History was made in the state of Tlaxcala this week with the opening of its first escalator.

“Incredible but true!” declared the newspaper El Sol de Tlaxcala, calling the installation of an electric stairway in a department store a “historic” event.

The occasion even brought out the governor who, with his wife, was the first to ride the device.

Governor Marco Mena was actually there for the official opening of a Fábricas de Francia store in the municipality of Apizaco, which had the distinction of bringing the first escalator to the state.

But the device was front and center for many.

The excitement was evident among the first shoppers in the store, wrote El Sol, moving from one floor to another on the escalator and avoiding the fatigue of greater physical effort.

It was a historic day, said the report, “because we now have our first electric stairs in Tlaxcala.”

The escalator has a fairly long history. The first was installed in 1896.

Source: El Sol de Tlaxcala (sp)