Xilitla

History

Xilitla lies in country long inhabited by Huastec and Nahua peoples, and the rugged terrain has helped those cultures and a farming way of life persist. Many residents of the surrounding villages still speak an indigenous language, mainly Huastec.

Augustinian missionaries began working in the area in 1537, and in 1553 they started building the convent of San Agustín. It was designed as both church and fortress, because the Chichimeca War was under way and the Pame lived to the northwest. The convent was attacked and burned in 1569 and again in 1587, and the Augustinians largely abandoned it. Dominicans tried again in the 17th century without success. Only in the mid-18th century did the Franciscans, with Fray Junípero Serra, establish a lasting missionary presence in the region.

The economy has long rested on farming, above all coffee and citrus, and a coffee fair is held each August. In the 20th century the landscape drew Edward James, who built Las Pozas in the rainforest beside the town as his own Garden of Eden. A foundation now runs the garden and opens it to the public. Xilitla was named a Pueblo Mágico in 2011, and the Leonora Carrington museum opened in 2018.