tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306180692024-03-06T23:01:27.841-06:00GPS Cycling Tours<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randonneuring">Randonneuring </a> in Mexico, a Travelogue<br/><br/>
"<i>The world is a book and those that do not travel,<br>read only a page</i>", St. AugustineErasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-63429780037777866212009-05-04T10:43:00.002-05:002009-05-07T01:37:42.874-05:00Maruata Beach (Michoacan), 04.05.09<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617599052489" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=380072&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" frameborder="0" height="400" width="400"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617599052489/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=380072">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This travel was not performed in its entirety by bicycle. For this reason, the GPS track is provided only as an informative basis to prospect future cycling rides.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-50024581398101339782009-02-05T08:33:00.004-06:002009-05-02T11:49:45.867-05:00Tlacotalpan (Veracruz) Candelaria Festival, February 2-4 2009<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617595348736" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=373711&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" frameborder="0" height="400" width="400"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617595348736/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=373711">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This travel was not performed in its entirety by bicycle. For this reason, the GPS track is provided only as an informative basis to prospect future cycling rides.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-80574951972490122442009-01-20T07:59:00.001-06:002009-04-29T08:03:27.447-05:00Zicatela Beach (Oaxaca), 18.01.09<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617473409544" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=371375&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" frameborder="0" height="450" width="400"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617473409544/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=371375">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This travel was not performed in its entirety by bicycle. For this reason, the GPS track is provided only as an informative basis to prospect future cycling rides.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-7439748696383918822009-01-05T23:56:00.000-06:002009-04-28T23:58:48.520-05:00Tulum - Cancun (Quintana Roo), New Year 2009<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617457964020" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=370598&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" frameborder="0" height="450" width="400"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617457964020/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=370598">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This travel was not performed in its entirety by bicycle. For this reason, the GPS track is provided only as an informative basis to prospect future cycling rides.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-81664767029532517022008-12-28T21:54:00.001-06:002009-05-13T01:09:11.977-05:00Mazatlan (Sinaloa), Xmas 2008<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617319719899" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=369039&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" frameborder="0" height="450" width="400"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617319719899/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=369039">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">For this travel we took a bus to the Pacific port of Mazatlán, in the north-western state of Sinaloa. We also took our bicycles in the bus, so we could visit nearby places cycling. In this way it was a beautil travel.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-53875222859537742592008-11-19T13:25:00.003-06:002009-05-13T00:56:13.492-05:00Acapulco (Guerrero), 16.11.08<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617257929991" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=368501&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" frameborder="0" height="450" width="400"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617257929991/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=368501">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">For this ride we took a bus to the capital city of Guerrero: Chilpancingo, passing the night there at a hotel. Next morning we took the federal highway to Acapulco and rode along. Beautiful highway but infernal weather. Heat all along the road and a lapidary sun that did not went never behind a cloud. We finally arrived at Acapulco when the night felt. After walking in the center of the city, we choosed the Avalon hotel to stay at night. The next day was passed in the beach and swimming in the sea.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-78768992300951591862008-11-09T03:31:00.006-06:002009-05-13T00:36:52.039-05:00Pachuca (Hidalgo), 09.11.08<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617235927697" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=367513&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" frameborder="0" height="450" width="400"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617235927697/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=367513">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This ride was performed in the company of maybe hundreds of cyclists that were celebrating the third inter-state cycling ride, this time to Pachuca, distant 90 km from Mexico City.Gf and me joined a little late this multitudinous ride, but we could reach them approximately at km 40. The rest of the ride was a breeze. At our arrival to Pachuca we decided to return home also cycling, as a lot of cyclists also choosed. So, we cycled our way back home again in the company of several cyclists fellows, arriving at the city at 19:30. Good (180 Km) ride !<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-35147210303143045762008-08-25T02:49:00.003-05:002009-05-13T00:23:11.648-05:00Puebla (Puebla), 23.08.08<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617210389634" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=364277&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" frameborder="0" height="400" width="400"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617210389634/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=364277">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This cycling ride was made from Mexico City to the beautiful capital of the eastern state of Puebla. It is a 130 km long ride, with a little more than 1,100 m of ascent. We choose the federal highway to arrive at Puebla. This road is a beautiful one, specially in the month of August, when all the road is sided by a green carpet. It was really a memorable ride made in the company of gf.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-87087307409631525742008-06-23T02:22:00.002-05:002009-05-12T01:49:57.896-05:00La Marquesa (Mexico), 22.06.08<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617028120065" align="center" scrolling="no" width="100%" frameborder="0" height="500"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=362553&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" width="400" frameborder="0" height="450"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617028120065/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=362553">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We started this rode a little late, so we could not advance more that the touristic spot of La Marquesa, along the federal highway to Toluca, in the Mexico state. In La Marquesa we stopped to eat a delicious meal, which was more delightful because of the cold that was starting to build up. After finishing our meal, we started our journey back home, along a 1,100 m descent towards Mexico City.