TLAXCALA

in full Tlaxcala De Xicohtncatl, town, capital of Tlaxcala estado (state), east-central Mexico. It lies along the Zahuapan River at the northwest foot of La Malinche volcano, 7,388 feet (2,252 m) above sea level. The city lies in the region inhabited by the Tlaxcalan Indians, and the designation de Xicohtncatl commemorates a Tlaxcalan chieftain who vigorously opposed his people's aid to the Spanish conquistador Hernn Corts. In 1519 Corts conquered the city, where two years later he established the first Christian church (San Francisco) in the Americas. It was near Tlaxcala that Hernn Corts built the brigantines which he transported to the Lake of Mexico for his final onslaught on the Aztec capital of Tenochtitln (now Mexico City). The Sanctuary of Ocotln and archaeological ruins are nearby. The surrounding area produces corn (maize), beans, lima beans, and livestock. The textile industry is well developed in the city, producing cotton, wool, and synthetic fibres. Tlaxcala can be reached by highway from Puebla to the south and from Mexico City to the west. Pop. (1980) 13,000. inland plateau estado (state), central Mexico, bordered by the states of Puebla on the northeast, east, and south; by Mxico on the west; and by Hidalgo on the northwest. The smallest Mexican state, its 1,551-square-mile (4,016-square-kilometre) territory has a mean elevation of 7,000 feet (2,100 m) and a cool, healthful climate, but frequent winter frosts are injurious to local agriculture. The state occupies roughly the same area as the Indian principality of Tlaxcala, which refused to surrender to the Aztec confederation and joined Hernn Corts as his principal Indian ally in the conquest of Mexico (151921). Continued loyalty to Spain brought the Tlaxcalans many privileges. The martial traditions of the Indian population were reasserted during the War of Independence in 1810, and again in 1847, against United States forces. Almost exclusively agricultural, the state produces cereals (corn and barley), raises both dairy cows and fighting bulls, and has numerous handicrafts, notably the weaving of serapes and woolen cloth. Industry is predominantly textile-based, with woolens of special quality. Railways and highways traverse the state, linking Tlaxcala, the state capital, to Mexico City to the west and to Puebla to the south. Pop. (1987 est.) 654,500.