Tlaxcala is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the central

Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...

Tlaxcala Tlaxcala (; , ; from nah, Tlaxcallān ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipaliti ...

. The municipal seat is the city of

Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl Tlaxcala, officially Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl (), is the capital city of the Mexico, Mexican state of Tlaxcala and seat of the municipalities of Mexico, municipality of the same name. The city did not exist during the pre-Hispanic period but was l ...

, which also serves as the state capital.

The municipality

The city is the governing authority for itself and fifteen other communities, forming a territory of 41.61km². It is located in the south of the state, where most of the population is concentrated. It borders the municipalities of

Totolac Totolac is a municipality in Tlaxcala in south-eastern Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the s ...

Apetatitlán de Antonio Carvajal Apetatitlán de Antonio Carvajal is a municipality in the Mexican state of Tlaxcala in south-eastern Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is border ...

, Tepeyanco, Tetlatlahuca, San Damián Texoloc, San Jerónimo Zacualpan,

Chiautempan Santa Ana Chiautempan is a city in Chiautempan Municipality in the south-central part of the Mexican state of Tlaxcala. The city serves as the municipal seat of the municipality, which covers an area of 66.21 km² (25.56 sq mi). At the 2005 ...

, La Magdalena Tlaltelulco, Santa Isabel Xiloxoxtla and Panotla. The municipal government consists of a municipal president, an officer called a ''síndico'' and seven representatives called ''regidores''. The municipality has a very low level of socioeconomic marginalization, with no community having a state of medium and high marginalization. There are 23,035 residences as of 2010. Significant communities outside the municipal seat include Ocotlán, San Estebán Tizatlán, San Gabriel Cuauhtla, San Hipólito Chimalpa, San Lucas Cuauhtelupan and Santa Maria Acuitlapilco. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ocotlán was consecrated in 1854 and in 1905 it was declared the parish church of Ocotlán. In 1907, it was declared a collegiate church and in 1957, it became a minor basilica. The church is in Tlaxcalan Baroque style characterized by the use of tile and red brick. The façade is built to look like an altarpiece and topped with a seashell image. The main entrance is an arch flanked by

estipite The estipite column is a type of pilaster typical of the Churrigueresque Baroque style of Spain and Spanish America used in the 18th century. In the late Baroque period, many classical architectural elements lost their simple shapes and became in ...

and

Salomonic column The Solomonic column, also called Barley-sugar column, is a helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew. It is not associated with a specific classical order, although most examples have Corinthian or Composite c ...

s with have images of the doctors of the church, as well as the

twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...

Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...

appears in the arch. Above this is a figure representing the Immaculate Conception and

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

. Near this is the choral window in the form of a stylized star. The towers were construction in the latter 18th century with arches and vegetative decoration. The cupola contains four mirrors with the cornice covered in gold leaf. The ante-sacristy has five oil paintings by Manuel Caro done in 1781 depicting scenes of some of the Virgin Mary's appearances. The

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

has a painting of Saint Joseph by Joaquin Magón from 1754. The Guadalupe chapel to the side has lead figures of the Four Evangelists as well as paintings by Miguel Lucas Bedolla and Manuel Yañez. The image of the virgin is in a Baroque chamber decorated in plasterwork by Francisco Miguel Tlayoltehuanitzin between 1715 and 1740 and eight Salomonic columns.

References

{{Tlaxcala Municipalities of Tlaxcala