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-23773351092134373872008-05-02T02:12:00.004-05:002009-05-12T01:43:12.945-05:00Xalatlaco (Mexico), 01.05.08<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617027435423" align="center" scrolling="no" width="100%" frameborder="0" height="500"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=362537&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" width="400" frameborder="0" height="450"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617027435423/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=362537">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Once again, we took our favorite road: the federal highway to Toluca. We climbed to the Tres Cruces summit and descended to La Marquesa. There we made a stop to eat in one of the multivariate restaurants that flourish in that location. After eating we continue ourtravel, passing by the Conejo Valley and reaching shortly afterwards the quiet town of Xalatlaco., in the Mexico state As it was already too late to intent reaching a subsequent location, we has to cut short our travel there and took a bus from Xalatlaco to came back to Mexico City.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-235894495351312062008-04-28T01:57:00.003-05:002009-05-12T01:32:26.774-05:00Valle del Conejo (Mexico), 27.04.08<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617118169978" align="center" scrolling="no" width="100%" frameborder="0" height="500"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=362533&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" width="400" frameborder="0" height="500"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617118169978/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=362533">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This ride although was short in distance, had its own physical requirements. First we had to ascent to the Tres Cruces summit, along the federal highway to Toluca. Then a descent towards La Marquesa, and after that, another ascent to the Conejo Valley. In this touristic valley, a lot of restaurants can bee seen and visited. In fact, there is an artificial lake at this location. The weather was a little bit frosting, so, after admiring the artificial lake, we headed towards a restaurant in order to regain those lost calories. After the meal, we cycled our way back to Mexico City, also along the federal highway.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-29653449122818420392008-03-24T01:45:00.002-06:002009-05-12T01:15:18.350-05:00Augustine Convent in Acolman (Mexico), 23.03.08<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617026681087" align="center" scrolling="no" width="100%" frameborder="0" height="500"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=362528&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" width="400" frameborder="0" height="550"></iframe><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617026681087/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=362528">GPS Track</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This ride was performed in order that gf could knew the Augustine Convent of Acolman, in the Mexico state. The route is certainly not a long one and the toll highway is in pristine conditions. The Convent is a very interesting cultural reference, with lots of religious paintings and church related item. The interior of the building is conserved as if it were still functioning. Remarkably, along the corridors of the convent there still remain frescoes of biblical figures. A monk's cell can be admired in the interior of the building. The garden in the interior yard is almost fully gardened with several fruit trees (mainly oranges). In the center of the main yard lies a big black stone cross with the symbols of the Augustine order. An finally, the baroque facade of the convent is superb and second to none.<br /><br />We started our return to Mexico City almost at twilight, arriving home under the cover of the night.<br /><br />Thank you for reading, till the next travel.<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-87947595302665171362008-03-20T01:05:00.005-06:002009-05-12T00:41:23.836-05:00San Juan de Los Lagos 2008 Cyclist Pilgrimage (Queretaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco), 16-18.03.08<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157617116432750" align="center" scrolling="no" width="100%" frameborder="0" height="500"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=362510&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=H" width="400" frameborder="0" height="400"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157617116432750/">Photo Set</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>-----</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=362510">GPS Track</a><br /><br />This cycling ride is one of those must-do in the whole year. It is a three-day almost 500 Km <i>odyssey</i> surrounded by lots of cyclists along a pilgrimage that took us to the <i>holy</i> town of San Juan de los Lagos, in the eastern (conservative) state of Jalisco.<br /><br />This travel starts annually in Mexico City each Sunday previous to the Passover week. Hundreds of cyclists prepare themselves at the toll station of the Queretaro highway. Approximately at 07:00, hundreds of cyclists start this phenomenal ride. Although the pilgrimage nature of this ride is by definition religious, being a religious person is not a prerequisite perse. In fact, I could estimate (risking incurring in blasphemy) that the only true deity of this pilgrimage is the bicycle :-)<br /><br />Along the road my gf and me decided to pay a visit to the beautiful town of Tepeji del Río, being it a small and picturesque town. After that visit we continued the ride towards Queretaro, destination of the first leg of the travel. At our arrival to Queretaro we decided to stay at the Hidalgo Hotel, in the center of the city. Apropo, it was 200 km long that Mexico City - Queretaro ride.<br /><br />The second day ride had as destination Leon, in the state of Guanajuato. It is a 180 Km ride, mainly plain. As the second day of this pilgrimage is carried on Mondays, there was a little fewer cyclists along the route, but anyways, it was always fun to ride in the companion of fellow cyclists. Along the highway there were several trucks that gave away water bags and pieces of fruit to the thirsty cyclists. The weather was inclement as there were no clouds in sight. At our arrival to Leon we decided to stay in the same hotel we occupied the previous year.<br /><br />The third and final day had as its destination San Juan de los Lagos, already in Jalisco state. From Leon it is only a 80 km ride, with some ups and downs along the route. The highway is in pristine condition. We arrived at our destination at about noon. The church was already packed with locals and strangers queuing in the main corridor of the church to gain a place to stay momentarily in front of the image of the virgin oflos Lagos.<br /><br />We decided to pass the night in San Juan, staying in a cozy hotel just one block in front of the temple. Next day we walked along the busy market streets of San Juan. In the afternoon we took the bus that transported us again to Mexico City.<br /><br />Thank you for reading. Till the next travel !