MORELIA / july 7-9

after nevado de toluca, we got crazy & decided to drive three hours to morelia. three hours turned into six when we mistakenly took the scenic route. but after climbing a switchback-riddled mountain through a national park, we arrived at stunningly cosmopolitan morelia. morelia is the capital of the state of michoacan—our favorite state. the landscape is unreal! the michoacan people also seem to take extraordinary pride in their cities & culture, leading to very well-preserved historical buildings & pristine plazas.

the drive over. so dreamy.

this was taken a few hours into the climb. such an incredible view!

finally, we arrived. ahhhhh! this city is AMAZING.

we splurged on our hotel & got a room with a balcony overlooking the centro. best room ever.

the main cathedral—second largest in mexico.

la casa de la cultura. once a convent, now it houses a library, art exhibition & workshops. we were able to wander all over inside.

the governor’s palace. it has murals by alfredo zalce—beautiful!

potpourri . . .

we hope to call this place home someday. the end.

this has been a lot of fun for jeremy & i, so thank you for your interest & comments. we’re lucky to have you in our lives. sorry the last few posts were lame, particularly morelia. that city deserves better. oh well . . . i have no steam left. i used the last of it on toluca, nevado de.

TOLUCA, NEVADO DE / july 7

i have been dying for this post. ridiculously, nevado de toluca isn’t even mentioned in let’s go. we fortunately stumbled upon it online in taxco when we were searching for car rentals out of toluca. i cannot imagine the trip without it. it is one of my best memories from the trip – maybe my best.

so let me explain. nevado de toluca is a dormant volcano, 30 miles west of the city of toluca. here it is from far away – the beginning of our journey.

it was a long haul & the road was terrible. it was extremely narrow with sheer cliffs to one side – oh, and we had to dodge all manner of rocks that had fallen onto the path, not to mention giant potholes. luckily we had this trusty volkswagon & jeremy’s quick reflexes. it was quite a ride – hours long.

we wound & wound around the mountain, getting glimpses of the beast all along. this pic actually shows the volcano at a farther distance than the first one did, oh well. please excuse this gross chronological mistake.

we climbed & climbed & climbed amidst the most unreal landscape. oh my!

we kept getting closer – this view was particularly inspiring! look at that sky!

look out the window there. we were above the clouds, above the tree line! it was insane! we couldn’t believe how high we were!

we finally made it to a small parking lot. the rest of the way would be by foot, about 25 minutes. jeremy & i were giggly with excitement. we started strong, but after a few steps the elevation kicked in & we began panting. it was so hard! you can see the parking lot in the distance & i’m the dark bundle (no doubt sitting down for the twentieth time) mid-picture.

boy was the hike worth it! this is what we saw immediately upon reaching the crest. the different shades of volcanic rock were breath-taking & so unexpected. we were entirely speechless. we stayed for over an hour, in awe.

this is why i love jeremy. we were so ridiculously pumped. luckily, we were the only ones up there – it was perfect! the lake there is lago del sol.

we climbed the rim a bit more & came upon this wild view! as you can see, fingers were flailing in excitement! this lake is lago de la luna.

i’m getting both of these blown up. i think they’re so lovely!

i want to go back so badly. if any of you are planning a trip to central mexico, do not miss this! it was one of the most beautiful experiences of our lives.

VALLE DE BRAVO / july 6-7

on july 6th we rented a car. our trip was nearly over & we wanted as much freedom & independence as possible for the last few days. our first stop was valle de bravo. it was described in let’s go this way: “from the mountain views at the end of every cobblestone street to the luscious fruit sold in the market by indigenas, everything about this 16th century town is perfect . . . people don’t come to valle to do much of anything; rather, they wander and marvel at its beauty.” this is not exactly the case – lol. it is a charming town though. like taxco, the buildings are uniformly painted white & topped off with red-tiled roofs. and our hotel there was ADORABLE. we only stayed one night though. not a whole lot to do. the city sits on the banks of an enormous lake – the lake being the main attraction of the city, hosting all manner of water sports. however, when we asked people in the zocalo how to get there by foot (we knew it was within walking distance), we got three different answers from three different people :) we found a great bookstore & loaded up on CDs for the rest of our trip in the car. mozart, bach, beethoven, schumann, tchaikovsky & more. neither jeremy nor i are well-versed in classical music, so it was an exciting endeavor. this post is going to be SO short – it’s almost already over.

