Tehuacan

Tehuacán lies in a dry valley of southern Puebla, a landscape of mountains, cactus forests and long human occupation. Nearby caves have preserved ancient remains of cultivated plants, including early maize. The old town was a centre of the Popoloca people before Mexica expansion brought the region under the Triple Alliance.

After the Spanish conquest the inhabitants moved from the older settlement of Tehuacán Viejo to a lower site, established by 1567. In 1660 the Indigenous community obtained the title of a city of Indians, with a coat of arms and privileges recognizing its local government. Its position on a route between important colonial centres brought commerce as well as disputes over jurisdiction. The city’s claim to govern itself remained a central part of its colonial history.