Thursday,
April 13, 2006, 7:36 am
Hello from Cuernavaca - A Day Outing to
the Enchanted Village of Tepoztlán
At roughly 10 in the morning I walked through beautiful residential
streets in the north end of Cuernavaca to the so-called Glorieta
de Zapata, a traffic circle featuring a statue of one of Mexico's
freedom fighters on a horse. Right next to the traffic circle I
waited for a local bus to take me to the small town of Tepoztlán,
around 17 km from Cuernavaca. It only cost 9.50 pesos (around $1)
and took about half an hour through quaint local villages and countryside
in the shade of the local mountains.
The name Tepoztlán is a Nahuatl word and means "place
of abundant copper". The population is roughly 33,000 people.
Tepoztlán has a long history and some of the archeological finds
from around the area date back to 1500 B.C. By the 10th century
a.d. the Toltec culture was predominant in this region. The Tepozteco
mountain has been a ceremonial centre for many centuries and it
features a white-washed pyramid at the top. Most recently Tepoztlán
has become a centre of the New Age movement and has attracted many
artists to live here. There have apparently even been some unverified
UFO sightings in the area. Tepoztlán is a very charming city and
a great destination from either Mexico City or Cuernavaca, particularly
on Wednesdays or Sundays when the town hosts a very colourful tianguis
or street market on the main square in town.
The cobble-stoned street leading to the Tepozteco Mountain
Once arrived I strolled the cobble-stone streets of downtown Tepoztlán
and discovered the local church and the ex-convento (former
convent) which features many wall paintings. I was really lucky
that I had come into town on a Wednesday since the tianguis
was going on right in front of the church and hundreds of merchants
were displaying their wares, from fruits, vegetables, clothing,
to CDs, toys and various knick-knacks.
I was going to make the ascent to the sacred mountain Tepozteco
shortly but I thought I’d strengthen myself first, so I sat
down to eat a Sopa Azteca and 3 sopes (small tortillas
with refried beans, sour cream and salsa) as a late breakfast in
a little restaurant on the main street. Then I went on a long walk
down this cobble-stoned street, while shops and stalls were just
setting up the displays for their merchandise. One of the tempting
offers was a reasonably priced promotion for a massage, but I figured
there wasn't enough time for a relaxing massage. I had a mountain
to climb first.
Hallways in the ex convento
At the end of the cobble-stoned road, the ascent up to the sacred
Tepozteco mountain begins. At the beginning I walked on a stoney
path through a moderately steep forest section. But not long after
that the walk turned into a climb on a very steep path. Rocks have
been put down as rudimentary steps. Intermittently I caught a view
out into the valley through the trees. The walk was indeed so steep
that I had to stop many times and just catch my breath. Towards
the top it gets even steeper, you go through a very deep incision
between two mountain spires and then at the end you have to climb
up a very metal staircase where you have to use your hands to steady
yourself. The whole climb took me about an hour and boy, was I glad
to arrive at the top.
The pyramid on top of the Tepozteco mountain
On top of the mountain there is a flat area, to your left when
you arrive a little shack is selling refreshments, straight ahead
is the taquilla (the ticket booth where they charge you
30 pesos or $3 for the experience). On the right side there is the
famous pyramid, dating back many hundreds of years. I walked over
to the pyramid from where I had the most amazing view over the village.
People say that this is a sacred place radiant with energy. In early
September every year there is a special event, a race to climb the
Tepozteco mountain (The Challenge to the Tepozteco) where some people
even climb up in high heeled shoes. Even more dangerous are the
climbers who ascend the mountain after drinking pulque, a
local alcoholic drink.
Looking out over the town of Tepoztlán
I stayed about 10 minutes at the top of the mountain and then decided
to climb down. I thought the descent would be much faster, but it
still took me about 40 minutes to get down. The stones are very
worn and slippery and you really have to be careful where you step.
Finally I arrived back in the village and was ready to meet my acquaintance
Annabella who I had met at the opening
of the South African photo exhibition in Cuernavaca. She asked
me to meet her in the Luna Mextli restaurant just to the west side
of the Zócalo. I arrived there early and by the time Annabella
came, I had already finished a late lunch which consisted of delicious
crepes with peach sauce. Annabella picked me up and we went on a
brief walk through town.
