Tlayacapan (Spanish pronunciation: [tlaʝaˈkapan]) is the name of a town and a municipality located in the northeast part of Morelos state in central Mexico.

The rest, such as courtyards, cloister, chapels, dining hall, prayer rooms, kitchen, gardens, and monks’ cells have disappeared or have been converted to other uses.

One item which stands out is a painting of “Nuestra Señora de la Luz” an oil work of the Virgin Mary pregnant.

[12] Two other important pieces are an anonymous paintings from the 16th century with Flemish influence presenting Saint Augustine and pictorial fragments from an altarpiece from 1737.

Some of the best preserved works are in the Sala Profundis or meditation room where there are depictions of the Four Evangelists, Saints Peter and Paul, the Virgin Mary and the Crucifixion.

[14] Associated with the monastery is a series of 26 chapels, which were located in places were pre-Hispanic rituals had been performed as part of the “spiritual conquest” of the area.

Santa Ana is found in the north, La Exaltación in the south, Santiago in the east and El Rosario in the west.

[15] The chapel of the Señora del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary) is one that marks the town's traditional western boundary and lends its name to the surrounding neighborhood.

The original atrium cross was decorated with flowers but this was stolen some time ago, as well as a number of other objects from the chapel property.

[15] The day of the Señor de la Exaltación is the first Friday of Lent, with events from Thursday evening to the following Sunday, such as pre-Hispanic dances and fireworks.

[8] The day of Nuestra Señora del Trànsito is the fourth Friday of Lent, with activities beginning on Wednesday and extending to Sunday.

[16] The Cerería Museum and Cultural Center (Wax or candle factory) is housed in a building which covers an entire city block and dates back to the 16th century.

[17] Workshops offered vary from crafts to personal development to languages such as English and Nahuatl to painting to chess as well as local traditions.

[8] The origin of the name is from Nahuatl and means “over the point or nose of the earth” but it can also be translated at “the limits of the earth.”[1] The first culture in the area was the Olmec, who are known only by archeological remains.

[15] However, in the early colonial period, the indigenous would hide native deities such as Yacatecutli, the god of commerce, inside hollow figures of saints and march with them in procession.

[12] From the colonial period to recent times, the area has been relatively isolated, keeping many of its old traditions, including economy intact.

[21] Erasmo Mendoza Pedroza of Juntos Haremos Historia (Together we will make history coalition) was elected Presidente Municipal (mayor) on July 1, 2018.

The mask not only served to hide identity, but also they are made with wire mesh, painted pink, with heavy eyebrows and long pointed beards to mimic the abundant facial hair of Europeans.

This Chinelo tradition was copied and modified by many other towns in Morelos, starting with Tepoztlán, which has its own colors and style of hat.

[2] Featuring the Chinelos dancing and marching through the streets, the Carnival tradition here is centuries old and held the days just before Ash Wednesday.

[2][3] Like with other versions of Carnival, the event is held for several days before Ash Wednesday but reaches its peak the night before on Tuesday.

[1] To honor the tradition there is a Museo del Alfarero or Potters’ Museum in the Capilla de la Natividad and a festival dedicated to the craft.

[16] The Feria del Barro, also known as the Festival Cultural de Tlayacapan was initiated by Cornelio Santamaría and is held each November.

This is a set of clay figures, which are used in ritual healing, especially of diseases associated with “bad air.” The last craftsperson to preserve the art of making these is Felipa Hernandez Barragan.

Around them are various animals: a lizard, a millipede, a snake, a bull, a donkey, a spider, a scorpion and a frog, each of which has a cigarette tied to its back.

Avocado leaves are used to flavor food and dishes often feature tomatoes, tomatillos, nopals and a plant called huanzontle.

One legend states that the faces of these gods were sculpted by human hands when the king Quetzalcoatl came to this area and pronounced it sacred.

However, the growing of tomatoes has decreased due to plant infestations, costs of herbicides and insecticides and falling market prices.

[1] In addition to its own pottery, a number of stores have become distributors of crafts from other parts of the state as well as from Michoacán, Querétaro, Guanajuato and Puebla.

[13] Due to its “historic attributes”, there have been calls for the town to become a “Pueblo Mágico” (a program sponsored by the federal government), and it is being considered for inclusion.