Did you know that on June 6, 1591, one of the largest, most epic, and most important exoduses in Mexican history began?
On June 6 of that year, 400 Tlaxcalan families left their homeland heading north.
The reason? The Spanish had spent decades trying to pacify the fierce Chichimec peoples of the north and simply couldn’t.
So they came up with an idea: to ask their allies in Tlaxcala for help.
The deal was a win-win: the Tlaxcalan families agreed to travel north to found towns, cultivate the land, and peacefully “civilize” the region in exchange for titles of nobility (hidalgos), their own lands, and exemption from paying taxes.
Thanks to this enormous migration that began that year, northern Mexico changed forever.
Cities in states like Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, and Nuevo León adopted the farming techniques, cuisine, and textiles of the Tlaxcalans.
In fact… the world-famous Saltillo Sarape actually originated in Tlaxcala!
The Saltillo Sarape is one of the most emblematic garments of Mexican culture.
It is a rectangular woven wool blanket, internationally famous for its vibrant color combinations and complex geometric patterns, or rays, that converge on a central diamond or medallion-shaped design.
