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April 27, 2006
Presenting: Ruben Cortes of Morelos Trails:
Adventure Travel and Cultural Explorations in the Heart of Mexico
I met Rubén Cortés a couple of weeks ago during my
stay in Cuernavaca when he filled me in on a variety cultural and
adventure sports tours that his company provides in the Mexican
state of Morelos. In addition, he took me on a 2 hour hike through
the "Barranca de Santa Maria", one of the many ravines
in the city of Cuernavaca, where we walked beside a tiny river through
a forested area to a local trout farm. It was a fascinating hike
through somewhat challenging terrain that introduced me to the fauna
and flora around Cuernavaca. The most interesting thing about this
walk was seeing the variety of rubber pipes that local families
use to tap into the river to deliver water to their homes since
they live in areas without municipal water supply. We also met a
local family who was doing their washing in the river, again a very
interesting vignette of local life in Mexico.
Rubén, a young travel entrepreneur
Rubén runs two hotels in the Cuernavaca area and also started
a tour company last year that provides local cultural tours as well
as adventure travel. Rubén filled me in on the variety of
cultural and adventure activities in the area surrounding Cuernavaca:
1. Please tell us a little about yourself and your background
.
I am a certified excursionist & cultural guide, as well as a
PADI scuba diving instructor, with recognition by SECTUR (Tourism
Secretary of Mexico). I started my own company “Morelos Trails”
last year, and we offer complete touristic services (adventure,
culture & nature) in the states of central Mexico states, with
a special emphasis on the State of Morelos.
I speak English, Italian, and of course Spanish. I studied at “La
Salle University” and got a degree in International Business.
I have been working as the general manager of a small hotel in downtown
Cuernavaca, the
“Hotel Royal” , since 1997 and as a scuba diving
instructor at “Cuernavaca Gold’s Gym” and at “Las
Estacas”, a natural river park.
The "Barranca de Santa Maria"
2. How did you come up with the idea to create an adventure
travel company? You mentioned that a trip to British Columbia had
a major influence on you in terms of your interest in nature, please
tell us more.
Well, the original idea for the creation of my company came about
as a result of my thesis at the university (Marketing as an alternative
for exporting tourist services in the State of Morelos). I discovered
that in the State of Morelos and in central Mexico we have a lot
of points of interest for travellers, including national parks and
biosphere reserves. The fact that there was a real absence of professional
adventures companies in the area pushed me to start on the project.
And as you said, a trip to British Columbia, crossing from Seattle
to Juneau with my family in a camper vehicle 18 years ago, planted
the seed for my love and passion for nature and culture, which have
become my main hobbies.
Statue in front of the Palacio de Cortes in Cuernavaca
3. Please tell us a little bit about Cuernavaca and the cultural
and sports opportunities that this region offers.
Cuernavaca is known as the city of everlasting spring. It is blessed
with one of the best climates in the world, and for centuries this
feature has attracted a lot of historic characters, from Aztecs
emperors to famous painters and scientists such as Diego Rivera
or Alexander von Humboldt. The culture and history of Mexico is
featured at Cuernavaca’s museums, mansions, churches and archeological
zones.
The State of Morelos as a region offers everything you can imagine,
from rafting, to excursions in temperate rainforests, pine forests,
natural wall climbing in the canyons (the so-called “barrancas”),
scuba diving in crystal clear rivers, and culture at the archeological
zones (of which there are more than 10), and at the former monasteries
dating back to the 16th century. We even have prehistoric paintings
in this area.
4. You know a lot about the geological history and topographical
situation of Cuernavaca. Please give us an overview.
Cuernavaca is located at the south end of a neo-volcanic zone, so
the inactive volcanoes of the north absorb all the humidity and
produce frequent rains which provides a source of fresh water to
the city. The water descends from the volcanoes to the city in streams
that produce natural canyons known as “barrancas”. These
ravines vary in size and the larger ones reach 50 m of depth and
150 m in length. Cuernavaca is crossed by more than 20 “barrancas”
and among other things, this unique topographical situation makes
it difficult to plan the streets and services for the city.
Historical monuments
5. Your family also operates a hotel in Cuernavaca. Please provide
us with information about that.
The Hotel
Royal is a small, economic and clean place where you can comfortably
spend the night. Our rates are inexpensive, and we focus on offering
you a comfortable place of rest after a day full of action outside.
You can visit our web site to get more information: www.hoteles-royal.com
6. Please tell us about Hotel Villa Royal in Puente de
Ixtla.
The Hotel Villa Royal is a place to rest, it is a very small hotel
with only 7 rooms and a pool, located in the town of Puente de Ixtla.
We provide personalized service and attention to your unique needs.
More information is available
on our web site as well.
Rappeling in Morelos
7. Please tell us about the tours you provide of archeological
zones in and around Cuernavaca.
In Cuernavaca we offer a tour to the archeological zone of Teopanzolco.
This zone is very important because the main temple is a scale copy
of the great temple of Tenochtitlán (now in Mexico City),
which was destroyed.
Other important places that combine adventure and archeology are:
- Xochicalco: A United Nationals World Heritage Site, not to be
missed if you come to Morelos.