jeremy at dinner. we had the most delightful chicken flautas. i cannot say how much i miss everything coming with a side of guacamole :(

here’s another. the main cathdral is right behind him & it was so beautifully lit! but, as you can see, our flash was not working :(

we spent a lot of time sarcastically quoting bits from let’s go.

here i am in our lovely hotel room, so tired, right before our morning departure. we got up early in order to see nevado de toluca without the obstruction of midday clouds (we had been warned).

and there you have it.

TAXCO / july 4-6

taxco is truly breath-taking. all the city’s buildings are uniformly painted white with red-tiled roofs. it is extremely charming. the bus ride in was stunning. we wound endlessly admist whimsical fog & imposing mountain cliffs. eventually, we rounded a bend & there it was: the most picturesque, bustling town on a hill. we had a blast touring this silver town & found the best cafe, cafe sasha, that we ended up eating at 4 out of 6 meals :)

grand views of the city – the big one with jeremy is from the roof of our hotel!

the main cathedral was under construction, so we have no frontal shots. BUT, we caught some gorgeous details. oh! the stunning pink stone!

is this not the most delightful street ever?! jeremy’s carrying our freshly laundered clothes :) we only brought 5 pairs of underwear :(

taxco reminded me a lot of the small italian towns that dot the almalfi coast. it was really so charming. we found some incredible ritual masks that now hang in our living room. we also, of course, snagged some silver too.

TEPOZTLAN / july 1-4

let’s go described tepoztlan as a “village of cobblestone streets, hidden among sheer cliffs and crowned by a mysterious, ancient pyramid . . . live the fairy tale, if only for a day.” we were deeply intrigued & entirely undisappointed. it was the quiet, mountainous experience we had expected from cuernavaca. it was PERFECT. we ate some of the best food from the trip here, developed a love for ritual masks & concluded that nature ought to be of more prominence in our future trips. we also stayed in an incredible hotel with an INCREDIBLE view – a private balcony with two rocking chairs was ours! and the hotel was essentially empty.

here is our balcony & view. ahhhh!! we watched some INSANE lightening storms from this balcony.

the main attraction of tepoztlan is the piramide del tepozteco. “although only 10m high, the clifftop pyramid is still imposing. the area was originally occupied in AD 1200, but was conquered by the aztecs in 1438. the pyramid itself is a shrine to tepoztecatl, the patron god of the people; he is related to the pulque and the moon. celebrations every september 8 honor tepoztecatl, who was thought to have been born here over 1200 years ago. the night before, participants ascend the mountain where they dance concheros through the night.” — let’s go. so, we decided to make the hike. had we known exactly how high we’d be climbing, there may have been some hesitation. i’m so glad we had no idea. the pyramid is at the top of these mountains. in fact, if you look closely, you can see it on the left hand side. every inch of this hike was uphill. . .

finally, we arrived. we didn’t see this view of the pyramid until our descent. it was right above us as we were climbing those last stretches & we had no idea!

without a doubt, one of our favorite stops on this trip.

technotroubles

if you’re having a difficult time viewing pictures from my imported cuernavaca, puebla, tlaxcala & cholula entries, head back over to my old blog. the layout is funky, but you’ll at least be able to view the pics.

OAXACA / june 25-july 1

oaxaca is absolutely enchanting & altogether different from any other place we’ve been in mexico. we arrived on a sunday afternoon, found the most charming hotel right off the zocalo & enjoyed one of the best dinners of our lives with the most incredible view. on monday however things got a bit crazy as demonstrators (we soon learned) returned for another week of striking after having spent the weekend at home with their families. the streets were full of people & everyday we were there more arrived. the teachers of oaxaca, we discovered, have been demonstrating peacefully since early may – living in the streets all week long. on the 14th of june, a week & a half before our arrival, police raided with tear gas – two demonstrators were killed and six disappeared.

