If you have not gone to Tepoztlán to enjoy the El Tepozteco party, you are missing one of the most interesting and colorful celebrations in the country. With this complete guide you will be ready to enjoy all that the Magic Town morelense.
1. Where is Tepoztlán located and what are the main distances there?
This hospitable town of about 15,000 inhabitants is the head of the Morelos municipality of the same name, located in the north of the state, bordering the DF. The proximity of Tepoztlán with Mexico City, from which it is separated by 83 km. traveling by 95D, makes the Magic Town of Morelos a frequent destination of the capital. The state capital, Cuernavaca, is located just 27 km. Through Mexico 115D and other nearby cities are Toluca, located 132 km. and Puebla, 134 km. Buses depart from Mexico City and Cuernavaca that make the direct trip to Tepoz.
2. What is the history of Tepoztlán?
There is a version documented by anthropologists that Quetzalcóatl, the Feathered Serpent, the primordial god of Mesoamerican mythology, was born in Tepoztlán. True or false, the rigorously true is that the pre-Hispanic settlement lived an intense ceremonial life that has survived to this day with the splendid Fiesta de El Tepozteco. In 1521, the Spanish forces led by Cortés made a presence in Tepoztlán, burning the town. The Dominicans built the convent and began evangelization, which could not completely prevail against the indigenous traditions. In 1935, at a visit to the town, President Lázaro Cárdenas offered the highway to Cuernavaca, a promise fulfilled the following year. The first cinema arrived in 1939, the first public telephone in 1956 and electricity in 1958. In 2002, the Mexican government's Secretary of Tourism elevated Tepoztlán to the category of Pueblo Mágico, mainly by virtue of its pre-Hispanic tangible and intangible cultural heritage and its colonial heritage.
3. What weather awaits me in the locality?
The annual average temperature in the Magic Town is 20 ° C. The coldest month of the year is January, when the thermometer averages 17.7 ° C. In March the temperature begins to rise, reaching 22 ° C in April and then rising to 22 ° C in May, which is the hottest month. In the summer of the northern hemisphere, the temperature moves between 19 and 21 ° C. Extreme heat and frost are rare in Tepoztlán and rarely approach 10 ° C for the low and 30 ° C for the high. The rainy season is between June and September. Between December and March it hardly ever rains.
4. What are the basic attractions to know in Tepoztlán?
The main attraction of Tepoztlán is the El Tepozteco hill and everything that revolves around it, such as its archaeological site, its festival and its legend. There are some buildings in the town that stand out for their beauty and history, among which are the former convent of the Nativity, the Church of Our Lady of the Nativity and the Municipal Palace. Culture has its main spaces in the Carlos Pellicer Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art and the Pedro López Elías Cultural Center. The neighborhoods of Tepoztlán have a vibrant autonomous life, distinguishing that of San Miguel. A tradition that you cannot miss in Tepoztlán is that of its exotic ice creams. Very close to the Magical Town there are other communities with charming tourist attractions, particularly Santo Domingo Ocotitlán, Huitzilac and Tlayacapan.
5. What is Cerro de El Tepozteco like?
El Cerro or Montaña de El Tepozteco is a Protected Natural Area of 24,000 hectares, located 2,300 meters above sea level, with its summit rising 600 meters above the Tepoztlán Valley. The protected area includes both the hill and the neighboring territories, extending through the Morelos municipalities of Tepozttlan and Yautepec de Zaragoza, and even touching a small area of 200 hectares belonging to the Mexican Federal District. The Tepozteco is a refuge for a fauna with several species in danger of extinction, the most prominent being the chaquirado lizard or Mexican spotted lizard, a poisonous reptile that can reach 90 centimeters in length.
6. What does the archaeological site contain?
The archaeological site of El Tepozteco, located on the elevation of the same name, was built between 1150 and 1350 AD. by the indigenous Xochimilcas who occupied the area in the 12th century, making Tepoztlán the head of the lordship. It is a shrine set up in honor of Ometochtli Tepuztécatl, a god related to drunkenness, wind, and crops in Mexica mythology. The main structure is a 10-meter-high pyramid, which has two rooms, one front or vestibule and one back, in which it is assumed that the figure of the god was the object of veneration. The pyramid has a large staircase with alfardas.
7. What is the Fiesta de El Tepozteco?
The Fiesta de El Tepozteco or Challenge to the Tepozteco is the most striking celebration of the Magical Town of Tepoztlán. The festival has its peak date on September 8, the Day of the Nativity of the Virgin. Thousands of tourists visit Tepoztlán for the traditional festival and many are encouraged to make the arduous effort of climbing the hill to the pyramid, amidst indigenous music, pre-Hispanic dances and popular fervor. For the occasion, the atrium of the Church of the Nativity is adorned, not with the floral arch that is customary in most Mexican towns, but with a mural of corn, beans, broad beans and other legumes and cereals. This festival arose from the pre-Hispanic indigenous legend of Tepoztécatl.