<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-58062588921670823592008-02-12T10:50:00.003-06:002009-05-08T21:14:23.583-05:00Texmelucan (Puebla), 10.02.08<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2260497086/in/set-72157603898065583/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100%;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2106/2260497086_a0766ea63e_b.jpg" title="Gaby + Erasmo @ the Texmelucan Cathedral" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157603898065583" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="map40" style="width: 100%; height: 400px;"></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2258432834/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100%;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2239/2258432834_70feea4af4_b.jpg" title="GPS Track Data" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">A short ride indeed (merely 105 km), properly departing at a very late hour and unfortunately, handicapped by mechanical incidents along the route.<br /><br />After we have fixed all our mechanical problems along the route (I would like to thank the cyclist Carlos, who in the Autodrome helped us fixing a unbalanced rim), Gaby and me started the ascent to Llano Grande, crossing Zoquiapan ... ten minutes before 16:00 ! The best thing was that all the crossing of the Llano Grande pass (ascent + descent) was carried out in a non-stop ride. The most incredible thing was that although we had started the ascent too late, we were able still to overcame another two cyclists along the ascent :-) It seems as there is no late hour to ride to Llano Grande :-)<br /><br />Along the road between Zoquiapan and Texmelucan a lot of cycling pilgrims could be observed, riding in big groups, scorted by gigantic trucks that were carrying the cyclists belongings. Those pilgrims came from all places in Puebla and were heading to visit the Guadalupe Virgin of the Tepeyac, north of Mexico City.<br /><br />Reaching the summit less than two hours later (at 17:42) we started the descent to Texmelucan, where we arrived at 19:10, under full cover of the night. Although the original plan was to ride to Tlaxcala and the archaeological site of Xochitecatl, it now seemed impossible to reach our original destination and get back to Mexico City an the same day. That being said without still mentioning that we had to ride the 25 km that were required to reach Tlaxcala with no solar light at all and ... with no lights. So we decided to cut short the ride there in Texmelucan and leave the Tlaxcala ride to the following weekend.<br /><br />In Texmelucan we dinned at an Arabian Tacos restaurant, which was fully booked by the locals. Indeed, the food was delicious and generous (all a cyclist could ask). After a short visit to the Texmelucan Cathedral and the central Kiosk Cafe (where Gaby could have her chocolate cup), in order to take the <span style="font-style:italic;">de rigueur</span> photographs, we took our pre-booked return bus to Mexico City at 22:00, arriving just in time to still use the subway to arrive back at home.<br /><br />Story lesson: we <span style="font-weight:bold;">must</span> get up early on Sundays and start the ride early, at least at 07:00. We hope we could achieve this <span style="font-style:italic;">milestone</span> for the next ride :-)<br /><br />As usual, all the pictures of this travel are available at the following <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157603898065583/"><b>photoset</b></a>. And the GPS track of the ride is also <a href="http://files.filefront.com/Texmelucan+080210gpx/;9619856;/fileinfo.html"><b>here</b></a> available.<br /><br />Thank you for reading. Till the next travel !</div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-59392162664262886862008-02-06T10:25:00.002-06:002009-05-08T21:14:56.727-05:00Tlaltizapan (Morelos), 03-04.02.08<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2245669134/in/set-72157603859553530/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100%;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2286/2245669134_d485f24ae9_b.jpg" title="Gaby + Erasmo @ the Zapata Headquarters in Tlatizapan, Morelos" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157603859553530" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="map39" style="width: 100%; height: 700px;"></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2246833796/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2089/2246833796_d4ee23cb4a_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2246835114/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2050/2246835114_18f9ccd334_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Data" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2246834388/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2244/2246834388_0efa6a7dd6_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />This ride started at the insanely late hour of almost 11:00, owed to the fact that I arrived late at the rendezvous point with Gaby, and that we needed extra time to pack al the things that we were going to need in our two-day journey.<br /><br />So, just minutes before 11:00 we started cycling towards Tlalpan, in southern direction, all the way up to La Joya and the Caminero Monument, just at the junction where both paid and free Cuernavaca highways start. We took then the free Cuernavaca highway.<br /><br />We started the ascent from this point all the way up to La Cima summit, stopping just some minutes at El Mirador restaurant (elev: 2700 m), in order to have a glimpse of the imposing almost aerial view from the Mexico City valley that is available at this sightseeing point, located 500 m above the city level. After taking the <span style="font-style: italic;">de rigueur</span> pictures, we continued our ascent to the summit (elev: 3000 m), and after reaching it, we started the descent to Tres Marías, where we arrived at 14:30. In Tres Marías we re-charged our liquids and continued the descent to Cuernavaca, reaching the Zapata Monument (at the entrance of Cuernavaca) at 15:20, continuing our descent to the center of the city.<br /><br />As Gaby had never before arrived cycling in Cuernavaca in day hours, we decided to stop at the center of the city in order to have a look at the main buildings. So we headed to the Cuauhnáhuac Museum, located in the Cortes Palace, to have a look at it, after having visited the Morelos Statue and State Government Palace, both located in the Main Square of the city.<br /><br />Once in front of the Cortes Palace, it was a crime not entering in it, since Gaby had never before known the museum (being myself twice before a visitant of it). So we attached the bicycles at the entrance of the Museum, and <span style="font-style: italic;">voilá</span>, there we went. The Cuauhnahuac Museum houses an impressive arrangement of cultural riches and anthropological findings, along with several <span style="font-style: italic;">murals</span> (frescoes) painted by the revered post-revolutionary painter Diego Rivera. You can have a glimpse of all those riches in the photoset.<br /><br />Once exiting the Cuauhnahuac Museum at 18:30, it was realized that we had to pernoctate at Cuernavaca, since darkness was already looming. We choosed then to visit the Cuernavaca Cathedral and attended part of a mass. After the mass, we roamed a little bit alongside the cathedral and its outskirts, even playing a little ball game with a local. Once taken the <span style="font-style: italic;">de rigueur</span> photographs, we started the <span style="font-style: italic;">haunting</span> of a room in a decent hotel. But as this was a long weekend (three days of weekend in fact, owed to a national holiday), it was a little bit difficult to find a room in a decent hotel, as all of them were fully booked already. It was required the visit to at least five hotels before we could find an available room to pass the night (at the España hotel).