it was strange being there as a tourist – i felt so silly/ashamed carrying my recent purchases around while so much pain & suffering was occurring around us. hundreds of people were living in the streets – eating only when a car pulled up with a heap of beans & tortillas for everyone. we had to step over old men to get out of our hotel. for three blocks stretching outward in every direction from the zocalo there were crowds of people and tarps hung between buildings for shade. graffiti covered the walls; every day new entries. more than a few said stuff like “tourista go home”. however most of it was directed toward ulises, oaxaca’s governor, who the demonstrators were holding responsible for the june 14th attack. we decided to leave tuesday morning (after two nights) upon hearing rumors of demonstrator plans to shut down the airport & highways. we bought bus tickets for the 9:00 p.m. ride to san cristobal de las casas. however that afternoon i came down with a bad fever & was out of commission for two days. all in all, we spent six nights in oaxaca. though the circumstances were less than ideal (political unrest & illness), we saw some INCREDIBLE things that i’d like to share with you now.

first & foremost: iglesia de santo domingo

the ex-convent attached to iglesia de santo domingo (now the museo de las culturas de oaxaca) left jeremy & i speechless.

the plaza & neighborhood of iglesia de santo domingo was gorgeous & entirely tranquil. the second thumbnail picture is amate books – the coolest bookstore ever.

basilica la soledad was another beauty. next door is a “funky museum of religious art . . . the museum houses an astonishing array of objects—model ships, religious figurines, shell-and-pasta figurines, homemade cassettes, and a stuffed cat—sent from around the world as gifts to the Virgin, who is said to have appeared here in 1620″ — let’s go.

there was little tranquility in our neck of the woods. this was shot from the roof of our hotel. we were right in the thick of it.

we will most definitely be returning to this gem in the near future. in fact, jeremy is seriously considering filming his third year thesis film here. i cannot say how much i hope he does. anybody want to crew? :)

CHOLULA / june 23-25

this is cholula. the city where cortes massacred 6,000 cholutecos & vowed to build 365 churches in punishment of the city’s aztec alliance. he didn’t reach his goal, but the small town is known for its 30 plus churches. mornings here are nuts (bells). the city is also home to one of the largest pyramids in the world. it’s an incredible place. one of my favorite cities from the trip. we arrived late in the day on the 23rd & scrambled to see whatever wasn’t already closed amid rain & the fiercest sky i’ve ever seen. this post is in chronological order.

templo de san gabriel. this thing is HUGE. it includes three different chapels & a working convent.

one side of the main plaza. you can see the santuario de nuestra senora de los remedios in the distance. it’s built atop a now-buried pyramid.

closer up – see the excavated ruins at the bottom?! insane!

up top. one of the best memories from the trip – running up the steps (we were afraid it might close any minute), looking out over the city, getting our first glimpse of the volcano popocatepetl in the distance, falling in love with far away churches, picking out must-sees & feeling invigorated by the rain & wind.

some of the view. that’s san gabriel – crazy big, no?!

we couldn’t wait to get a closer look at some of the churches we spotted. we descended the opposite side of el santuario, catching a different view of the church that we couldn’t stop shooting (i spared you many pics).

we walked quite a distance for this baby & i can’t even tell you its name : (

our adorable room.

santa maria tonantzintla. let’s go: “almost as famous as cholula itself, santa maria tonantzintla is an impressive example of the popular baroque style. built atop a pre-columbian temple [there are no signs of the pyramid beneath at this church site], the church’s bright saffron facade, decorated with azulejo tiles, hides a startling interior, with over 450 stucco faces staring from the walls and ceiling. the handiwork of the same indigenous artisan who executed the plans of european artists in puebla’s capilla del rosario, saints, musicians, and chiefs congregate with animals and flowers in an explosion of iconography.” all i can say is WOW.

on our walk from santa maria tonantzintla to an equally famous church, we spotted volcano popocatepetl again – stunning!

san francisco acatapec. my personal favorite. we sat on the entrance steps for half an hour just staring. the facade is entirely covered in talavera tiles.

cool museum with a display showing all the excavated portions of the teneapa pyramid beneath el santuario. we ran out of film inside the excavation tunnels, so i have no up-close shots of the well-marked, outstanding exterior ruins : (

the excavation tunnels of teneapa pyramid were SO cool! we were inside the pyramid! “olmecs, zapotecs, toltecs, and aztecs all had their moments of glory here, and each added another tier or temple.” — let’s go.

steps descending into darkness just beyond the barriers were titillating to no end.

oh cholula . . .

