Huejotzingo, Mexico

Welcome to Huejotzingo, a small city and municipality located just northwest of the city of Puebla, in central Mexico. This charming destination is steeped in history, with its settlements dating back to the pre-Hispanic period. The city is known for its production of alcoholic apple cider and fruit preserves, as well as its annual carnival, which is unlike any other carnival in Mexico or in the world. The carnival draws up to 35,000 visitors from both Mexico and abroad and costs about 2 million pesos to produce. Only about 250,000 comes from the local government, with the rest coming from donations by the local residents. The costumed participants are residents of the municipality and range in age from five to over fifty, and many families have participated for generations. All of the costumes are produced locally, including the Turkish shoes (modified running shoes), hand-carved wooden muskets, and elaborately decorated pants, shirts, and other clothing items. Up to 10,000 are in some kind of costume for the event. The firing of the many muskets over the four days can use as much as five tons of gunpowder and there have been accidents which have resulted in injuries and even death. Historically, this carnival has been linked to both the pre-Hispanic festivities related to the god Tlaloc and the flower wars of the same epoch. There was a festival dedicated to the rain god, but this was transformed in the colonial period into a festival with masked dancers. Elements of the modern carnival are also said to allude to the wars, in which the objective was not to kill or conquer, but rather to capture warriors for sacrifice. The modern carnival event officially began in 1869 and has been held annually ever since. In addition to the carnival, Huejotzingo is home to the Monastery of San Miguel Arcángel, one of the oldest monasteries in the Americas, and one of the first four Franciscan monasteries established in New Spain. The current building is the third to have been built on the site, and it was completed in 1570. The complex has survived a number of earthquakes with little damage and in the 1990s, it became one of fourteen monasteries around the Popocatepetl volcano declared a World Heritage Site. The state of Puebla promotes tourism of the monastery through its Franciscan Route, which connects it with other 16th-century Franciscan monasteries in Calpan and Cholula. The basic elements of the complex are the atrium with its corner chapels called capillas posas, cloister, and main church. The architecture of the large church and monastery area is a mix of medieval and Renaissance styles, with Plateresque and Moorish elements standing out. The Plateresque is evident in the large smooth areas with little ornamental work on the facade and north side of the church. This side has a portal decorated with leaves and thistles. The entrance to the church is flanked by tall classical columns, whose capitals support a narrow cornice to form an alfiz. This is decorated with a Franciscan-style cord and seven anagrams in Greek and Latin. Moorish influence is seen in the door arch of the main portal. The interior has only one nave. There are remnants of frescos on the walls, the best preserved of which show a precession of men in hoods, called Los encapuchados (The hooded ones). The main altar is one of the few from the 16th century that remain in Mexico, made by Simon Pereyns. Another unusual feature is the stonework around the door to the sacristy, which forms a crisscross pattern of flowers. The entrance to the monastery area is on the south side of the complex’s facade. It consists of two wide arches supported in the center by a large column. The interior of the cloister retains all of its original architectural elements, and includes the courtyard, fountain, monks’ cells, refectory, kitchen, gardens, and a meditation/prayer room called the sala de profundis. This room contains the best preserved mural work in the complex, including a depiction of the first twelve Franciscans to arrive in Mexico, headed by Martin de Valencia. This cloister today houses the Museo de Evangelización del ex convento de San Miguel (Evangelization Museum of the former monastery of San Miguel), under the administration of the INAH with Gabiel Maritano Garci as director. It contains a modest collection of artworks and other artifacts from the colonial period such as baptismal fonts and religious paraphernalia as well as displays explaining the evangelization work done by the Franciscans after the Conquest. Come and experience the rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and mouthwatering local cuisine of Huejotzingo, Mexico.