<br /><br />Once <span style="font-style: italic;">downloaded</span> all our luggage at the room, we started then the <span style="font-style: italic;">haunting</span> of a good meal, since it was already 22:00 and we had eaten no real food in all the day. We were told that the best option was to dine in front of the Estrella Blanca bus terminal, so we headed in that direction, fortunately not far from the hotel (just a couple of blocks away). The dinning was wonderful ! Lots of food (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cecina</span> and other delicacies) for a reasonable price ! :-) After that wonderful dinning we returned to the hotel in order to let rest our humble humanities.<br /><br />At the following day, the cycling ride started again really late, as we abandoned the hotel just before 15:00. After loading liquids in our bicycles, we headed south from Cuernavaca, this time to Alpuyeca, using the free Acapulco highway. The descent to Alpuyeca was carried with no problems at all, crossing in our path the towns of Temixco, Acatlipa and Xochitepec. As the plan was to arrive at Tlatizapán (where the Carnival party was being carried out), after Alpuyeca we cycled towards Xoxocotla, Galeana and finally Zacatepec.<br /><br />Once in Zacatepec we went to visit the Emiliano Zapata Ingenio (major sugar factory in the region) and the center of the city, where a beautiful church stands. We decided to purchase our return bus tickets in Zacatepec in advance, before we went to Tlatizapán, since on that day the journey back home was going to be a fully booked return trip. After purchasing the tickets for the last bus (21:20), we headed towards our final destination: Tlatizapán.<br /><br />After leaving Zacatepec at 17:30, we started the last 10 km trip to Tlaltizapán, where we arrived before 18:00. We headed towards the Zapata General Headquarters Museum, which unfortunately was already closed. After taking the compulsory pictures, we went on to follow the Carnival dancing that was crossing our path. After climbing to the church, we had a better view of this picturesque spectacle. The pictures of this event are certainly remarkable.<br /><br />After paying a short visit to the Tlatizapan church, we started the return trip to Zacatepec at 19:00, under complete darkness. I would like to thank the driver of a pick-up that escorted us from in the ride between Taltizapán and Zacatepec, without by-passing us and sending its high lights whenever possible in order we could see the road :-)<br /><br />After dinning in the center of Zacatepec, at 21:00 we went to the Pullman bus terminal where we loaded our bicycles in the bus and started resting in the long way back home, arriving in Mexico City at 01:00 (owed to the big traffic mess along the Cuernavaca highway) at the Taxqueña bus terminal. From Taxqueña all that was required was a short 10-minutes ride to our houses and <span style="font-style: italic;">voilá</span>, we were again back at the safety of home :-)<br /><br />As usual, all the pictures of this travel are available at the following <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157603859553530/">photoset</a>.<b> </b>And the GPS track is also available, in both formats:<b> <a href="http://files.filefront.com/Xochicalco+08+01+13gpx/;9582811;/fileinfo.html">GPX</a> </b>or<b> <a href="http://files.filefront.com/Xochicalco+08+01+13kmz/;9582813;/fileinfo.html">KMZ</a></b> .<br /><br />Thank you for reading. Till the next travel !</div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-16023947502543950002008-01-15T02:07:00.002-06:002009-05-08T21:15:50.289-05:00Xochicalco Archaeological Site (Morelos), 13.01.08<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2194100172/in/set-72157603720874447/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100%;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2332/2194100172_27f6cf07c0_b.jpg" title="Gaby + Erasmo @ the top of the Acropolis, Xochicalco Archaeological Site" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157603720874447" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="map38" style="width: 100%; height: 600px;"></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2193933689/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2344/2193933689_4c0e79afc2_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2194350816/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/2194350816_a99ca75c72_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Data" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2194349904/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2115/2194349904_b61f75ec7f_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />This ride started at the late hour of 08:30 having as target the visit to the Xochicalco Archaeological site, in the southern state of Morelos. Departing from the center of Mexico City, we (Gabriela and me) took Tlalpan to the south all the way up to the Caminero Monument, and then we took the free Cuernavaca highway. At 2700 m altitude we made a little stop at the El Mirador restaurant, but ir was still closed (since it was early), so we had to take a view of the city from a near location.<br /><br />Once resuming our trip, we made another little stop in Parres to buy some water, and, in the up-downs that exist between Parres and La Cima summit my frontal derailleur felt down and I had to repair it. Thank God I was carrying some Gabriela's Allen keys, since I do not use to carry any tools :-) Being myself not the best mechanic in town, I lost precious time in that reparation, but anyways, we could continue our trip.<br /><br />Another little stop at La Cima summit to take the compulsory photograhs and we were ready to descend to Tres Marias. Since neither of us had ever visited the center of Tres Marias, we decided to have a look at that picturesque town. So we deviated to the left in Tres Marías and got to its little center. A small yet precious church is all that stands up in the center. We also decided to make good use of the stop and got a delicious hot meal (in front of the church) of fish broth, with sea food quesadillas. Could you believe that: Sea food in Tres Marías ? :-)<br /><br />Once armored with that hot meal, we started the descent all the way up to Cuernavaca first, and then to Alpuyeca, via the free Acapulco highway. As for Gabriela these are her firsts cycling rides along inter-state highways, she uses to descend very carefully, so I use to pass her on the descent, but in order not to abandon her, I make svereal stops in between, so she can pass me again. Meanwhile I am waiting for her, what better thing to do than to take pictures of her descent ? :-)<br /><br />We reached and crossed Cuernavaca, passing also in our way to Alpuyeca the towns of Temixco, Acatlipa and Xochitepec. Once arriving in Alpuyeca, we bought some water, as the ongoing way to Xochicalco was one of pure ascent, and the worst of all: we had to make it against the clock ! We had less than forty minutes to make a 300 m ascent along 12 kilometers (grade: 2.5 %), since the site closes its doors at 17:00. Making an exceptional effort we were able to reach the site in only 35 minutes, arriving just five minutes before closing (with an average speed of 20.6 km/hr, in that steep hills). Nothing bad for Gabriela. My most sincere congratulations to her for that final <span style="font-weight:bold;">fast ascent</span> to the site :-)<br /><br />Once inside the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xochicalco"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Xochicalco</span></a> (nahuatl for <span style="font-style: italic;">House of Flowers</span>) Archaeological Site, we proceeded to have a quick look of all the buildings that comprehend that precious site. I hope the presented photograps could communicate a better meaning than my humble words when I try to describe that fabulous site. So I would recommend to have a look at the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157603720874447/">pictures</a> so you could have a better view of all the pyramids and buildings that are located in the site.