TLAXCALA / june 22-23

an hour outside of puebla, this charming city has one of the most gorgeous central squares we’ve ever seen. its history, however, is somewhat controversial – in fact, we visited a museum essentially dedicated to defending/justifying the choice its ancestors made. in order to secure their lives & protect their city, the tlaxcalans of 16th century mexico joined cortes’ army. this didn’t pose too much of a moral dilemma though, it seems, as tlaxcala was already an enemy of the aztec empire & an independent nation. together they brutally attacked neighboring cholula – ultimately leading to the pivotal takeover of tenochtitlan, the capital of the aztec empire.

this was the view from our hotel room – the room sucked, but we couldn’t pass the view up. jeremy even endured the smell & sight of rotting fruit in the courtyard below our window.

see that church in the distance? here’s a closer view. it’s called the parroquia de san jose – the building used to be yellow (see postcard), now it’s pinkish. i really love this picture – the sagging electrical wires.

here’s the backside . . .

multiple views of the zocalo (a.k.a. central square)

here i am, in the zocalo, figuring out what we should do next. just after this, we realized the older gentlemen at the shoe shine umbrella were listening to the brasil v. japan game – we inquired about the score & were able to watch the rest of the game over tortilla soup at a cafe on the zocalo.

here’s the palacio de gobierno on the northside of the zocalo – it’s beautiful, but the main attraction is indoors. enormous murals by desiderio hernandes xochitiotzin line the 16th century palace – they’re incredible.

here’s what a typical street in tlaxcala looks like. better take cover! looks like rain! i am an idiot.

a statue of xicotencatl, a young tlaxcalan warrior who fought for tlaxcala’s pre-hispanic independence.

this was quite a hike, but well worth it. we realized how very out of shape we are.

here’s a view of the city from those steps.

here’s the huge courtyard of another intriguing ex-convent built on a hill overlooking the city. it was quite spectacular. it now houses the regional museum of tlaxcala.

we stayed one night & it was perfect – perfectly frantic & frenzied.

PUEBLA / june 19-22

disclaimer: we feel bad for essentially dissing cuernavaca. make no mistake, it’s a city with undeniable merits – we just stayed a bit too long & didn’t make the most of its attractions (we hadn’t hit our backpacking stride yet & were recovering from the weeks of whirlwind-ish activity before our departure). a one night stay would be ideal – making sure to order the tampiquena at cafe taxco for dinner.

the convent kitchen where mole was invented (pictured left)! we were there! the city of puebla was a fast favorite. streets upon streets of pristine, vibrantly colorful, colonial majesty. a lovely, open central plaza, with a cathedral nearly rivaling mexico city’s in size. great food (specifically restaurante la princesa – if possible, go there right now & order the mole poblano), stunning architecture, fascinating ex-convents & exceptional museums. at the museo amparo we discovered alejandro colunga, google him – you won’t be disappointed.

the streets! oh the streets! go ahead, get lost in them . . .

that was quite a walk! come rest at our hotel, hotel imperial.

refreshed? on to the cathedral!

next, the incomparable iglesia de san francisco (built between 1535 & 1585) – the city’s oldest & most beloved church. it left us speechless . . . be grateful we spared you the dozen more shots of its surreal exterior.

here’s the courtyard of ex-convent santa rosa. it hosts an extensive collection of arts & crafts from surrounding areas. the nuns’ cells & kitchen (where mole was invented!) are well-preserved & fascinating.

here’s another courtyard in another ex-convent, santa monica. this ex-convent is wonderfully gothic & sinister – nuns were & therefore still are plastered into the walls of a crypt upon death, a narrative of their life scrawled into the plaster afterward marking the spot.

finally, the beautiful & ornate iglesia de santo domingo. one of the inner chapels is entirely laden with 22-karat gold – remarkable!

cool picture. whereabouts in puebla unknown.