Tepoztlan

Tepoztlan is a very interesting little town. Tepoztlan is divided into 8 barrios; each one is represented by an insect or small animal. According to legend, this is the birthplace of Quetzalcoatl, the Mexica god that has his origin at a much earlier time than the Aztecs (he also is known in other Mesoamerican cultures such as within the Maya zone- his name in Maya is Kukulkan). Anyways, Tepoztlan has a nice market, on full display during the weekends.

The church in Tepoztlan is one of the oldest in Mexico. The archway that leads to the path of the church is made of beads, kernels of corn and other seeds. It is incredible and according to our guide it can take weeks to finish (there is more artwork like this displayed inside of the church).

From the very top of the pyramid, one can see the entire valley. The surroundings are very tranquil and beautiful and I can see why the ancient peoples of Tepoztlan constructed their pyramid high on the mountiantop. There are ceremonies every Sept. 7th and 8th held on top of the pyramid; the Mexica conquered Tepoztlan and these ceremonies "celebrate" the last native ruler of Tepoztlan who did eventually get baptized. Our tour guide, Joaquin was very knowledgeable but it was difficult to hear him at times; he did say that even in present-day Tepoztlan, the mixture, the syncretism (this term, I have been told by my anthropology professors, can be problematic) of indigenous beliefs and the Catholic faith holds no problems for the Tepoztlan communities.

The climb up to the pyramid in Tepoztlan is crazy! There are over 1200 "steps" and as you can see from the pictures, there are human-made steps and then there are "natural" steps. It took me slightly over an hour to get up to the top and the first thing you see are these little animals that resemble racoons but aren't as big and have really long tails. Everyone just called them "los amigos" but I can't remember their real name. The Tepozteco pyramid is rather small but the view is amazing even on a cloudy day.

Here are a few shots of Tepoztlan, designated a "pueblo magico" in 2002. It's in the state of Morelos, surrounded by these amazing and interesting mountains. The town has about 35,000 residents but every weekend people from Mexico City flock to Tepoztlan to get away from the big city and relax in this unique town. It wasn't too sunny and these misty clouds covered the summits of the mountains, giving them an alluring and esoteric texture.