<br /><br />Once concluded our visit to the site, we proceeded to start the descent back to Alpuyeca, almost in the middle of the dark, as it was already 18:40. At the beginning of the descent there was some twilight light, but as we were descending, the dark became more and more present, so we had to carry out that final descent with no light at all. Fortunately, we were finally able to arrive again in Alpuyeca <span style="font-style: italic;">in one piece</span> :-)<br /><br />Once in Alpuyeca, we proceeded to visit its simple yet beautiful white church (located at the top of a staired hill) and the main Plaza, where a picturesque green clock tower stands. Once finishing that small stop we cycled to the junction where the bus stop is located. To our disheart, we discovered that the buses that passed there had only small boxes to carry the luggage. We were not going to be able to load our bikes in those buses. So we had to rely in a big taxi to get back to Cuernavaca (taxi fare from Alpuyeca to Cuernavaca, with two bicycles and two cyclists: 130 pesos, driving along the toll highway).<br /><br />The taxi drove us to the Cuernavaca Cathedral, in the center of the city, where we had a glimpse of the last part of the last mass (merely five minutes). But we were able to have a look at the interior of that precious Cathedral. Once the lights were turned off, we exited the Cathedral and started a small turn around the exterior of that gigantic church. After having taken the compulsory photographs, we rode towards the Pullman bus terminal, just a block away, where we bought our return tickets back to Mexico City (ticket fare: 65 pesos).<br /><br />As we had still half an hour free, we decided to pay a quick visit to the center of Cuernavaca, to have a look at the Cuauhnahuac (Cortes Palace), Government Palace, Main Square, Clock Tower and the Morelos statue. Once our free time expired we cycled back to the Pullman terminal, where we boarded our bus back home at 22:15. For some reason (mostly traffic) the bus arrived at 00:00 in México City, so we had to cycle back our ways to our final destinations: home :-)<br /><br />As usual, all the pictures of this travel are available at the following <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157603720874447/">photoset</a>.<b> </b>And the GPS track is also available, in both formats:<b> <a href="http://files.filefront.com/Xochicalco+08+01+13gpx/;9438769;/fileinfo.html">GPX</a> </b>or<b> <a href="http://files.filefront.com/Xochicalco+08+01+13kmz/;9438770;/fileinfo.html">KMZ</a></b> .<br /><br />Thank you for reading. Till the next travel !</div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-3107349662268512312008-01-07T14:54:00.003-06:002009-05-08T21:27:29.955-05:00Calixtlahuaca Archaeological Site (Mexico). 06.01.08<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2174411547/in/set-72157603662716745/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100%;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2170/2174411547_2d842d45e1_b.jpg" title="Calixtlahuaca Archaeological Site: Ehecatl Pyramid + Gaby" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157603662716745" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="map37" style="width: 100%; height: 400px;"></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2175639161/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2304/2175639161_812ef2cd3a_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2175267557/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2213/2175267557_71bdd34ab9_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Data" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2176432416/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2290/2176432416_e7f5ee9a6e_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><br /></b><div style="text-align: justify;">The ride started at 07:30, counting as a guest to our new friend: Gabriela Escudero, a determined and beautiful young cyclist that had never before attempted the one thousand meter high climbing to the Las Cruces summit (along the free Toluca highway), located in the middle of the path to the Calixtlahuaca Archaeological Site. I must aknowledge that she was able to finish that ascent with no problems at all, and also: making <span style="font-weight: bold;">no</span> stops whatsoever :-) My most sincere congratulations to her !<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />We started cycling along interior city streets (where we could see several fellow cyclists riding to reach their starting points, as it is customary that on Sundays several cycling rides are published) from the center of the city in order to gain access to Constituyentes Avenue, which would later took us to the free Toluca Highway. As it was early, there was no traffic at all, so we could reach really soon the junction between Constituyentes and Reforma (i.e. Palo Alto), beginning of the federal highway.<br /><br />After only two hours of cycling, we were able to reach the top of Las Cruces summit (elev: 3200 m), so practically, the ride was <span style="font-style: italic;">already done</span> :-) After a small stop at the top to take the required photos, the descent to La Marquesa and Lerma was initiated. Gabriela, being it her first time, carried out that descent in the most secure way: <span style="font-weight: bold;">very carefully</span> :-) Once in Lerma we made a stop to <span style="font-style: italic;">pay tribute</span> to the gigantic equestrian statue of Gral. Emiliano Zapata, the Mexican southern Revolution hero.<br /><br />After arriving at Toluca, it was really easy to get into Calixtlahuaca, less than ten kilometers away from the state capital, cycling along Isidro Fabela (Toluca-Atlacomulco highway). The only problem was that I had somehow forgotten the junction where I had to deviate to Calixtlahuaca (being a year and a half that I had visited that archaeological site). So, asking the locals for help (and with the aid of Gabriela) we could find another road to the town. This second road (different to the one that I had previoulsy taken) is in a better condition and measures only three kilometer.<br /><br />The road I had previously taken was Río Papaloapan. But this time we took Libertad street. Libertad is far shorter (only three km) than Rio Papaloapan, and it is in better road conditions. The only problem is gaining acces to it from Isidro Fabela. Libertad is located where there are two gas stations along the Atlacomulco highway, aproximately 6 km after the center of Toluca (and cycling along I. Fabela).<br /><br />Once arriving at the <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.inah.gob.mx/ZonasArqueologicas/todas/htme/za00910.html">Calixtlahuaca</a> (nahuatl for <span style="font-style: italic;">Houses in the Plain</span>) Archaeological Site, we secured the bicycles at the site Museum (which unfortunately is closed as the exhibitions are being shown in another museum). Proceeding to see the several pre-hispanic buildings that were built in that ceremonial site, we took our way to the first pyramid: the Ehécatl (Wind God) Pyramid, a spyral piramid whose interior can be visited.<br /><br />Calixtlahuaca was the capital city of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matlatzinco"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Matlatzinca</span></a> culture. The Matlatzinca were an independent Nahuatl nation. They resisted several times the mexica conquest, rebelling at least in three ocasions against the aztec conquerors. At the last rebellion (in 1510), the Mexica emperor Moctezuma ordered the destruction of the whole region, forcing its inhabitants to migrate towards what is now the neighbouring state of Michoacan.