A calendar stone was sculpted here and a temple called Mitlancalco was built to receive the bodies of priests and princes.

[1] According to the Tribute Codex (Códice de los Tributos), the Tulancingo area was a commercial center for the Otomi-Tepehua and Totonaca people since about 1000 CE bringing traders from lands now in the states of Hidalgo, Puebla and Veracruz.

[1] During the Spanish Conquest, Prince Ixtlilxochitl gathered an army here to join Hernán Cortés to conquer Tenochtitlan.

Bravo remained here for a time, founding a newspaper called El Mosquito de Tulancingo and constructing a gunpowder factory.

Because the city was loyal to the centralist cause, Ocampo was not placed in prison, but rather allowed to walk the streets where the citizens would supervise him.

Major flooding occurred in and around the city in 1999, with communities such as La Rosa, on the outskirts, the hardest hit, when rivers and streams overflowed.

[5] Hurricane Dean caused flooding damage again in 2007, when in less than 12 hours of rain, eighteen colonias were underwater with water pouring off mountainsides.

It lies at the foot of the Cerro del Tezontle mountain, which gives views of the city and much of the surrounding valley.

The cathedral's origins date back to 1528 when it was established as a Franciscan monastery, with a church dedicated to Francis of Assisi.

This church was reconstructed in 1788 by Damián Ortiz de Castro, and was dedicated to John the Baptist, who is the city's patron saint.

[1] Built in 1893 by Gabriel Mancera, this building was the second train station for the city and bears witness to the time period when Tulancingo served as a major hub of transportation and communication in Hidalgo state.

[16] Nearby, the Vagón del Ferrocarril (Railroad Car) cafeteria offers crafts and other regional products.

[18][19] A statue was originally placed here in late 1999, and at the same time, the highway it marks was renamed Boulevard Rodolfo Guzman Huerta, El Santo.

The ceremony was hosted by his son, a wrestler named El Hijo del Santo and 100 others including various from the lucha libre world.

[20] However, the original statue placed here was met with derision among the populace for its diminutive size and “null athletic characteristics,” being called the “Monument to E.T.” by many residents.

[21] The current stone monument is 2.30 meters tall and is a reproduction of the wrestler with his cape and mask in a fighting stance.

[20] The Museo de Datos Históricos (Museum of Historical Facts) is in the building that was the first train station for the city.

[22] The Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Library is located in a building constructed in the 19th century on what was part of the cathedral's old cemetery.

These areas host national and international exhibitions and events featuring art, music and theatrical works.

The name comes from its owner in the early 20th century who ran a grocery store from the building and would paint apricot pits for neighborhood children to use as toys.

[30] Overlooking the city are a number of large satellite dishes, which were constructed in the 1960s, initially to televise the 1968 Olympic Games.

[3] The annual Feria de Tulancingo [1] is the main event for the city featuring the commercial, agricultural and industrial activities of the area.

This relatively flat surface is mostly of light volcanic rock cut with ravines, small canyons, large hills and volcanoes.

Most wildlife consist of small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels with birds such as hummingbirds, doves and woodpeckers and reptiles such as snakes.

Another notable cemetery in the area is the one at Santa Ana Hueytlalpan, where evidence of Otomi traditions can be seen such as the arrangement of Mexican marigolds and offerings of seasonal fruits, mole, sweets and alcohol.

[33] Los Ermitanos is a nature preserve which contains two almost parallel ravines and numerous rock formations such as towers, cliffs and narrow peaks.

Crops produced year round and usually irrigated include cactus fruit (tunas), alfalfa and hay.

Textile production continued into the colonial period, especially to mining communities in the Real del Monte and Pachuca areas.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the textile industry here and in the rest of Mexico was modernized and the first train station was opened to ship products.

One unique handcrafted item is a type of “God’s eye” called a “tenango.”[1][38] The city has grown rapidly over the past 20 or so years as multinational corporations have moved operations here.