Oaxtepec gained fame starting in the 1960s with the opening of the IMSS Vacation Center, which went bankrupt in 2011 and was recently modernized by the international firm Six Flags.
Apart from its parks for fun in the water, the town of the Morelos municipality of Yautepec, has many other attractions and these are the 15 things that we recommend you do not stop doing in Oaxtepec.
1. Meet the Hurricane Harbor Oaxtepec
This modern and excellently equipped Oaxtepec water park was opened in May 2017 on the land occupied by the Oaxtepec Water Park and has a large number of entertainment that are the delight of children and adults.
There are extreme games, which deserve a separate chapter, to more relaxed attractions, for those who are not looking for a brutal adrenaline rush.
In Adventure River you can calmly climb on an inflatable tire to slowly travel a 650 meter long artificial river.
Hurricane Bay is a monumental pool in which fun artificial waves are generated, while Splash Island is a charming island family. Coconut Bay is a paradise for children.
General admission for an entire day to Hurricane Harbor Oaxtepec is priced at $ 295 and the park has several dining options and shops for souvenirs and other items.
2. Have fun at the X-Tremos Games at Hurricane Harbor Oaxtepec.
In the X-Tremos Games area there is a huge water slide called Anaconda in which you will slide at great speed. In Aqua Racers you can do water races, while in Big Surf you will surf with extreme speed.
Cawabunga is a fantastic indoor slide and Shark Attack is a huge slide that leaves you feeling like you are about to enter the jaws of a terrifying shark.
In Tornado you will take your adrenaline to the top, while Twister are two twin slides for you to compete with a friend to see who arrives first.
In Typhoon you will live a fun experience of extreme turns, in which you will move "out of control" as if you were in a real typhoon. In Volcano Blaster the emotion is provided by the fall at high speed from a height of 10 meters.
3. Visit the Ex-Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán
The Franciscans went ahead in the evangelization of the territories of New Spain and when the Dominicans arrived, they had to go in search of native communities further away from the current one. Mexico City, with indigenous groups to instill the Christian faith.
There is no consensus on the date on which the Dominicans founded the convent in honor of the creator of the order, but there is agreement that the construction took about 20 years and was completed before the middle of the 16th century.
The building with a sober and strong facade is one of the best preserved among all those that were built at the foot of the Popo during the first half of the century in which the conquest began and in its foundations an image of the god Ometochtli was buried, venerated in Tepoztlán.
In 1995, the Ex-Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and an interesting museum works in its spaces.
4. Tour the Museum of the Ex-Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán
In the Ex-Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán there is a museum opened in 1992, which displays in its three permanent rooms a collection of objects of different themes, ranging from pre-Hispanic pieces to stuffed animals and medicinal plants.
The pre-Columbian pieces belong to the Toltec and Olmec cultures, and include idols and articles of pottery and jewelry.
The second room exhibits more than three dozen stuffed animals belonging to the regional fauna, among which are foxes, snakes, owls and rats, among others.
Likewise, there is a space with the different herbs that were used in 16th century medicine, such as epazote, dandelion, marijuana, peppermint, chamomile and rue, which were used in the old Hospital de la Santa Cruz.
5. Visit the ruins of the Hospital de la Santa Cruz
The trips of the Spanish women to America during the first stage of the conquest were an odyssey. The winds and the sea currents delayed the boats, the salty meats and other foods were damaged and the travelers arrived at the Veracruz coasts more dead than alive.
The climate was another novelty for the newcomers and the sufferings of the crossing were completed by the heat and the bites of mosquitoes and other unknown species.
To help the large number of patients, the Hospital de la Santa Cruz was built in the 1560s, in the favorable climate of Oaxtepec, of which the ruins are preserved.
In this hospital, cures were made with hot springs and medicinal species that were cultivated in the garden of the old convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.
This hospital became a reference in curative medicine between the 16th and 18th centuries and prominent Spanish specialists, such as Francisco Hernández, physician to King Felipe II, did internships at the hospital.
6. Enjoy La Poza Azul
According to legend, this beautiful place located next to the Lomas de Cocoyoc boulevard, 2 km from Oaxtepec, was a spring frequented by the Aztec emperor Moctezuma I Ilhuicamina, who turned it into a temazcal for personal use.
The site has been converted into a paradisiacal communal spa and vacation center formed by springs that let the musicality of their crystalline fresh waters be heard as they sprout and run between the log and wooden walkways that have been built for the passage of tourists.
La Poza Azul is a magnificent place, beautiful and well cared for, so that you feel like a whole new emperor in Oaxtepec.
7. Walk through the archaeological sites of Oaxtepec
One of the customs of the Spaniards during the conquest, to show their power, was to demolish indigenous buildings to build Christian temples in their place. In this way, a large number of architectural treasures of Mexican pre-Hispanic civilizations were lost forever.
The Ex-Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán was built on the site where the Main Pyramid of Señorío de Oaxtepec was located, of which only some ruins were preserved.
In front of the Oaxtepec cemetery, in Cerro de los Guajes, there are some foundations and pyramids which have not been sufficiently investigated.
At the site of El Bosque the ruins of what was once a pyramid watchtower and some carved stones, one like a coiled serpent and another resembling a sacrificial stone that was actually a landmark of Aztec astronomers.