<br /><br />The sites features several impossing buildings, aside of the Ehécatl Pyramid. Walking above the Tenismo hill, the Tlaloc compound can be found. This compound houses the Tlaloc pyramid, a Royal Palace basement (believed to be a Calmecac: the náhuatl elite school) and a Tzompantli (nahuatl for <span style="font-style: italic;">Wall of Skulls</span>).<br /><br />Once concluded the visit to the archaeological site, we proceeded to visit the center of Calixtlahuaca, where a beautiful church can be appreciated). That church was closed on that Sunday because ... the religious paintings had been stolen ! Could you believe that ? No wonder why the saying goes: <span style="font-style: italic;">Little town, big inferno</span><br /><br />We rode the last ten kilometers of the ride in order to reach Toluca, where we could appreciate its main buildings in the downtown: the Cathedral (whose interior is exceptionally beatifully decorated), the Palace of Government, Main Square, etc. Once concluded the visit to the Cathedral, we were lucky enough to find a good restaurant in the Portales, where our human appetites could be saciated. Once finishing the meal, we proceeded to cycle to the Toluca bus station, where we could finally took our bus back home (fare: 38 pesos).<br /><br />All the pictures of this travel are available at the following <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157603662716745/">photoset</a>.<b> </b>And the GPS track is also available, in both formats:<b> <a href="http://files.filefront.com/Xochitecatl+071209gpx/;9397386;/fileinfo.html">GPX</a> </b>or<b> <a href="http://files.filefront.com/Xochitecatl+071209kmz/;9397393;/fileinfo.html">KMZ</a></b> .<br /><br />Thank you for reading. Till the next travel !<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-71854990766924400922007-12-11T03:12:00.002-06:002009-05-08T21:17:36.642-05:00Xochitecatl Archaeological Site (Tlaxcala). 09.12.07<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2101875315/in/set-72157603431603805/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100%;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/2101875315_c041b9a5b4_b.jpg" title="Top of the Spyral Pyramid, Xochitecatl Arch. Site" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157603431603805" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="map36" style="width: 100%; height: 400px;"></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2103023470/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2333/2103023470_f3cb652e91_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2102242217/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2349/2102242217_02773709f9_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Data" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/2102242739/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2106/2102242739_a3f088f7a0_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><br /><br /></b><div align="justify">This was a wonderful ride since I had the opportunity to take a lot of pictures of several multitudes of pilgrims that were travelling in a pilgrimage to pay homage to the Lady of Guadalupe of the Tepeyac, main devotion figure in whole Mexico, whose main celebration is carried on every December 12th. People were <b>walking</b> and cycling along every pasable trail, road and highway from the eastern part of the mountain pass that separates the Mexico Valley from the Puebla and Tlaxcala states. Just bear in mind that this mountain pass climbs ... ¡ one thousand meters (up to an elevation of more than 3200 m) ! And people were walking carrying not only their personal belongings to pass a night, plus water and food, but also ¡ big and heavy religious icons (made of glass and wood) ! Certainly it is not factless that saying that goes: <i>the faith moves mountains</i>.<br /><br />I had the opportunity to observe the Pilgrims since I took the free highway to Puebla, in Ixtapaluca. From this point on, countless pilgrims on foot and cycling could be observed in a human chain that climbed all the way up to the Llano Grande summit, and descended later to Texmelucan, like a human river. I really think that the photos of this human spectacle will have a more lasting impact that my humble words.<br /><br />Once in Texmelucan, I took the road to Villa Alta, Tepetitla and Atoyatenco. Mistakenly, I continued cycling to Xochitecatitla, but had to return over my footsteps, since the gruesome climbing that is the entrance to the Xochitecatl site was just after Atoyatenco. In fact, I arrived at the Cacaxtla entrance, closed now for restoration (heavy rains had damaged the gigantic roof that covers the whole Cacaxtla site).<br /><br />After a gruesome 8 % grade, 200 m climbing I could finally arrive at the <a href="http://www.inah.gob.mx/ZonasArqueologicas/todas/htme/za02402.html">Xochitecatl</a> Archaeological Site. For the first time (I had been there at least twice) I could enter in the site's Museum. Very rich indeed. Lots of fine ceramics and religious pottery.<br /><br />I proceeded then to the visit to the Xochitecatl Pyramids, including: the Spiral Pyramid , the Serpent Building and the Flower Pyramid. The spiral pyramid has at the top of it a big white cross, a prime example of the religious syncretism that is commonly found in Mexico. From the top of the Flower Pyramid, the adjacent closed Cacaxtla site can be observed.<br /><br />Once concluded the visit time, I cycled my way back to Texmelucan, where I could take some photos of its magnificent Cathedral and not less interesting Plaza and kiosk. At 19:00 I went to the AU bus terminal, where I could take my bus back home to Mexico City (fare: 60 pesos).<br /><br />All the photos of this travel are available at the following <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157603431603805/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">photoset</span></a>. And the GPS track is also available, in both formats: <a href="http://files.filefront.com/Xochitecatl+071209gpx/;9234524;/fileinfo.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GPX</span></a> and <a href="http://files.filefront.com/Xochitecatl+071209kmz/;9234525;/fileinfo.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">KMZ</span></a>.<br /><br />Thank you for reading. Till the next travel :-)<br /></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-4364865232153376242007-10-04T18:21:00.001-05:002009-05-08T21:19:50.577-05:00Convents Route II (Morelos), 30.09.07 - 01.10.07<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1476242320/in/set-72157602256167317/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100%;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1029/1476242320_4d0e89556c_b.jpg" title="Tetela del Volcan Convent, Morelos" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157602256167317" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="map35" style="width: 100%; height: 700px;"></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1486212146/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1438/1486212146_020f06dca1_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1484939667/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1241/1484939667_7e09b01bc0_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1484939661/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1172/1484939661_273e08cf3d_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 2D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <div style="text-align: justify;">Since a long time ago, I had desired to ride the <a title="Convents Route" href="http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/notas/1401-La-ruta-de-los-conventos-en-el-estado-de-Morelos" id="wzac">Convents Route</a> (built in the XVI century) in the southern state of Morelos. But I had first to complete the visits to the archaeological sites of several pre-Hispanic cultures in Central Mexico (as a mean to pay a tribute to the original inhabitants of these lands). Now, as it seems like I have already completed the visits to almost all archaeological sites in the states of: Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Hidalgo, I could finally engage in this long desired route through the eleven convents in Morelos that have been declared by the UNESCO as World's Cultural Heritage.