A well-kept secret: quaint Tlaxcala offers enchanting escape.

I have heard both Morelos and Tlaxcala lay claim to being Mexico's smallest state. It seems Tlaxcala wins the title, and shares with its diminutive size a tiny reputation in comparison to that of its much-publicized sister state to the south.

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Cuernavaca--the capital of Morelos--has been a favorite getaway from Mexico City since before the Conquest. Tlaxcala--just two hours to the northeast of the D.F.--is quite another matter.

A minority who patronize the fiesta brava might know the state has a grand old tradition of breeding fighting bulls, known here as toros de lidia.

A small cluster of archaeology buffs may have heard of the outstanding murals at Cacaxtla, which happens to be within the Tlaxcala state border.

Those with a passion for regional fiestas, like myself, might link Tlaxcala to strange mustachioed masks, crazy plumed hats and colorful costumes--characteristic of the state's splendid Carnival (late February) in which over 4,000 folk dancers join together from different villages.

But many people are still not really sure where Tlaxcala is, whether it is a state or town or both (it's both), let alone what they might find should they go there.

HISTORICAL SECRETS

From the point of view of tourism promotion, it is a secret too well kept. But at the same time, one soon senses those in the know rather like Tlaxcala just as it is--unspoiled landscape criss-crossed with dirt roads the rich red color of tezontle.

"We have more than 1,000 archeological sites, with seven excavated and four open to the public," says Domingo Galaviz, the state's director of tourism promotion. "And we have 140 haciendas, some in ruins, some halfway restored, and some perfect for visitors."

But of the tourists who visit the state's colonial gems, such as the ornate boudoir of Our Lady of Ocotlan or the glistening altarpiece in the shrine of Santa Cruz, 95 percent are national, many from neighboring Puebla state.

"The foreigners who come are mostly German, French and Swiss," Galaviz says, "and history is what brings them."

Fortunately, Tlaxcala's history is as visible as it is rich and intriguing.

A PLEASANT WALKING TOUR

The colonial city has more than enough attractions for an overnight stay at any time of the year (see www.tlaxcala.gob.mx/turismo). The first history lesson, bright and intriguing, starts with 450 square meters of vibrant murals in the 16th and 19th century Palacio Municipal (government building) located on the Zocalo, also called the Plaza de la Constitucion.