Tlaxcala

Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl is the capital of the Mexican state of Tlaxcala, set at 2,239 metres of altitude in a valley overlooking the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes, with some 85,000 inhabitants. Laid out by the Spanish in the 1520s as a centre of evangelisation and government, it preserves its former Franciscan monastery, built between 1537 and 1542 and one of the first four the order raised in the Americas; the Franciscan ensemble of the monastery and Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021. Beside it stands one of the state's first bullrings, established in 1788. In June 2026, Tlaxcala hosted the 22nd Pan American Archery Championships at the 'Una Nueva Historia' athletics centre. Tlaxcala has been designated American City of Sport 2027, a recognition that places it within the Mexican representation of the ACES network.