<br /><br />In last week ride, I could <a title="visit" href="http://erasmoperez.blogspot.com/2007/09/yautepec-archaeological-site-convents.html" id="o2bz">visit</a> three of those convents (since they were in my route to the Yautepec archaeological site), namely, the Convents of: Totolapan, Tlayacapan and Oaxtepec. The Convent of Tepoztlán has already been <a title="visited" href="http://erasmoperez.blogspot.com/2007/02/archaeological-site-of-tepoztlan.html" id="xhj4">visited</a> in a previous ride this year. In this way, I could arrange a route to know the remaining seven convents, the Convents of: Atlatlahucán, Yecapixtla, Ocuituco, Tetela del Volcan, Hueyapan, Zacualpan de Amilpas and Jantetelco.<br /><br />The route taken involved arriving firstly at the convent of Atlatlahucan via Amecameca, and then riding down to Cuautla (Morelos). In order to arrive at Amecameca, I decided to take a new route to me, riding this time through Tenango del Aire and Ayapango. In this way, I could avoid climbing an extra 100 m that is required in the toll highway to Amecameca. But I still used the Puebla toll highway in order to bypass Chalco, deviating from it at the Cocotitlán branch.<br /><br />So, let's start this report from where all things get started: at the beginning. The ride began at the really late hour of 10:40. I took Fray Servando Av. (where I had the opportunity to observe the cyclists riding in the ongoing Ciclotón in Mexico City) to gain access to the Zaragoza Av. Zaragoza is a long and wide avenue that converts itself later in both toll and free Puebla highways (at Los Reyes junction). At the intersection of those two inter-state highway stands what is currently a gigantic traffic jam covering several kilometers in length (owed to the building of an elevated pass). Once crossed that mess, I took the toll Puebla highway, and left it just before the Huixtoco toll station, in order to take the Chalco branch. After crossing the Puente Colorado toll station, I continued cycling along the toll Chalco highway, but at the Cocotitlan deviation I branched out south in order to arrive at Temamatla, Tenango del Aire and Ayapango. I should add that the road between Ayapango and Amecameca is one of unsurmountable beauty: a clean and pristine countryside with no sight of towns, almost plain, and surrounded at both sides of the road by colourful flowers and green grass: an idyllic scene, in fact.<br /><br />Arriving at Amecameca, I took the Cuautla free highway, passing on my route the towns of Ozumba and Tepetlixpa. Tepetlixpa is the last town before the descent towards Cuautla starts, so, if you need to purchase water or food, please do it there. On my way down to Atlatlahucán, I crossed the town of Nepantla, place where Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (the best writer in her time) was born in 1651, and also a destination of <a title="one" href="http://erasmoperez.blogspot.com/2007/09/olintepec-archaeological-site-morelos.html" id="bx8p">one</a> of my previous rides. At my arrival to the Atlatlahucan branch, I exited the Cuautla highway and cycled upwards to Atlatlahucan, arriving promptly at the convent, located in the main square of the town.<br /><br />The San Mateo Convent of Atlatlahucan features an austere yet imposing all white monumental facade, being probably built at the top of a pre-Hispanic temple. As a result of this construction, the convent lies above the rest of the town. When I was there, a funeral procession (coffin included) was arriving at the church, so I had the opportunity to closely observe this funeral mass. A musical band accompanied the funeral, playing some local marches. In fact, that was a busy church, since it seems that just previous to my arrival, another mass, this time maybe from some fifteen-years party, had been just finished (by the looks of the gathered people in front of the church). I should add that, being that day September 30th, the entire state of Morelos was in party mood, as that day marks the birthday of Independence War hero and leader: Jose Maria Morelos, whom with Miguel Hidalgo, is one of the founding fathers of Mexico (in fact, Morelos took the leadership of the Independence War at the hanging and death by the Spanish crown of Miguel Hidalgo). So, I had the sheer luck of being able to observe all the convents visited along the route (Atlatlahucan included) being decorated by a multitude of floral crowns and arrangements. The convent houses also some wings that appear to be abandoned, with no maintenance at sight, just the facade is stunning white. The atrium of the convent is enormous and well maintained, featuring a pleasant green grass cover.<br /><br />Once finishing my visit to that convent, I cycled again towards the Cuautla highway, and four kilometers down after the junction, I arrived at the Yecapixtla branch, which I took and started the ascent, from 1500 m at the branch, all the way up to Tetela del Volcan, at 2250 m. But I had first to arrive at Yecapixtla.<br /><br />The San Juan Bautista Convent of Yecapixtla (built in 1535) features an equally imposing and gigantic facade (albeit a little less white), with a Gothic rose above the door, being the arch of the door also beautifully sculpted in stone, depicting some heraldic and angels. The atrium again was immense (albeit a little less maintained). But the interior of the church was magnificent, beautifully painted and decorated, with a precious white altar. The convent itself features no more than a single floor, but the walls that compose the garden's arches are precious, as they present beautifully preserved paintings and inscriptions of several religious people (as saints and popes) plus icons, along with Bible passages (like the Cruxifiction). In fact, not only the walls of the arches, but also the whole ceilings are covered by geometric figures (like octagons and crosses). The garden seems to feature a well in its middle.<br /><br />After one hour of visit (curiously, I averaged one hour for each convent visit), I decided to resume the ride, continuing cycling upwards, this time towards Ocuituco, where 300 m of steep climbing were required to arrive at this town.<br /><br />The Santiago Apostol Convent in Ocuituco features a beautiful ancient yellow facade, with a single bell tower. Time has left its mark in that facade, but no without a reason: this convent was the first to be built in America by the Augustine order in 1533 ! As the town was in party mood, the convent door had been enriched with a floral arch surrounding the entrance, depicting several religious passages. As the mass was beginning, I could observe several people arriving at the church, speaking in Nahuatl. Also the dressing of several women (mostly the older ones) started to resemble different from what we could term now <i>contemporary fashion</i>, more in the style of the original peoples of those towns. The interior of the church is painted in a smooth peach color, presenting a modest yet imposing white high altar. The interior of the convent features two floors, with a water spring in the middle of the garden. Its walls are painted in white, while the curved ceiling is decorated with geometric designs. The atrium of the church features a big cross, decorated by a floral arrangement. Outside of the convent, a picturesque (painted in strong blue) local market can be appreciated.