The place of the demigod Tepoztécatl, defeater of the big snake Xochicalco.
Speaking about legends, history, and nature Tepozltán is a splendid destination. A magical place to forget about all the problems in life while eating a good itacate and during a bailongo dance with the rhythms of the chinelos. The place is offering great, cheap souvenirs or you could also just spend it all on a traditionally prepared tequila in its mud mug, the experts can go for the mega-size and help the local economy.
How do you not know this magical place? Which world do you live in?
Tepoztlán is known for its mountains, temples, gastronomy, festivities, its people, its traditions, its handcraft, haha should I go on? Tepoztlán is located about an hour south of Mexico City on the famous sun highway which takes you straight to Acapulco, maybe a plan to go after visiting Tepoztlán. So once you visit this magical village, you can climb up the stairs to the tepozteco which is located at a height of 2310m, this means a 595m climb to get from the village to the top of this temple during a 2km walk, which has a real postcard view by the way.
Responsible tourism
It is very important to be prepared with lots of water and good snacks before taking this route, follow the local rules, and stay on the marked tracks. We know that the small and beautiful trails can hypnotize you and make you want to explore, but mostly this only leads to you being a bad tourist, which has to be searched for afterward for getting lost in the jungle surrounding this place. So please be a good tourist and follow the rules and local safety regulations- this way you will even enjoy the place more. You can also participate in extreme activities such as rappel with several drops of different heights and an incredible view. You can contact us or our friends from Raft México to take a great tour with all the safety measures.
In case you like hiking and want to explore off the beaten paths you can always head of with a local guide who can take you to see more natural, untouched places. This way you also help the local economy and with some tips, you help the guide personally even more.
Prehispanic gastronomy in Tepoztlán
For those among us that are not that used to walking long trails, will surely be quite tired and exhausted after this walk. Getting back from the tepozteco ( the temple of the demigod tepoztécatl) surely we will be hungry enough to try some of the traditional organic food sold in the village. You can explore the marketplace for some traditional Quesadillas with zucchini flowers, some itacates, triangular gorditas, with any filling you could desire or you can just try the crunchy fried crickets. Here is just so much to try that I cannot even mention all of it.
Festivities in the rhythm of the chinelos and ways to cure your hangover
If you can visit Tepoz during the carnival season you will experience the colorful, music-filled streets with the traditional chinelo dancers. Those are people dressed in long tunics decorated with an infinite number of colors and styles. The masks with their large eyes, huge eyelashes, and long beards cannot be missing in this festivity. So if you can, you should come by between February and March.
Dancing with the rhythm of the live band this is the perfect place to enjoy some time with your friends or your couple. And do you believe it or not, you can walk all over the village while enjoying your tequila and in case you have more than one cup, there are wonderful places to spend your night at and cure your hangover.
Tepoztlán is full of hotels and Airbnb which are all perfectly adjustable to your budget and style, for all of us that really like to relax in nature and a quiet place there are a few beautiful places that are not too far away from the center. We stayed in an Airbnb which was beautiful, in the middle of nature and cheap, even though there were many more to be found on the internet.
The dance of the Chinelo
To enact the dance of the chinelos, the dancers are putting their hands on their breasts and jump in the rhythm of the music which accompanies their parade through the streets. Their dance originally comes from the prehispanic tribes of Tlahuica and represents their jumps of joy when they came back home after a long time on a pilgrimage.
So now that you got an idea on how to have a great time just like a demigod you deserve to take some time off your stressful life to get to know one of Mexico's beautiful magical villages. And in case you want us to help you plan your trip or want more information, feel free to contact us.