April 1st, 2024
For those of you planning to be with us throughout the week of Oct.28-Nov.3rd, there is a change to the itinerary: on Thursday Oct.31st, we will not be spending the afternoon and evening at a 16th century former hacienda in the state of Tlaxcala. This was our original intention, but due to time constraints we are not able to plan it. Despite its proximity to us (less than an hour away), we have never been to Tlaxcala but it’s a place we’d love to visit, so please let us know if you are interested in joining us on a future trip there.
The inspiration for this stopover was historical in nature, as a way of transporting our guests back to the Spanish Conquest of Mexico over 500 years ago. The route that the commander of the Conquest (Hernán Cortés) and his soldiers took from the port of Veracruz to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City) is almost the same route that we will be taking on public transportation, when we leave Veracruz on Oct.28th, stopping for a 2-day visit in Xalapa, before continuing our journey to Mexico City on Oct.31st .
Tlaxcala was an important stop on the conquest route since, at the time of the conquest, skilled warriors there had been successfully defending their territory against Aztec domination for over a century. After 3 days of bloody battles in which Spanish forces fought and finally subdued the Tlaxcaltecans, Cortés was then successful in persuading them to join the march to the Aztec capital, and many historians view this strategic ‘unification’ of forces as one of the key variables leading to Spanish victory.
For more information about Hernán Cortés, the Route named after him, the state of Tlaxcala, and the Spanish Conquest, please consult the following links:
More about Hernán Cortés:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hern%C3%A1n_Cort%C3%A9s
The Route of Cortés:
https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2014/12/17/on-the-trail-of-hernan-cortes
https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/spanish-invasion/reimagining-la-ruta-de-cortes
https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/spanish-invasion/road-cortes-followed-to-reach-tenochtitln
Spanish Conquest:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_conquest_of_the_Aztec_Empire
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/cortes-exacts-his-revenge/
State of Tlaxcala:
https://www.visit-mexico.mx/tlaxcala/
https://mexicomike.com/destinations/
(Once the page opens, type “Tlaxcala” in the search engine.)
