Christmas Day for us and many other visitors was a chance to hike up an amazing series of stone stairways, up a series of very vertical clefts, to the high promontories above Tepoztlan, where, just before the Conquistadors arrived, the local kingdom had finally finished or re-built a very beautiful 3 step pyramid. soon after, the kingdom (probably a sort of Toltec) was promptly conquered by the amazingly aggressive newcomers, the Aztecs just in time to be in turn conquered again by the Spanish when the Aztecs folded ( of course, it took a while, these locals being so independent.) In fact the carvings on this pyramid document their subjugation by the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan and may even record the Europeans' arrival. when they came and were almost ousted. this local king was very motivated to help get rid of the Europeans, sending warriors over to the Valley of Mexico to help. Didn't work out in the long run unfortunately.
The hike is beautiful and steep and has amazing views the whole way. There is birdsong and even a few raptors soaring overhead. The last quarter mile is up a chimney where you need the help of steel stairways with railings, it's so steep. There was quite a ceremonial center up here and no wonder. The plants are beautiful all the way up, and up in the rebuilt ruins, several of the local raccoon or possum-like mammal, a coatl, are around, happy to eat Mexican Cheetos. You're not supposed to feed them of course, but quite a few people were unable to resist.
Its a long way down again and by midmorning, hundreds of happy tourist families are on their way up and down. The lower part of the hike on the way down flattens out a bit and there are all kinds of stalls to get a bite to eat and to buy little souvenirs, especially refrigerator magnets and clay models of the cliff and pyramid you've just climbed. Also little figures in velvet and gold that we thought were the three kings but actually they are of a very special dancer, the local Indians put a lot of energy into creating a kind of hopping dance in costumes of long velvet dresses and beard making fun of their European overlords. These are still especially important at two times of the year: in early autumn there is a feast celebrating the deity Quetzalcoatl and just before lent they have an amazing Carnaval.
Later back in town, after of course another opportunity to eat amazing food and ice cream, we wandered back streets admiring crèche scenes with lots of amazing animals, lots of elephants in Bethlehem,
"Rica pancita!"
In the Market we had lunch at "Antojito Mayre". Mayre's specialty was an enormous cauldron of sopa de pancita and also they made great blue corn huaraches. In addition to the cauldron there is an enormous griddle and two ladies are always tending it, patting blue corn masa and yellow corn masa into huaraches and tortillas and itacatl thingys. All served with your choices of squash blossoms, cheeses, refried beans, cecina, onions, avocado, cilantro, and salsas. To be washed down with beer or agua de limon or agua de tamarindo or agua de jamaica.
Later back in town, after of course another opportunity to eat amazing flavors of ice cream, we wandered back streets admiring crèche scenes with lots of amazing animals, lots of elephants in Bethlehem
Soon enough it was time for dinner, We had dinner at Los Colorines on the main drag. While lots of Mexico City-ites poured past, we had Margarita with "tequila tradicional", a soup of Mushrooms in beef broth, an unusual local amaranth green, kind of stemmy and seedy, called Huazontle en chile Pasilla and then our favorite, Chiles en nogada.
And with still more fireworks and sounds of distant parties, Christmas came to a close.
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