But since I mentioned that I was a little tired after climbing
the Tepozteco we took her car and went to her house after stopping
in at a local cafe, also run by expatriates, called the Café
Literario which holds all sorts of cultural get-togethers for the
local expatriate community.
View of the mountains from the Café Literario
Annabella herself has an interesting background: she was born in
South Africa, grew up in Rhodesia (today’s Zimbabwe), at 18
she went to live in London, England, and 36 years ago she came to
Mexico. Annabella has mostly lived in D.F. (Mexico City) and used
to work as an arts teacher. Last year she finally decided that she
wanted to dedicate herself fully to her art, so she retired and
in a spontaneous decision she moved to the magial town of Tepoztlán.
Annabella lives in a wonderful house with a beautiful garden and
a gorgeous view of these enchanted mountains. Her studio is also
located there. We sat down for a nice little chat on her patio after
she had made fresh lemonade from a few lemons that she just picked
off one of her trees. Shortly after Stuart Cox, an actor, director
and performer who used to live in London and Bristol, joined us.
He has lived here in Mexico for 7.5 years now and is a local celebrity
because of the one-man shows he does on historic themes.
Juli Lin Charlotte, a local celebrity
After our little chat, Annabella and I drove at 10 km / h on cobble-stoned
roads to a friend of Annabella’s, Juli Lin Charlot, another
well known local celebrity. Juli , now in her mid 80s, describes
herself as bi-coastal, having been born in New York and having grown
up in Hollywood. Her father was in the movie business, she herself
was Miss Hollywood at age 16. Juli showed me her photos which proved
that she was a stunningly beautiful woman, in the style of the film
stars of the 1950s. Even today Juli still has a certain diva-esque,
graceful air about her. Juli indicated that she used to work with
Groucho and Harpo Marx and that she also spent some time in the
movie business.
In her thirties she became a clothing designer and opened up a
studio on 5th Avenue in New York City and became very well-known
and popular among an upscale clientele. One day she came to Mexico
and visited Tepoztlán and had a vision: it was as if her
mother opened her arms (as represented by the visual image of the
mountains) and said, this is the place for you, stay here. Juli
says she did and that this town is her Shangri-La.
Relaxing in the garden: Annabella, Juli and her friend David
Now Juli lives in a beautiful house in Tepoztlán where we
sat down to enjoy a delicous punch and a perfect ambience in Juli's
subtropical paradise. Her gardener does an amazing job with the
garden which is a gorgeous sanctuary full of beautiful tropical
plants and the sweet smells of honeysuckle and jasmine permeate
the air. Now I undestand why this is Juli's paradise.
Juli also told us story about a curandero (a healer) who
advised her on purchasing her house in Tepoztlán, as a matter he
strongly cautioned her against buying the first property that she
was considering and told her to hold out for another property. She
followed his advice and has lived happily in her current house ever
since.
Juli has also written her memoirs and local prominent people invite
her to read from her memoirs. She said she has several signed books
with autographs from famous people, including Diana Kennedy who
said “You make the best margueritas in the world…”
(Juli Lin is indeed renowned for her delicious margueritas...)
"
Local cemetery at sunset in Tepoztlán
Then shortly before 8 pm Annabella and I said goodbye to Juli since
we wanted to catch the sunset, highlighting the magical mountains
of Tepoztlán. I was able to catch a few pictures of the mountains
with a colourful cemetery in front. Then we grabbed a bite to eat
at Pascal’s (El Punto), the restaurant of a local French immigrant,
where I had a mixed salad and for dessert, a crepa de cajeta
(a crepe with a thick sweet sauce made from goat's milk) - an absolutely
delicious Mexican specialty and a perfect ending to an eventful
day.
Tepoztlán was a wonderful one-day outing from Cuernavaca,
easy to get to, with lots of things to see and do, especially if
you allow yourself to be charmed by its magical atmosphere.
Useful Books:
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Hello from Mexico City - First impressions
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Hello from Cuernavaca - A day outing
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Helpful links:
Mexico
Tourism Information
State
of Morelos Tourism Organization
Official
website of the City of Cuernavaca tourism
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