Town 33 km southwest of Teposcolula
The commercial hub of the Mixteca Alta, with a big Saturday market where Mixtec villages come to trade, and a large Dominican church.
Heroica Ciudad de Tlaxiaco is the commercial center of the Mixteca Alta and the seat of a district that reaches from the highlands toward the Pacific. Its Mixtec name is usually translated as "good view," and its Nahuatl name refers to rain falling on a ball court, the glyph by which it appears in the Codex Mendoza. The title Heroica comes from a battle fought here against the French in the 1860s.
Late in the 19th century, local merchants traveled to the Paris Exposition of 1888 and came back with European fashions and tastes, and Tlaxiaco has been nicknamed "Paris chiquito" ever since. You can still see it in the four-faced clock tower and the old mansions around the center. Above the town stands the large Dominican church of Santa María de la Asunción, built over the 16th and 17th centuries.
The best day to come is Saturday, when the weekly market draws people from villages all over the Mixteca to buy and sell produce, palm baskets, pottery and much more. It is a working market, crowded and colorful. Local food to look for includes yellow mole empanadas, tasajo and sweet breads.
What to see and do
Come on a Saturday for the weekly market, where Mixtec villages trade.
Visit the Dominican church of Santa María de la Asunción.
See the four-faced clock tower and the old mansions of the center.
Try yellow mole empanadas and other Mixtec dishes.
Getting there
Tlaxiaco is about 45 minutes south of Teposcolula on Highway 125, passing San Martín Huamelulpan on the way. Buses and vans run regularly between the two towns. On Saturdays, arrive early, since the market starts in the morning and traffic in the center gets heavy.
33 km southwest of Teposcolula
Directions from Teposcolula on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Weather cool
Tlaxiaco shares the climate of Teposcolula, 33 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.
Make Teposcolula your base
Tlaxiaco is an easy trip from Teposcolula, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Teposcolula
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Yanhuitlán
· Landmark · 16 km away
A Mixtec town dominated by a fortress-like 16th-century Dominican church, with fine altarpieces and a restored colonial organ. -
Huamelulpan
· Archaeological site · 17 km away
Early Mixtec ruins with carved stones and calendar glyphs in a village that keeps a small community museum. -
San Miguel Achiutla
· Landmark · 23 km away
Once the seat of a famous Mixtec oracle, now home to a restored 16th-century Dominican convent with colonial altarpieces and paintings. -
Coixtlahuaca
· Landmark · 30 km away
A 16th-century Dominican convent with a carved Renaissance facade and one of the finest open chapels in Mexico.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.