fireworks towers, and Holy Week, with its Calvary re-enactment, draws thousands of visitors. To eat there are cenadurías (evening eateries), the Mercado República with its snacks, and Doña Elodia's menudo, served since 1948; the barrio is also home to Casa Doña María, known as the first workshop of the mole brand of that name.

In January 2023 Mexico's federal Tourism Secretariat (SECTUR) announced that Tlaxcala would be San Luis Potosí's first Barrio Mágico, chosen at the state government's request over the San Miguelito barrio. The programme brought new paving and street lighting and 20 murals about the barrio's history painted across 14 house fronts.