Friday, we went and explored Plaza Cuernavaca and I found the restaurant/bowling alley/bar where I can watch the Packers! It is such a nice place it looks like it belongs in Vegas or something.
Saturday, we went to the Feria de Tlatenango. Most churches in the area have a fair each year. This church is only a ten minute walk from my house and is located on one of the busiest streets in the city. For 15 days, they shut down the street and put on this huge market and festival. There are so many stands that cover both sides of this four lane street. There are food vendors, lots of pottery, children's toys, and clothing. There are also carnival rides that run at night. I can hear the music and the daily fireworks from my house! I bought some goodies for myself and for my loved ones because the items they are selling are so beautiful, handmade and pretty cheap!
Sunday, we went on a full day excursion to Teotihuacán! Teotihuacán (meaning birthplace of the Gods, where people go to worship) is a pre-Columbian city located 30 miles outside of Mexico City. It was originally founded in 100 A.D. The major monuments and structures were completed around 250 A.D. It is AMAZING how wonderfully preserved this ancient city is. At it's prime, the city was believed to be occupied by many different ethnicities such as Maya, Nahua, Mitxtec, Zapotec and Otomi people.
It was about a two hour drive from Cuernavaca to Teotihuacán. When we arrived, I thought we were going straight to hike up some pyramids...I was wrong! We stopped at this adorable artesian shop that also did tequila/mezcal tastings! It was absolutely hilarious and such a blast. I mean, I don't think I would've planned on trying six different kinds of pulque (liquor discovered by people of ancient Teotihuacán), mezcal (like tequila but stronger), and tequila BEFORE hiking up more than 200 stairs on the side of a pyramid...but hey, if the people back then drank pulque before running up and down these pyramids than I could at least try! We had a hilarious guy that I will just call our Mezcal Man. He had quite the sense of humor and taught us some new toasts/cheers that I will be implementing when I return to Wisconsin! One that I have heard before but he added an extra part that left me laughing!
"Arriba" (hold glass up)
"Abajo" (hold glass low)
"Al centro" (hold glass to the center)
"Con movimiento" (move your hips)
"Pa' dentro or Adentro" (Bottoms up!)
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| The Agave Plant where tequila, mezcal and pulque (fermented "honey water") comes from. |
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You can peel off part of the heart to see what they used for paper hundreds of years ago.
They also could use the fibrous threads from the stems as thread. Really a multipurpose plant! |
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Can you see the "gusano" or the mezcal worm?!
It represents the larvae that usually infests agave plants. |
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| Our Mezcal Man! |
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| Ready to climb some pyramids! ;) |
After we tasted all the tequila Teotihuacán had to offer, we shopped a little bit. I bought a beautiful bracelet made of real silver, obsidian and aventurine. Obsidian is one of my favorite igneous rocks because it comes from the rapid cooling of volcanic lava! (Nerd alert...) It is the most expensive item I have bought here but it was so perfect I had to buy it.
We drove to one of the five entrances to the site. We visited the Ciuadadela (citadel), the Avenue of the Dead, the Pyramid of Queztalcoatl, the residential and work areas, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Pyramid of the Sun. Each structure has a different significance that really made me think about the rich historical value of the stories we heard.
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| Goddess of the Lakes |
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| Walking to the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (the clouds were absolutely perfect!) |
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| The hike to the Temple of Quetzalcoatl |
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| Mid-hike selfie with Lindsey! |
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| Temple of Quetzalcoatl (on the right) |
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| Part of the Residential Area |
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| Beautifully preserved murals |
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They made the paints used in the above murals with natural
colors from different parts of the cactus.
The Pyramid of the Moon
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| The Pyramid of the Moon and the Plaza of the Moon |
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The Temple of the Sun is the largest of the pyramids at Teotihuacán.
It is 738 feet across and 246 feet high making it the third largest pyramid in the world!
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A few of the 244 steps to the top! The steps were steep and also very narrow
because the ancient people had super small feet! |
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| View from first layer |
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| View from second layer |
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| View from the top! |
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| Had to wear my Wisco shirt like I did at Machu Picchu! |
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| Admiring the Pyramid of the Moon from the Pyramid of the Sun! |
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| Touching the very top of the Pyramid of the Sun! (It is said that it gives you energy!) |
I came home and was exhausted and a little sunburnt after another truly amazing day here in Mexico!
XOXO,
Estefani
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