Tlacolulan is a municipality located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It covers a surface area of 137.36 km2 and is situated at the geographical coordinates 19°40′N 97°00′W, approximately 17 km from the state capital, Xalapa.
Historically, the area was inhabited by the pre-Hispanic Totonac people of the former Xalapa region. The municipality's current name was established by Government Decree Number 25 on April 14, 1861, which ordered that the local inhabitants be known as Tlacolulan of the Free ones.