Huamantla is a wonderful and too-little visited city in the east of Tlaxcala. With a history that stretches way back into Mexico\'s ancient period, the people here were only organized into a formal colonial town in 1530. And like so much of Tlaxcala, it is still very much a farm town.
The town is arguably most famous for the month-long tributes to Our Lady of Charity. This is highlighted by the creation of some six kilometers of sawdust carpets that blanket the city streets. The “sleepless night” keeps just about everyone in town awake to lay down the walkways made from intricately colored sawdust, flowers, and natural materials. The results are jaw-dropping and ephemeral.
The city also stages a famous running of the bulls called the “Huamantlada” on August 19. This is accompanied by many of the agricultural fair activities for which the state, and the region, are rightly famous.
Recognized as a Pueblo Magico only in 2007, the town has quickly emerged as a first stop en route to the "La Malinche" National Park. It\'s one of the tallest volcanoes anywhere in Mexico. Closer to the town center, visitors go in for the famous Rosete Aranda National Puppet Museum, the Our Lady of Charity Basilica, and the Parish of San Luis Obispo de Tolouse.
Some folks are lucky enough to stay in the retrofitted haciendas like Soltepec, Santa Bárbara, Baquedano, and Tecoac. But where ever you\'re staying, it\'s a natural landscape that invites frequent forays into the surrounding forest and farmland.
The local food scene is heavy on mutton, mixiotes and barbecue most prominently. This is served accompanied by bean tlacoyos, muéganos, and dishes that rely on the areas considerable wild mushrooms.
Huamantla is, of course, also a major center for puppetry, but visitors leave just as often bearing carpets and similar local textiles, rugs and carpets. Braided macramé thread, and handicrafts in corn husks and stiff braided basketry are also regional favorites.
