It was like this that one morning, traveling from Querétaro to Morelia, we detoured along the highway that goes from San Juan del Río to Acámbaro, through Amealco. The idea became so attractive that we decided to investigate: what was discovered was beyond imagination.
It was like this that one morning, traveling from Querétaro to Morelia, we detoured along the highway that goes from San Juan del Río to Acámbaro, through Amealco. The idea became so attractive that we decided to investigate: what was discovered was beyond imagination.
Epitacio Huerta is a relatively modern small city, but without much interest, except for its enviable location on the top of a cliff, from where you can see the huge Tepuxtepec dam. Going down to the valley, an enigmatic tower stands alone among a cornfield that according to the peasants belonged to the San Carlos farm; now it is only a decorative part of the Los Dolores ejido, in what is known as Bordo de San Carlos.
In the surroundings there are other haciendas, such as that of San Miguel -inhabited- and another in ruins near the dam of the dam, of which no one knew the name. The town of Tepuxtepec is of more recent architecture; Founded in 1927, it grew thanks to the workers who built the dam and the hydroelectric plant. As a point of interest is the Cerrito del Calvario, called Tepeyac, with six permanent crosses that are used to stage the crucifixion during Holy Week.
AN UNUSUAL COMBINATION
But here comes the value of this route: two kilometers from the town is the Lerma Hydroelectric Plant, and if it had not been for the talks with the locals, we would never have discovered a place that houses an unusual combination of technology and natural wonders.
When we asked the watchman about El Salto, he said that we could enter from one side and walk through the village until we came across the waterfall.
Walking around that "forbidden place" was a great surprise, as it resembles a modern ghost town, with sturdy stone houses from the 1950s, but with an image of abandonment -broken glass, cracked doors and a sad appearance-, although the gardens remain colorful thanks to the humidity and good weather, all nestled in a pine forest.
Near the river is the pool known as El Club; We keep going down until we are at the top of the waterfall. On the right side, among the dense vegetation, we discover a path that leads downhill, to the fall itself, which over time has formed an attractive little-visited pool, where we took an inevitable dip.
Through the forgotten houses we came to an open clinic, where the doctor and two nurses told us about the place and the cause of their abandonment. It turns out that at the end of the 40s the Compañía de Luz y Fuerza built a colony for the workers of the hydroelectric plant - located further down and fed by the dam and the Lerma river-, who inhabited the place, which in its best period had more of 200 inhabitants including engineers, technicians and talents, in addition to visitors from other hydroelectric plants, such as Necaxa. But the colony began to be abandoned in the early 1980s, when people were able to get loans and preferred to buy land to build their house in Tepuxtepec. Today, few families live in that coniferous forest.
Our informants invited us to the viewpoint and even explained how to go down to the light generating plant. From the viewpoint we realized that until that moment we had not seen anything yet! The ravine that we thought we saw from the road is nothing more than an impressive ravine that cuts two feet of ground. Down the river Lerma runs and to the north is located the light plant, which stands out among that place for its metal constructions and huge pipes.
From the main viewpoint you can see that there was a smaller one from where you can see a larger waterfall than the one in which we bathe. To get there, it is necessary to return to the first waterfall and follow the path downstream until reaching this other, truly dazzling. Further down the river is boxed in, but at that point you can cross to the other side of the canyon and admire the waterfall in its maximum splendor; Also from there - a small plain - the canyon and the hydroelectric power plant can be fully appreciated.
To go down to the light floor, it is necessary to return to the first viewpoint and continue to the staircase that descends about a hundred concrete steps between the bright orange pipe - towards the top it continues in blue and later yellow - and a small train track . Once down it is possible to see part of the hydroelectric plant and see the generators if permission is obtained and the guided tour. This world of technology is truly fascinating!
What has been described so far was the result of the first visit to those places. I must add that today it is no longer possible to enter the hydroelectric plant or go down to the power generating plants. The locals are dissatisfied, since they all consider it as their heritage, although they understand the safety of their source of work as essential. Perhaps one day the entrance will be allowed again and with it it will be possible to visit the natural and technological wonders that this hidden place protects.
IF YOU GO TO ...
Coming from the Atlacomulco-Maravatío highway, cut to the right just before the toll gate to climb the bridge and take the road that leads to Tepuxtepec after seven km. comes from Querétaro or Acámbaro, follow the detailed instructions at the beginning of this work.
All services can be found in Atlacomulco, Maravatío, Acámbaro, Celaya or Morelia, the closest cities.
Source: Unknown Mexico No. 320 / October 2003
