I Survived El Tepozteco!

Yesterday, my students from Cuernavaca invited me to come and visit them for the day. I arrived in Cuernavaca around mid-morning and met Clau, Beto, Daniel, Carlos, and Sol at the Glorieta de la Paloma. The sun was shining brightly, and it was nice and hot in the “City of Eternal Spring.” We all hopped on small bus and headed for Tepoztlán, a nearby pueblo.

After a short, half hour ride we arrived in the quaint little town. As we walked down the cobblestone streets, we came across a brightly painted store called Tepoznieves. I forgot to mention that Tepoztlán is known for its ice cream. Of course, we walked into the store to check things out. The menu of the various flavors was quite impressive. There was everything from Beso de Cenicienta (Cinderella’s Kiss-Vanilla with Cherry Jam) to Cacahuate (Peanut) to Sandía (Watermelon). We all ordered up…we had to get our energy up before climbing the giant mountain :-)

After ice cream, we headed for the cliff that loomed straight ahead. From the bottom we could see the tiny pyramid sitting atop the mountain…our goal. With our hiking shoes on (or Crocs…as poor Carlos was wearing) we began the ascent. At first it wasn’t so bad. There were nice stone stairs and the slope was not very steep.

But, then all the sudden the steps turned into rocks, and I found myself pouring some serious sweat as we climbed. Holy heck! What a killer! Beto said, “Positive thoughts!” and I was like “All I’m thinking about right now is a break!” Haha :D

We continued to hike and hike, stopping every now and then to take some pictures and catch our breath. After an hour of climbing 1.3 miles, we reached the top! Phew! What a feat!

At the top of the mountain, there were lots of little creatures roaming around called coati. They look like a cross between an anteater, a badger, and a raccoon. Coati species are widespread, occupying habitats ranging from the Amazonian rainforests to cold Andean mountain slopes. They range geographically from southwestern U.S. to northern Argentina. Interestingly, they can communicate their intentions or moods through chirping, snorting, and grunting sounds…something we noticed when we were there.

The view from the top of the pyramid was amazing. Not only could we see the little town of Tepoztlán below, but we could also see larger Cuernavaca in the distance. Not much is known about the actual archaeological site however. It was built in the Postclassical period 900-1519 and was dedicated to the Aztec god Tepoztécatl, a god of the alcoholic beverage pulque. The only way to reach the site is by climbing the steep path on the south side of the mountain.

We relaxed for a while with our feet dangling over the side of the pyramid. The sun was shining on our faces, and a cool breeze blew through our hair. Listening to our stomachs (hungry, hungry), we finally decided to head down the cliff. Without stopping, it took us 40 minutes to get down the hill. While the descent was much easier, it was also quite dangerous because it was very easy to slip and fall on rocks.

When we finally made it to the bottom, we rewarded ourselves with delicious itacates from the market. Itacates are triangular-shaped corn tortilla patties filled with the food of your choice (cheese, peppers, grasshoppers, sausage, etc.) Mmmm :-P We also enjoyed fresh aguas de sabor. I tried toronja con fresa (grapefruit with strawberry). Ahh…so refreshing. After lunch, we explored the nearby market and then stopped by Tepoznieves for one final round of ice cream. Then it was back to Cuernavaca for everyone and back to DF for me. It was so wonderful to see my awesome students, and we look forward to going on another excursion sometime soon!
Click for more pictures!

Abrazos, Nicole