Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico. View of the mountains from the new mercado (market). Photo by author What's it like to live in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico? What are the pros and cons, based on my experience living in Tepoztlán since 2003? Of course, this is highly subjective. What's an advantage for me might be a disadvantage for you. Nevertheless,...
Read MoreThe natural environment of Tepoztlán has a wide variety of mushrooms. Many varieties of edible and medicinal ones are harvested by locals and sold in the markets. I met Sivan, a man originally from Australia, who moved here five years ago. He recently set up a table selling wild crafted mushrooms in our Friday natural and organic market. I...
Read MoreTepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico. Finger Rock. Photo by author On September 22, the day of the fall equinox, I hiked alone into the mountains near where I live, in Tepoztlán, to honor the transition of seasons. I gave the rock protuberance that juts up two stories high from the forest floor the name "Finger Rock," because that's what it looks like...
Read MoreThe rainy season allows for lush corn. Photo by Katherine Volkovski. There are two seasons in Tepoztlán: rainy and dry. Most of the year (December through May) it’s dry and sunny. Traditionally, the rainy season gets started in June, tapering in from a rainstorm once a week, to raining every day, beginning in August. More recently, the rainy...
Read MoreThe climate in Tepoztán is temperate, making it an ideal place to grow plants. The soil is from volcanic deposits, and very rich. Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. Me in my garden. Photo by author The climate in Tepoztan is temperate, making it an ideal place to grow plants. The soil is from volcanic deposits, and very rich. The only hitch is lack of...
Read MoreTepoztlan, Mexico. Group photo on Cero de La Luz, San Juan. Photo by Jesus Vazquez Tepoztlan has many incredible trails that I've explored over the years. A man named Jesus contacted me to be a trail guide and help form a bilingual hiking group here. He'd found Letters From Mexico via a Google search on the city, and also knew of me...
Read MoreThe Deer Sanctuary (Santuario de los Venaditos) is a beautiful nature preserve with two main trails--one to a cascade, and the other to an overlook with petroglyphs and a cave. Cascade in the Deer Sanctuary, a nature preserve in Tepoztlan, Mexico. Photo by Don Karp The Deer Sanctuary (Santuario de los Venaditos) is a beautiful nature preserve...
Read MoreThe elevation of Tepoztlán is midway between that of Mexico City and Cuernavaca, at 5627 ft. It is 19 degrees north of the equator. These are some of the factors that make its climate a very favorable temperate one. I’ve lived here as an expat for fifteen years. It's a designated “Pueblo Magico” in the central Mexican highlands. Formerly a...
Read MoreThis is the story of my experiences living as an ex-pat in Mexico since 2003. It's to culminate in a published book. With your help, I'll be editing, selecting a title, and cover art: a participatory project. Your comments encouraged! In Mexico, where law enforcement is more relaxed than elsewhere, one finds numerous ceremonies using psychoactive...
Read MoreThis is the story of my experiences living as an ex-pat in Mexico since 2003. It's to culminate in a published book. With your help, I'll be editing, selecting a title, and cover art: a participatory project. Your comments encouraged! La Posa de Quetzalcoatl Hike to the birthplace of the god, Quetzalcóatl, near Amatlan, Mexico....
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