TEPOTZLAN Part B.... Julie and Chuy reach the top!

~ TEPOTZLAN~ Chuy and Julies Day Hike to the top of the surrounding clifftop of the looming little circle of mountains that surround the village thousands of feet below. This is really Chuy and Julies storie to tell, as I was waiting down below in the village square, actually in the churchyard of the huge Catholic Cathedral, taking a little nap and observing the locals doing little Christmas rituals, however, I will relate the story here as told to me by Julie and Chuy.

As Julie and Chuy found me later on after they completed the hike up the mountain and back down again, Julie could only breathe the words...."BEAUTIFUL!" I had done this hike 6+ years earlier, so I had a real good idea what she was referring to. This hike ascends almost straight up at times, especially as you near the top. For most of the hike, you are ascending stone steps, and ancient river rocks that have been worn smooth by the Ancient Indians over centuries of use. Chuy and Julie climbed thru the winding trail, past huge trees with vines hanging down, and listening to the symphony of bird calls over head. The air is balmy, and misty with humidity.....and it all lends itself to a scene out of some fairy tale.... you almost expect to see a fairy land on a nearby fern, or a little troll to climb out of the dark hole in the tree.....its really a fairy tale land..... The Photos do not do it justice of course... TEPOTZLAN is just one of those places you have to experience for yourself to really enjoy the ambience of the atmosphere.

This old tree welcomes you to the trail head. No one knows how ancient it is..... as trees are slow growing at this elevation, and are usually from a scrub type. It is rare to see them get this big...but in TEPOTZLAN, this is the usual........

As you steadily climb upward...... past the trees, and holes where the trolls live..... you eventually get to the cliff areas. This area is very hard to navigate, and at one point is straight up until you finally reach the summit, the very top where you find a ancient old temple, made by the pre-Columbian Indigenous peoples of that area.

Here Chuy stops for a moment, probably so Julie can snap the steepness of this last ascent.....

More view of the top..... almost there.

You have to ascend between these two huge cliffs of rock. Its kinda scary, and very steep.

Finally, you get a glimpse of part of the Temple...but, you still have to navigate thru those two steep cliffs........

This temple was well protected, and guarded. Not very accessable..........

Finally at the top you can rest.

Chuy, taking in the surroundings of his native peoples work.

He is probably wondering how they did it.... etc.

Chuy again in contemplation of his ancestors work.........

View from the TOP! Worth every moment of the ardous climb to get there............ its breathtaking, and prettier in real life. These photos cannot begin to do it justice....I recommend that you go there in person to really experience the hike.

Below lies the small village of Tepotzlan.

Chuy enjoying the summit....

A strange worn block of some sort......... very old...

Finally the surprise that caught Julies attention....the wierd animals at the summit. They guard the ruins of the temple, and are very pushy animals. Julie said that as she bent down to get a photo of one of them, they tried to bite her camera.

And one other lady tried to feed them, and as soon as one of the animals got a cracker, it made a funny squealing noise and all the other animals came running, and trying to climb up the womans pant leg. Julie said she started screaming, and trying to get them off of her.......... Julie said it looked very funny.

Wierd animal trying to bite Julies camera lens.....

Not sure what this animal is...but they are pretty tame, and aggressive if they think food is around....if you try to fake them out with a pebble or something, they get aggressive and vocal and tell you off.!!!

They seem like a Mexican -Cross bred anteater and meercat!





So, after the summit, and enjoying the ruins a while, Chuy and Julie headed back down the trail....... they found me in the Church courtyard watching the Indians enact some Christmas ritual from the church....... a child rode on a white donkey... and they were dressed up like Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Very interesting day for all of us, each in our own way. Tepotzlan is a fun and artistic out of the way place. Historical Churches, the Temple ruins overhead, the beautiful hike thru the mountains, and the local market and merchant shops. Quiant houses with rock stonery walls and fences...and cobblestone roads. Great Place........