Tepoztlán - Myths & Mountains

Margarita Vargas Betancourt writes in Legend of the Tepozteco - Mesoamerican and Catholic Mythology: "The legend of the Tepozteco is a perfect example of the syncretism that characterizes Mexican folklore. Catholic influence is as obvious as pre-Hispanic impact. The immaculate conception of the Tepozteco recalls the marvelous birth of the Hero twins (as told in the Popul Vuh, the story of creation of the Maya), but also that of Jesus in the New Testament."

She concludes her thesis: "The legend also discloses the process by which two mythologies have come together into Mexican folklore: Mesoamerican and Catholic mythologies. The stories of Tepozteco, the Popol Vuh Hero twins, Mixcoatl-Camaxtli, Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli, and even those of Jesus and Moses have several things in common: a miraculous conception, a confrontation, and a peregrination. It is very likely that these elements are universal. However, there are several “authentic” Mesoamerican characteristics in the legend of the Tepozteco. First of all, Tepozteco was a trickster. He was a trickster-hunter like Hunahpu, Xbalanque, and Mixcoatl-Camaxtli. He is reminiscent of Quetzalcoatl, because like him, Tepozteco embodies the forces of wind and water. His final association with Mesoamerican cosmovision is that he is one of the four hundred pulque gods that are related to the mountains of the region, to the agricultural cycle, and to the astronomical phenomenas of ancient Mexico."

Firecrackers galore, outside the church

Tepoztlán carries the legend of Tepozteco, its pre-hispanic past and its Catholic heritage with fiery pride as can be seen by the celebration of religious festivals and spiritual rituals, the vibrant murals adorning town walls, the regular community and barrio fiestas, firecrackers and all. The pueblo preserves a communal system of land use that was established in the early colonial period. This system is recognized under the 1917 Mexican Constitution, under the name 'communal'. It is similar to, but not the same as, the ejido designation, which has caused headaches for many foreigners looking to buy property. This makes the municipality proud and resistant to change from outside interests, especially well-heeled ones. The community famously twice voted down golf courses proposed by wealthy developers. Tepoztlán is the only municipality in Mexico with a law expressly prohibiting their establishment. Multinational chains like Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King have been kept at bay, as has the otherwise ubiquitous Mexican supermarket chain Oxo, while pulque, mezcal, tequila, cerveza are readily available along with a rich variety of local produce and cuisine, with some dishes dating back to pre-hispanic days. This is a community where each barrio, or neighbourhood, and neighbouring pueblo is serviced by regular minibus combi public transit - every ten minutes! People work hard, spending long days growing and making products and selling them at market or in tiny stores. They also celebrate heartily and welcome crowds of marauding visitors from the big city on weekends and holidays.

One of countless murals depicting a cosmovision

Tepoztlán has been traditionally a proudly campesino (small-scale) farming and local market community. Its State of Morelos is, after all, the birthplace of the revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, founder of the land-rights Zapatista movement. Eyes were opened when anthropologist Robert Redfield published the book “Tepoztlán, a Mexican Village: A Study of Folk Life” in 1930, painting the village as an idyllic contrast to modern life. Redfield lectured at the University of Chicago on the folk society, which he saw as "essentially a stable, isolated extended family". The first expats and tourists were not long in treading a path to Tepoztlán. A highway connecting it to Cuernavaca, a little over a half-hour drive west, in the 1940s allowed tourism to begin in earnest. Now an express toll highway linking Mexico City with Acapulco and the Pacific coast skirts the town. Luxury hotel chains are still nowhere to be found. There is not even a hospital in this pueblo of 14,000 in a municipality of 55,000. They turned that down too. There is a health centre, clinics, spas, yoga and meditation centres, health treatments of all kinds, including plant (maguey, nopal, huitlacoche, mushrooms) and psychedelic (iboga, ayahuasca, psylocibin) medicines. In this semi-arid region of Mexico are more than 3500 species of plants that have been identified and used as natural alternatives to treat different ailments and have been used through the years as traditional medicinal agents and that practice and knowledge have been passed down from generation to generation. For a fullsome inventory, visit

https://www.aztlanherbalremedies.com/collections/mexican-herbs.

Temazcals, a type of low-heat sweat lodge, are widespread here. They originated with pre-Hispanic Indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica. The term temazcal comes from the Nahuatl word temāzcalli.

Medicinal herbs at the market

As written elsewhere (https://natureasmuse.blogspot.com/2023/05/pulque-nectar-of-gods.html), I have been enjoying the local home-made tangy, creamy pulque, made from the fremented sap of the maguey (agave). On our way to find artemesia absinthium (wormwood) at the market to quell a two-day high temperature, we came across a well-stocked homeopathic pharmacy in town. I bought some artemisia drops along with the recommended pomegranate tincture to complement it. We have also been drinking the refreshing te de jamaica (hibiscus flower tea) as a digestive. Gundi snagged a combination arnica/rhus tox (homeopathic poison ivy) cream to settle an itchy rash on her leg. One afternoon, after sampling my pulque, in viscous combination with sparkling mineral water, she lay down after being ministered an hoja santa tea, picked from the garden here by Angelina, our 'Juanita', who swears by it for an upset tummy, that Mexicans seem to know all about. Ten minutes later she perked up, stomach fine again, and I too recovered! For more on hoja santa, see https://www.thespruceeats.com/hoja-santa-mexican-herb-2342959. Thanks to our friend Alfredo, we have a new discovery - he picked and brewed a pink bougainvillea flower tea to quell a stubborn cough.

