Atlixco

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Atlixco is a rapidly growing city in the state of Puebla, Mexico. It is located only 24 km south of the city of Puebla, yet 300 hundred meters below in altitude, at 1840 m. This drop in altitude causes a noticeable change in the weather of the city compared to the surrounding regions of the "Sierra Nevada" (lit. "Snowy Mountains"), making Atlixco renowned for its benign climate which varies by only a few degrees Celsius year round.

Atlixco has a population of 117,000 (2005) and is located on the foothills of the Popocatépetl volcano.

History of Atlixco

Early History

The first settlers arrived in the 11th century and founded a settlement at the site of today`s neigbourhood "Los Solares Grandes" in the San Miguel quarter of A. It was called "Quauhquechollan" or "Quauhquechula" meaning "fleeing eagle". Later, in Spanish times, it was called Acapetlahuacan, "place of división of the dominions. The modern name "Atlixco" can be analyzed into atl 'water' + ixtli, 'face, surface' + -co 'in.

By the 15th century it had grown into a big town After several wars with neighbouring populations the town was resettled later on. It was then was called "Huehuequauhquechollan", the old Quauhquechula. It was at that time when the pyramids and the ceremonial centre were built in what is today San Miguel. The caziques of Atlixco were able to keep relatively independent from the dominant people of Huejotzingo. As the valley of A. forms a natural road to the centre of Mexico, a. was of major importance for the colonial period.

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