8. Tour the Exhaciendas of Oaxtepec
In the municipality of Yautepec de Zaragoza, of which Oaxtepec is a part, several haciendas were built in which their powerful owners built beautiful stately homes and raised plantations and other works, giving them a comfortable and delightfully rural environment.
Some of these old estates have survived with part of their charm, such as the former Atlihuayán estate, which was owned by the wealthy Escandón family, which was part of the Emperor Maximiliano's court.
Other buildings that still bear witness to the past splendor are those of Cocoyoc, Xochimancas, San Carlos Borromeo, Oacalco and Apanquetzalco.
9. Learn about the legend of Hacienda Apanquetzalco
One of the farms near Oaxtepec is that of Apanquetzalco, which was built at the beginning of the 17th century, after Don Francisco Parraza y Rojas received a grant for a sugarcane plantation.
Of the old hacienda, the ruins of what were the great house, the aqueduct, the rooms of the sugar mill, the boiler house and stove, part of the chapel and the perimeter fence have survived.
A curious and legendary episode around the Hacienda de Apanquetzalco is that its owner lost it in a bet, and then killed the winner and fled. As it was left without an owner, the inhabitants protected the hacienda until it became community property.
10. Visit the Ex-Augustinian Convent of San Mateo Apóstol
10 km from Oaxtepec, in Atlatlahucan, is this imposing religious building that is part of the Route of the Convents of the state of Morelos, built by the Augustinian missionaries in the 16th century and declared a World Heritage Site.
The convent complex was completed in 1567 and is made up of the main temple, an open chapel and a gatehouse.
It is believed that the main altarpiece that houses the church was the work of the prominent indigenous artist Higinio López, who was also one of the best carvers of the viceroyalty era.
In the convent, the quarry arches with notable indigenous influence also stand out, as well as several paintings of Augustinian saints and a detailed genealogical tree of this order.
11. Admire the Ex-Convent of San Guillermo
Also a few kilometers from Oaxtepec, in Totolapan, is the Ex-Convent of San Guillermo, built by the Augustinians in the 1530s, making it one of the oldest in the country.
This convent is unique for its decoration with simulated stucco ashlars and medallions with the monograms of the Augustinian order. Likewise, it is one of the few convents in which the old garden property was preserved without being used for other works.
The facade of the convent church is crowned by a belfry in which there is a Christ carved in stone among the stucco engraved with monograms.
In the cloister of the convent some remarkable paintings are preserved, one of which is one of Saint Augustine, and the decoration of the dust jacket of the staircase that goes up to the upper cloister, made with the rare technique of sgraffito, is also worthy of admiration.
12. Enjoy La Onda Spa
Near Oaxtepec is the La Onda de Morelos Spa, which has a regular pool, a children's pool with slides and pirate ship, a wading pool, a pool with a slide for adults and a pool for diving.
From the spa they offer tours of the Nahualt Lagoon and the Pozas de los Sabinos, with prior reservation.
The La Onda de Morelos Spa also has a spa that has a temazcal, so you can enjoy a relaxing steam bath in the pre-Hispanic style, as well as mud baths, masks and massage services.
They also offer childcare service and have areas for camping and bonfires.
13. Relax in the spa at Dorados Conventions & Resort
This excellent spa is located at km 2.5 of the Cocoyoc-Oaxtepec Highway and fulfills its offer of leaving your body and spirit in perfect harmony.
The Dorados Spa has made a select choice of treatments and its staff has been adequately trained so that any body therapy will leave you fully satisfied and with body, mind and soul properly tuned.
The spa's cosmetic services include waxing, haircuts, manicures, and pedicures. You can do deep cleansing, exfoliation, cell regeneration, photorejuvenation, and acne treatments on your face.
They also offer relaxing, reducing, firming and anti-cellulite massages, while fitness fans can count on Body Shape nutrition and detoxification and ozoneaspired liposculpture.
A whole festival of new and relaxing physical and spiritual experiences is at your fingertips at the Spa Dorados de Oaxtepec.
14. Stay comfortably
The lodging facilities of the old Oaxtepec Vacation Center have been recovered and offer convenient accommodation to enjoy the Hurricane Harbor Oaxtepec park, under the management of the international company Six Flags.
The accommodation at Dorados Conventions & Resort is good and its users mention its adequate quality / price ratio.
The Hotel del Río, located on the Carretera Oaxtepec - Cocoyoc, is a 3-star establishment that is another accommodation option close to the water parks and other places of interest in Oaxtepec.
Hotel Fiesta Palmar, on Calle Moctezuma, is noted for its cleanliness, good service, and affordable rates.
15. Eat at reasonable prices
La Casa del Buen Comer, located in Los Plateados, on the corner of La Cruz, is noted for the abundance of the portions, at reasonable prices, and for how well they prepare the seafood.
Rincón del Viejo, on Avenida Professor Rómulo F. Hernández 15, has an informal atmosphere, has a space for the distraction of children and they serve some peppers as appetizers that are delicious.
Los Barandales, in the Plaza Alquisira de Oaxtepec, is a Mexican restaurant that is praised for the seasoning of its picaditas and its pumpkin flower soups.
We hope that very soon you can escape to Oaxtepec to enjoy its wonderful water parks and other entertainment.
See also:
- 20 Cheap Weekend Getaways In Mexico
- TOP 15 Things to Do and See in Valle de Guadalupe
- The Best Magical Towns Of Morelos That You Have To Visit