Unfortunately for us, the mountain trails all around Tepoztlán are closed at present, a seasonal hazard of extended hot, dry conditions that makes forest fires an extreme hazard. Maybe a good thing for seniors like us, but one we would like to have experienced is described by AllTrails thus: "This trail begins from the tiny village of Amatlán de Quetzalcóatl, just east of downtown Tepoztlán. This route is said to pass through a portal of positive energy, as it ascends to a lookout point on top of the mountain Tlamanco, which is considered to be a place of religious offering, as well as boasting amazing views. Towards the end of the trail, there is a short bit of a rocky climb, where you need to put your hands and feet in holes in the side of the cliff. Prehispanic petroglyphs may be visible along the trail. The route passes by "La Puerta," a spiritual retreat center." AllTrails has 60 scenic trails in the Tepoztlán area. See https://www.alltrails.com/mexico/morelos/tepoztlan.

Tepoztlán and its breathtaking surrounds are a magical gem, symbolized best by its enveloping cloak of monumental peaks that maintain their Nahuatl names, like Tlacatepetl, Tepoztecatl, Cuaxohualoltzin, Topiltzin, Ehecatepetl, Tlahuitepetl... This is an enduring, resilient place and people, built on myth and mountains, cultures and beliefs, food and farming. There's an energy around here - they call it la vida.

Tepoztlán - Pueblo Magico

"Ni la tierra ni las mujeres somos territorio de conquista"

Yes, the apellation 'pueblo magico', now with over 130 members has been overplayed. But you can't argue with the sense of magic in the air.

In the mountains of Morelos, Mexico lies the town of Tepoztlán, nestled up to a powerful towering mass of volcanic basalt sierra. The rocks maintain their Nahuatl names, like Tlacatepetl, Tepoztecatl, Cuaxohualoltzin, Topiltzin, Ehecatepetl, Tlahuitepetl...

To the north, over the mountains sprawls Mexico City, at 1,750 metres above sea level some 500 metres higher altitude than Tepoztlán; to the south the land slopes off past the Valle de Tepoztlan through the tierra caliente eventually to the sea and the Pacific Ocean. Now, in May, the hottest month, the temperature reaches a steady 30 - 32 degrees by day, dropping to a more comfortable 15 - 18 by night. In the dark, the warm winds pick up, whistling through the trees, freshening up the sultry air. Until the much-anticipated rains arrive around July, the heat is dry (although there was a brief, refreshing shower last night). And yet, the vegetation is mixed, the crops varied. Amazing crops grow. This is land bathed in eternal Spring. In a month or two, the landscape will explode in buds and blooms in many shades of iridescent green. The mountains will turn from hazy tan to lush verdancy.

Living on the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny village of fifty inhabitants, we have escaped for a few weeks at least to soak up the hustle and bustle of a small Mexican town on market days, and even busier weekend days when chilangos descend en masse escaping the city. It is a sharp yet refreshing contrast. In Little Lorraine at this time of year, the energy of the sea and the wild coast drive us; we love the sound of Spring peepers in the pond, waves breaking on the beach, and lobster boats leaving pre-dawn on their daily harvest mission. 

Here, the mountains and people energize us with their hearty embrace. Sleep is gently stirred, and sometimes rudely disturbed, by roosters crowing, dogs barking, neighbours chatting, church bells chiming, bursts of loud fireworks announcing birthdays, fiestas, and God knows what else. The Friday organic farmers markets are a joy to behold. The produce and goods on offer are freshly picked, mixed, brewed, baked, and squeezed. Oranges, limes, figs, mangoes, wild berries, spinach, lettuce, carrots, beets, breads, cheeses, smoked meats, kombucha, fruit wine, medicinal herbs, skin creams are eagerly snatched up by happy faces, generous with bright eyes and radiant smiles. In the evening as the sun goes down, we walk around the corner to Piantao and seat ourselves outside in a charming garden looking up at the expressive rockface. Giovanni serves us fresh empanadas de carne and the best prosciutto, arugula, shaved parmesan pizza. Chef is Sergio - Sergio Pezzutti, an amazing artist who paints hauntingly evocative figures, depicting the angst of modern existence. After dinner we view his gallery with him. 

From Argentina, Sergio and family have settled in Tepoztlán after fifteen years in Cancun. It is good to meet such creative souls, who inspire with their flashing eyes, their warmth and vision.

Another day it was time to belly up for some authentic pre-Hispanic dishes at Cuatecomate, a busy food stand slap-bang in the middle of the daily Tepoztlán mercado. Don Hancel introduced me to the tlaltequeadas - I chose two each of the squash blossom, chaya leaves with carrot; beetroot with Castilla rose petals; hibiscus flower, celery stalks and toasted oatmeal to take home. 

Tlaltaqueros at Cuatecomate market stand

A committed omnivore, I also wanted to try one of the meat dishes. On offer were iguana, armadillo, wild boar, rabbit, snake, and venison. The venison in a spicy red salsa with nopal leaves and fresh tortillas was amazing, washed down with guanaba juice. To make this a more genuine pre-hispanic dining experience, pulque would have been a more apt accompaniment. Pulque (an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant), widely sold and consumed here in Tepoztlán, comes next. It was banished by the conquering Spaniards to make way for beer, but the spirit, like the religious symbols, could not be eradicated! Then, of course, we have the tequila and mezcal in all their varied guises....