- Tepoztlán: Climb the mountain to reach the temple of Ometochtli
(the pre-hispanic rabbit god of liquor) and then do some rock-climbing
or use ropes to practice your descents.
- Chalcatzingo: Located among the higher mountains of Morelos,
this is one of the one most ancient archeological zones of Mexico,
dating to 1500 B.C. Here you can also rock-climb and rappel.
- Chimalacatlán: Here you can enter into the depths of a
temperate rainforest, cross the entire state and admire one of the
last natural frontiers of Morelos. You can go horse-back riding
and reach an archeological zone located at the top of a mountain,
also among the most ancient zones of Mexico.
Archeological zones in abundance
8. You also provide guided tours of the museums of Cuernavaca.
Please elaborate.
There are a variety of different museums in Cuernavaca, we can offer
you a variety of guided tours:
- The Cuahunauac Museum was the palace of Hernan Cortes, the conqueror
of Mexico. It also used to be a jail and now you can find a great
mural by Diego Rivera.
Museo Muros: this art museum has the greatest collection of contemporary
Mexican art, with paintings by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros,
Rufino Tamayo, Frida Kahlo, and many more.
- The Borda Gardens: This property used to be the weekend house
of the Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg during the French occupation
of Mexico in the 19th century.
- The Robert Brady museum: An eclectic collection of art from all
parts of the world, donated to the city by Mr. Brady, an American
painter and millionaire who used to live in this house.
- Etnobotanic museum: Here you can discover over 5000 species of
plants in Mexico and learn about the medicinal proprieties of these
plants.
9. You also provide tours of “ex conventos”,
former convents created by Spanish monks. Please give is an overview
of their locations, their history and the tours that you provide.
These former convents were among the first in the Americas. They
are very interesting because their locations are very close to the
Popocatepetl volcano. These convents have beautiful wall paintings
and they have also been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
We provide 5 different tours, depending on the distance and the
number of ex conventos you want to see. There are a total of 11
former convents and it is feasible to see them all in one day during
a whirlwind tour where much of the time is spent in the car. We
also offer less compressed tours where you see a smaller number
of former convents and have more time to explore the main features
of each one.
The former convent in Tepoztlan
10. Morelos Trails also offers a variety of Scuba courses
and certifications. Please tell us about these
opportunities.
The State of Morelos offers great opportunities to begin your diving
experience at one of the crystal clear rivers. You have the option
of becoming certified with the PADI credential if you complete a
course. The final exams can be completed in Acapulco or in Veracruz,
two places with great beaches and lots of fun.
11. What about alternative sports? What sports do you offer
and in which locations are these sports activities available?
We offer the following alternative sports:
• Rafting at the Amacuzac river, the largest river in Morelos.
A full-day tour is available only during rainy season.
• Flying an ultra-light plane: these small planes have no
exterior walls, so you can feel the wind on your face and body during
the entire time that it takes to fly above Tequesquitengo Lake,
the largest lake of Morelos.
• A speleology walk underground for 3 or 5 hours, following
a subterranean river that lets you discover complete darkness while
learning more about geology.
• High mountain climbing at one of the 3 tallest volcanoes
in Mexico – Iztaccihuatl, a 2-day tour in the company of a
specialized guide.
12. You offer interesting local hiking excursions within
the Cuernavaca city limits. Please tell us about those.
In Cuernavaca we have two different kinds of hiking excursions:
the more basic one consists of a walk through the Santa Maria ravine,
where you can follow a little stream and visit a trout farm. Here
you can you also enjoy a nice meal in beautiful surroundings. There
is enough time to visit the city on the same day.
The other excursion is a bit more physically demanding and requires
you to be in better shape. The hike goes across the undeveloped
ravines of west Cuernavaca. This is an all-day hike and finishes
in the village of Cuentepec, a small town where the locals still
speak the indigenous language of Nahuatl.
13. Where do your customers come from and what type of
experience are they looking for?
Most of the customers for our tours come from the United States
or from Europe, and they are looking for a combination of culture
and nature experiences.
14. What is the demand for adventure sports and nature
experiences in Mexico right now?
The demand for these experiences is high in the beach destinations
such as Cancun, La Paz or Puerto Vallarta, but in central Mexico
we are just starting to promote these opportunities to travellers
and we are letting our future visitors know about the great possibilities
offered in the State of Morelos.
Thank you, Rubén, for taking your time to tell us about the
broad variety of cultural and adventure opportunities available
in the Cuernavaca region. All the best to your young company!
Useful Books:
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Related Interviews:
Presenting:
Ruben Córtes from Morelos Trails - Local adventure sports
and cultural guided tour operator, expert on Morelos and Cuernavaca
Presenting: Pablo
Buitrón from Fundacion Comunidad, helping local
women empower themselves
Presenting: Jorge Torres from
the Cetlalic Alternative Language School - Learning Spanish with
cultural, social and political awareness
Presenting: Hermilo Brito
from the Ideal Language School - Making Spanish learning fun
Helpful links:
Mexico
Tourism Information
State
of Morelos Tourism Organization
Official
website of the City of Cuernavaca tourism
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