8. What is the legend of Tepoztécatl?
An Indian maiden used to bathe in a pool in which a spirit that took the form of a bird mysteriously left virgin girls pregnant who went to enjoy the cool waters. The innocent young woman was left in condition and gave birth to a boy who was called Tepoztécatl, who was immediately repudiated by the family. The boy was raised by a generous old man who lived near the home of Mazacuatl, a huge snake that was fed by aging people. When it was Tepoztécatl's adoptive father's turn to be eaten, the young man took his place and emerged from the serpent's belly, cutting it internally with sharp obsidian stones. Then Tepoztécatl ran until he reached Tepoztlán, where he took possession of the highest hill.
9. What is the former convent of the Nativity like?
The construction of this impressive religious complex was started in the middle of the 16th century by the Dominican order, who used indigenous Tepoztecan labor. The masons used the stone of the place, whose carved pieces were placed with the help of mortar and vegetable binders. At the main entrance there is a figure of the Virgin of the Rosary surrounded by saints and angels. The image of the dog holding a burning torch in its mouth, one of the main symbols of the Dominicans, can also be seen on the facade of the convent. Inside you can still see some original frescoes. In 1994, the former convent of the Nativity was declared a World Heritage Site. Currently, the Tepoztlán Museum and Historical Documentation Center has its headquarters in the convent area.
10. What is the Church of Our Lady of the Nativity like?
Colonial Mexico provided a practical architectural solution to Christian constructions, the so-called posa chapels, and the Church of Our Lady of the Nativity is one of the best examples of this in the country. These chapels that were located in the atrium of the temple were used to catechize children and were also used to pose the Blessed Sacrament when the image was not moving during the processions. Our Lady of the Nativity is celebrated on September 8 in a festival that mixes Catholic ceremonial with pre-Hispanic traditions around El Tepozteco.
11. What characterizes the Municipal Palace?
The Tepoztlán city hall building was erected during the Porfiriato era, when other relevant works were also built, such as the zócalo, the aqueduct, and the public lighting with oil lamps. The Municipal Palace, as it stands today, was actually a remodeling of the old colonial town hall. The colonial vaulted building was changed to a neoclassical one with two columns of modest capitals and a small pediment as a coronation and the inevitable Porfiriato clock. In the municipal zócalo there is a simple kiosk surrounded by wrought iron benches shaded by trees.
12. What does the Carlos Pellicer Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art offer?
Carlos Pellicer Cámara was a writer, teacher, museum designer and politician from Tabasco who lived between 1897 and 1977. For many years he shared his various occupations with his passion as a collector and collector of pre-Hispanic art pieces abandoned in places where they did not arouse much interest. neither artistic nor cultural. After completing his time in the teaching profession, Pellicer Cámara devoted himself full time to his museum hobby, being a pioneer of the activity in the country. In the 1960s, the barn of the former convent of the Nativity was rebuilt and conditioned to serve as the headquarters of the Carlos Pellicer Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art. The sample includes valuable objects of pre-Hispanic art collected by the illustrious museologist and a fragment of the god Ometochtli Tepuztécatl recovered from the archaeological site of El Tepozteco hill.
13. What events does the Pedro López Elías Cultural Center offer?
Dr. López Elías is a Sinaloa lawyer who, after gathering a valuable library, decided to share it with the community. He is also a citizen highly concerned with culture and the environment and decided to open a meeting center in Tepoztlán for the enjoyment of reading, music, theater, cinema and plastic arts. The Cultural Center is located at 44 Tecuac, corner of San Lorenzo, and regularly has book presentations, readings, conferences, concerts, movies and other events on the billboard. It also offers workshops on dance, playing musical instruments, painting, engraving, creative writing and crafts with different materials, among others.
14. What can I do in the Barrio de San Miguel?
San Miguel is a very popular neighborhood with intense commercial activity in Tepoztlán. San Miguel has its particular festivals, in which the archangel is celebrated, who is recognized by the Jewish, Christian and Islamic churches. In the chapel of San Miguel you can admire its murals dedicated to the eponymous archangel, the Virgin Mary, the archangels Gabriel and Raphael, and even one of Satan himself when he is defeated and descends into hell. Apart from its revered archangel, the other great emblem of the San Miguel people is the lizard, the animal that protected warriors and ball players in pre-Columbian culture. In San Miguel you will find everywhere images of lizards drawn and carved, and you could be encouraged to acquire one as a souvenir.
15. Are there other festivals of interest, apart from El Tepozteco?
Another very colorful festivity in Tepoztlán is the carnival, being one of the ones that receives the largest number of visitors in the state of Morelos. The great carnival attraction are the chinelos, characters dressed in nice masks and spectacular costumes, who to the beat of the music are doing the acrobatic dance known as the Brincos de los Chinelos. A commemoration that has a particular charm in Tepoztlán is the Day of the Dead, on November 2. For the occasion, the children "ask for a skull", receiving sweets and trinkets as gifts.
