Cuernavaca Center (Morelos), 04.03.07

Map Navigation: This dynamic Trackmap shows the GPS track (red line) and some geo-referenced photos (red dots) of the cycling tour. Wheel up and wheel down your mouse to zoom in or zoom out the map. Click on any point in the map to center it on that point. Or just drag the map with your mouse. To see the photos, hoover the mouse over the red dots. Click on the photo to go to the picture page.


Images

GPS Track: GPX (MapSource, et al), or KMZ (Google Earth)

GPS Cycling Data:






Distance: 153 Km. Climb: 2600 m. Time: 6:14 hr, Average Speed: 24.57 Km/hr, Energy expended: 32.84 MJ, Cycling Power: 366 W

Travel Report:

This ride started at 10:30 (really late). The special feature about this experimental ride is that I was carrying no more than the cycling essentials (a new tube, the pump and tools to extract a tube), as I was trying to take the time required to make this ride to Cuernavaca, both ways on bike (going to the center of Cuernavaca (Cortes Palace) and _returning_ to Mexico City on the bike).

So this time I left back at home: my digital camera, my trusted Garmin 60 CSx GPS receiver, 6 AA batteries (2 of backup), my camera tripod, the hiking bag where I use to carry my electronics, a triple-sensored watch, the jacket and alternate shoes (for places where I can not walk with my carbon SPD cycling shoes), the handle-bars bag where I carry the jacket and shoes ... Ufff, a lot of stuff !

As you can see, I was riding really light :-) And this arrangement really paid off: I required only a little more than six hours to make the whole route ! From the center of Mexico City to the center of Cuernavaca, cycling return included ! As you can see: this route is 153 Km long, with a climbing of 2700 m. Nothing bad :-) But I had several problems with this experimental ensemble:

1. I couldn't take photos (as I wasn't carrying a decent digital camera)
2. My GPS track altimetry is not as precise as I am accustomed (as I was carrying only the wrist-watch Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS receiver, and not the de facto outdoor standard Garmin GPSMAP 60 CSx [Garmin dixit])
3. I couldn't visit the upper floor of the Cuauhnahuac Museum in the center of Cuernavaca (as my carbon sole and plaques of my SPD shoes were too hard to the recently re-newed wooden floor, or at least that was stated by the museum security) in order to admire the murals of Diego Rivera.
   

Of course, once I had re-made this route, these nuisances will be no more of concern, but now, I have to address these problems. How ? Re-making the route with at least the digital camera, the Garmin 60 CSx GPS receiver, required batteries, tripod, and some sort of disposable ultra-light shoes for the wooden floor of the museum, i.e. a couple of plastic bags :-)

So, here are the partial times of this experimental ride:

• Mexico City Center - Cuernavaca Center: 2:38 hr
  
• Cuernavaca Center - Zapata Monument: 0:23 hr
  
• Zapata Monument - Tres Marias: 1:32 hr
  
• Tres Marías - Parres: 0:37 hr
  
• Parres - Mexico City Center: 1:03 hr
  

Of course, I won't be able to replicate those times once I am again fully loaded with the electronic equipment, but anyway, it was fun taking those times. Farewell to them :-)

Now, let's go back to the Cuauhnáhuac Museum (target of the travel), located in the center of Cuernavaca. This museum is housed in the oldest civil building in all Mexico, with more than 450 years in existence ! This building was constructed over an even older Aztec temple (the Cuauhnahuac), which in turn, was also built over an even older Tlahuica temple: the Tlatlocayacalli !

I mean: this place has three buildings, one built over the other: first the Tlahuica temple (Tlatlocayacalli, erected by the original natives), the came the Aztec conquest of this territory and built the second (Cuauhnahuac) temple, over the Tlahuica one. Then came the Spanish conquest, which built the Cortés Palace, over the Aztec Temple, as we can see it nowdays. A hell of conquests, isn't it ?

This building is also known as the Cortes Palace, because it was the selected place of residence of Hernán Cortés (spanish conqueror of the Aztec empire), after he moved from Mexico City, in order to take hands on his then newly given (by the spanish crown) Marquesado (little kingdom).

The Cuauhnahuac Museum houses an impressive collection of archaeological findings, from pre-historical times, recovered from the whole Tlahuica culture (Morelos native people), as stone monuments, paintings, pottery artifacts, even mammoth bones ! On the second floor I was told there are exhibited the murals of Diego Rivera, but as I can not step on the wooden surface of the floor, I am unable to talk about them :-(

I will soon (hopefully next week) remake this route, taking into account my previous problems, so I will be able to give you a detailed (and photographic) account of the Cuauhnahuac Museum riches. Stay tuned :-)

Images (of the Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS track) ? In the link above. Thank you for reading.