Dia Despues del Dia de los Muertos

So we had last Friday off and we were looking for a day trip destination and some folks had told us about Tepotzlan, a little town about an hour south of the city with the requisite plaza, church, and market but also its very own pyramid. The Lonely Planet guide said that the climb was a bit strenuous and was not recommended for anyone with "physical ailments" but we know from experience that the LP tends to be a bit alarmist about any physical activity so we weren't terribly concerned. We pulled into town around noon and had a typical Mexican lunch off the main plaza. The whole town was still decorated for last week's Day of the Dead festivities, so this guy greeted us in the main square:

Relax, he's not real.

And the restaurant where we had lunch was in the spirit too:


Apparently Tepotzlan has become a preferred destination amongst the New Age crowd (as one of our work colleagues described it, "Some say it's magic...") and as we strolled through town we noticed all sorts of incense, dream catchers, and other hippie crap. Someone passed us a flier for getting photographs taken of you aura. I guess having a pyramid in your town encourages such behavior.

So after we finished having our auras photographed, we made our way to the trailhead to climb up to the pyramid.

It took 90 minutes to get up there.

This climb was no Sunday stroll: it was more or less straight up along a very rocky trail, cut to the standard Mexican government level of safety and walkability, and it was really crowded. After the first 20 minutes or so we were pretty much sucking wind.



















The trail just kept going. At one point we reached a crevasse, after which we were certain had to be the summit. Instead it opened into another level of steady ascent.







Right before the summit, just for good measure, they throw in a staircase
And a small memorial showing that someone actually died while taking this lovely little trip up the mountain

But after several more labored steps we did reach the top and the view was pretty impressive:

Note the swooping condor. That's a real effect, people.

As for the pyramid itself, well apparently it serves the function of the not-yet-built Tepotzlan mall:

Dang teenagers.

One thing we've noticed as well about the Mexican people is that even a daunting physical task like this climb will not prevent any of them from coming out, no matter what their condition. While we were huffing an puffing our way up, we passed old grandmas, people carrying little kids on their shoulders, teenage girls in high heels, and of course a dude wearing leather pants. You've got to admire their tenacity for leisure.

After the climb down (which was much shorter wouldn't you know it?), we hit one last site in town, an old convent which features a mural over the main gate made entirely out of local seeds. It's remade by the townspeople every year.




Anyhow, we did actually enjoy the town, and the chance to get out of the craziness of DF even for just a few hours. After the hike, we found the best ice cream joint in town and rested our tired legs. Nothing like fresh strawberries and ice after a long afternoon trek.

Jeez, Sergio should probably shave more often.