Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico. Cero de La Luz, San Juan. Photo by author Our hiking group began as a mushroom expedition led by a professional mycologist on September 24, 2022. Our guide was Professor Daniel, retired from a university in Cuernavaca. He led a second hike a week later, but did not show up for the third hike. M, the organizer of the...
Read MoreTepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico. Part of a reconstructed pyramid. Photo by author To continue the hiking theme from the last entry, this documents the two main pyramids in Tepoztlán, focusing on nearby back trails. First is a description of a lesser known reconstructed pyramid near the highway and the trail above it to a mountain view. Then a back...
Read MoreTepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico. The midpoint of my hike/retreat. Photo by author On May 31, I packed my backpack and headed for a mountain trail that starts fifteen minutes uphill from my apartment in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico. My aim was to climb the mountain, almost to the top, where there is a rock overhang that forms a cave. I'd spend the night...
Read MoreTepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico. A landscape view from the trail beginning near Santa Cruz Church, a 15 minute walk from the town center (Centro). Photo by author Tepoztlán is a "magic town" in the central volcanic region of Mexico where I've lived since 2003. Part of the magic is the very unusual shapes of the mountains, formed by secondary...
Read MoreAmatlán, Morelos, Mexico. This trail features an unusual landscape. Amatlán is an ancient village in the municipality of Tepoztlán. It is the birthplace of the Nahuat god Quetzalcóatl. Its name derives from that of the Amate tree, from which a form of paper was made. I am going to introduce you to one of the trails
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 to...
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 MoreTrail to the Tepozteco pyramid in Tepoztlan, Mexico. Photo by Don Karp The most used trail in Tepoztlán is the one to its pyramid, Tepozteco. Parts of the trail are paved and there are stairs. It takes more than an hour to reach the summit. The pyramid is small. The view is good, but there are better ones on other trails with shorter climbs and...
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