16. How did the tradition of exotic ice cream come about?
The story tells that a monarch of the dominion of Tepoztlán in pre-Hispanic times introduced in religious celebrations a rich delicacy made with mountain snows, which they mixed with fruits, insects, pulque and other edible things they had on hand, according to a mysterious procedure . True to their pre-Columbian tradition, modern Tepoztecs make ice creams and ice creams with classic flavors, but also with the most delicious and original exotic combinations. It would not make much sense for you to go to Tepoztlán to eat vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream, being able to enjoy a combination with mezcal, tequila or other more unusual components.
17. Can I practice outdoor entertainment?
Tepoztlán has mountains, canyons and other places where you can practice sports and outdoor entertainment. The local company e-LTE Camino a la Aventura offers guided tours of the best natural spaces in Tepoztlán and has a mountaineering school to learn climbing, rappelling, canyoneering and other disciplines. Their tours include the practice of the above specialties, as well as paragliding and hiking. They also have a store in Tepoztlán where you can buy equipment, implements and accessories for your favorite sport.
18. What is the crafts and gastronomy of Tepoztlán like?
One of the symbols of the culinary art of Tepoztlán is the green pumpkin pipián or mole verde, with which they exquisitely sauce chicken, pork and other meats, as well as the red mole of guajolote. The Tepoztecos are very fond of itacates, triangular corn gorditas stuffed with cheese and fried in butter, and of the tlacoyos stuffed with broad beans and beans. Cecina de Yecapixtla, prepared following a special procedure that originates from Morelos, is another delicacy worth enjoying in Tepoztlán. The craft tradition of the Pueblo Mágico revolves mainly around ceramics and there are several workshops in which tableware, ornamental figures, piggy banks and other pieces are produced.
19. What things of interest are there in Santo Domingo Ocotitlán?
Within the same municipality of Tepoztlán, just 10 km. from the municipal seat, is the cozy town of Santo Domingo Ocotitlán. This community, also known as Xochitlalpan or "place of flowers" is characterized by its cold climate and beautiful landscapes, ideal for a stay in intimate contact with nature. Still until not long ago, the village elders related the stories of when General Emiliano Zapata was in hiding in Santo Domingo Ocotitlán planning his revolutionary actions. If you prefer a bit of adrenaline, there you will find Ocotirolesas, a site with 8 zip lines and a suspension bridge.
20. What's in Huitzilac?
31 km. from Tepoztlán is Huitzilac, head of the municipality of the same name, which brings together a set of attractions for the visitor, among which are the church of San Juan Bautista and several chapels, the Municipal Palace and the Zempoala Lagoons. The original town hall building was built in 1905 and later destroyed during the Mexican Revolution after being a Zapatista barracks, being rebuilt in 1928. Lagunas de Zempoala National Park has several bodies of water in which an interesting fauna lives and also has facilities for horseback riding, hiking, climbing, rappelling, camping and other entertainment.
21. What are the attractions of Tlayacapan?
30 km. from Tepoztlán is Tlayacapan, another Magical Town of Morelos with varied tourist attractions. The former convent of San Juan Bautista is a majestic viceregal construction built by the Augustinian friars, declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. The religious complex stands out for its architectural lines and the beauty of its fresco paintings. During the realization of some works in 1982, several mummies of characters buried in the place were found in the main nave, which are exposed in the convent museum. Another interesting building is the La Cerería Cultural Center, an old candle factory.
22. What are the best hotels?
Tepoztlán has a good range of accommodation, especially inns, where you can rest peacefully and gather strength to face the challenge of the ascent of Tepozteco. Posada del Tepozteco, in the Barrio de San Miguel, enjoys an excellent panoramic view and its facilities are very well maintained. Casa Isabella Hotel Boutique, in Camino Real 2, is a quiet lodging, away from the center of town, with careful attention and a cuisine that is praised for its seasoning. Casa Fernanda Hotel Boutique, in Barrio San José, is a place with beautiful gardens that has a first-rate spa. La Buena Vibra Retreat & Spa, located in San Lorenzo 7, is a place of great beauty in which the buildings are integrated into nature with total harmony and good taste. There are other good options to stay in Tepoztlán, among which the Hotel Boutique Xacallan, Hotel de la Luz, Posada Sarita, Sitio Sagrado and Villas Valle Místico can be pointed out.
23. Where do you recommend me to eat?
One of the first things to do in Tepoztlán is to go to an ice cream and ice cream place. The most famous is Tepoznieves, on Avenida Tepozteco, with an extensive list of classic and exotic flavors served in generous portions. El Ciruelo is a beautiful restaurant surrounded by green spaces, with a menu of Mexican, Spanish and Italian food. Los Colorines serves Mexican and international food with delicious homemade seasoning. You can also go to La Veladora, Las Marionas, Axitla, El Mango and Cacao.
Ready to undertake the challenge of El Tepozteco without dying in the attempt? We hope you tell us about your experiences in Tepoztlán in a short note. We will meet again soon.
