¡CUETZALAN!

Before heading to the small pueblo of Cuetzalan, I had heard many great things about it, especially from my Latin American Culture teacher here in Puebla. I heard that it was 'magical' and 'beautiful'. So on the 3 and a half hour bus ride there I had some pretty high expectations, and after visiting this town in the clouds, I can confirm that it is indeed beautiful and even magical.

Getting to Cuetzalan was a bit of an ordeal; its about 2 hours just to the base of the mountain range and about another hour and half climbing the mountain on narrow roads with sheer cliffs on the side and all that good stuff. It almost became laughable at how high we ascended into the air without stopping, we were seriously in the clouds.

The town itself is pretty tiny, but totally cool. The first Catholic church wasn't built until nearly the twentieth century, so the town has really maintained its indigenous heritage and most of the people still speak Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. Although many of the younger generations only speak Spanish and wear 'modern' clothes (there's still about a 20 year lag in style), the older members still wear the traditional clothes and the many of the women walk around barefoot.

In fact, the hotel my friend and I stayed in was ran by Nahua women who still speak the language and wear the traditional dress of their people, they even make their own soap! Hotel Taselotzin was the name and was super comfortable and cheap (about $11 a night). If you ever go to Cuetzalan, I recommend that you stay there.

I also managed to go to one of the many caves and caverns that surround the town, it was called 'los corales' for the coral-like rock formations inside.

 

Besides the caves (grutas), Cuetzalan also has a quirky night scene and food to offer its traveler. I tried a regional wine of the area known as yolixpa, and it tasted so good I decided to buy it. Even though its made from herbs, its really sweet. Cuetzalan is a cool place and I can't wait to go back.

I'm enchanted...