<br /><br />It was time now to continue cycling upwards, this time to the town of Tetela del Volcan, being required to climb almost 400 m to arrive at this town, located at an altitude of 2260 m. The ascent from Metepec to Tetela is a particularly steep one, specially inside Tetela (the Convent is located in the highest point in Tetela). I had to climb all the road inside Tetela standing on my pedals, as I was so exhausted (and the grade of the ascent was so cruel) that by just sitting on my bike I was not going to make that climb. But alas ! When I arrived finally at Tetela (at 19:15) ... there was a big party in the town ! But first business. So I headed directly to the convent.<br /><br />The Convent of San Juan Bautista in Tetela del Volcan features what looks to me as the most austere facade of this series of convents. It is painted in a yellow peach colour, presenting only one bell tower (but its clock is working). The church interior is painted in pristine white. I has scarcely time to take the last shots of the convent, as it was now 19:30 and the darkness was looming. Once taken the compulsory pictures of this Augustine convent, I decided to turn my attention to a much more mundane topic of interest: the party !<br /><br />From all the towns along the route that I had made that day in Morelos, Tetela was the place where I could find the biggest party. There was a lot of people gathering in the main square of the town, all taking part in the unconmesurability of <i>La Fiesta</i>. In that party at Tetela del Volcan (its biggest party of the year) I saw things that I had never been able to observe before. For example: I saw donkeys with floral crowns, which later I was told were part in some donkey runnings . I saw also a children competition, in order to see which child could catch an oil-covered little pig. In fact, there were several of those competitions. I saw another tournament, this time involving climbing an oil-covered mast, which at its top had prizes for the winners. I saw a lot of yet unseen things to me. That was my biggest reward: to know unknown things to me. There were a lot of fireworks also and another contest, this time involving the riding of a mechanical bull. Remarkably, I also had the opportunity of taking some photographs of the Queen of Tetela, meaning the victorious lady (and accompanying princesses) in the beauty pageant of Tetela del Volcán. Beautiful ladies indeed.<br /><br />At 22:00 I had to make up my mind, since it was too late to do any other thing different than looking for a place to sleep. The party was going to continue all night long (till 04:00 next day), so I must find a hotel, just before the accommodations were fully booked. I decided to pass the night in Tetela, since from this point I could continue the route of the Convents the next day, and even, return to Mexico City cycling, but I had to be well rested for that matter. So, I started asking for directions for a place to sleep, and fortunately, I could find a hotel no more than three blocks away from the center: the St Valentin drugstore. Really, that drugstore (coupled with its sister clinic and laboratory) featured also a small yet clean hotel: the hotel <i>Mirador del Volcan</i>. So I ringed and ringed and finally a clerk got out and listened to my need, offering me a room for 150 pesos, which I promptly took. Once solved the accommodation problem, I had to sort out the next question: What to eat ? After leaving my bicycle (as I always do in these occasions) and the rest of my cycling equipment in my room, I went to the center of Tetela to purchase some food (mainly cheese, meat, soda) in a convenience store. I could also buy some local fruits in the street. Once armoured with my dinning/breakfast, I returned to the hotel. I would like to had been able to attend the ongoing party (and dancing ball), but I had to sleep for the next day cycling. All night long the dancing music continued (till 04:00 next day), the fireworks also continued their spectacle, and, after the music had subsidized, some pistol shots were listened, as is customary for those town parties :-)<br /><br />I woke up next day at 08:00, just in time to take some clear photographs of the Popocatepetl volcano (difficult to see later, since it gets covered by clouds early). Once I had taken a bath and arranged my bicycle and cycling equipment, I started the ride at about 10:00, this time with the goal to reach the town of Hueyapan. So I climbed back to the center of Tetela del Volcan and took the sinuous descent road to Alpanocan, in a tip of the eastern state of Puebla. This town features a modest yet interesting church painted in pink. After briefly visiting Alpanocan's Municipal Palace, I resumed the trip to Hueyapan, entering again in the Morelos state. The road between Alpanocan and Hueyapan is one of sinuous and steep ascent nature, requiring climbing 250 m to reach Hueyapan. In Hueyapan (farthest point in our route) I found its Convent closed. So I had to rely on photographs taken from the door of the convent. That town is known for its prominent use of Nahuatl as a common language. Unfortunately, as I arrived there on Monday, all the people that use to arrive at the market were absent at that moment, so I could not grasp any hint of spoken Nahuatl. The only people I found on the plaza were secondary school students, whom with high probability would have never spoken a word of Nahuatl, being its use confined to the older generations. Once I finished my visit to the picturesque town of Hueyapan, I resumed my trip, this time cycling downwards to Tlacotepec (where I stopped a little to admire its beautiful white church) and later to Zacualpan de Amilpas.<br /><br />The La Inmaculada Concepción Convent in Zacualpan de Amilpas is one of the most beautiful convents I could appreciate in the whole trip. The convent itself is maintained in pristine conditions, being built with some pink stones resembling pink marble. Its facade its superbly clean. The convent even features two bell towers (something not so common). The church interior is every bit as beautiful as its exterior, all in white painted with simple yet elegant paintings as decoration. The walls of the arched corridors of the convent feature clearly restaurated frescoes, depicting religious images and saints. The convent comprises two tiers, featuring a central yard, complete with a water spring in its center.<br /><br />Next point in the route was the Convent of Jantetelco, so I cycled downwards for the last point of interest in the route, arriving promptly at Jantetelco. Unfortunately, the convent was closed for the public visits, as its architectural integrity has been compromised by the fall of a lighting a couple of months before. The fallen lighting was so strong that one of the church vaults had broken under the force of the lighting, rendering the whole church structure unstable, and now prone to fell over its occupants. For this reason, the masses in that church are being carried outside as open air masses.<br /><br />Being Jantetelco the last point of visiting interest along the route, I decided trying to do a promptly return to Mexico City. For this return to be made, first thing to be done was to arrive at Cuautla. So, from Jantetelco I cycled to Amayuca (where I could take a couple of shots of its beautiful church), and then, I took the Cuautla highway, a nice asphalted and well painted mostly plain highway. At my arrival to Cuautla, I branched to out to the Mexico City free highway, via Chalco. This return leg to Mexico City involved a 1150 m climbing. Along the uphill road I crossed the Yecapixtla and Tlayacapan branches, arriving later back at Nepantla. Uphill I crossed Yecapixtla again, and a little later I could arrive finally in Amecameca, at 19:00.<br /><br />As soon as I arrived at Temamatla, the darkness was complete. I had thought that once reaching back Amecameca, the return leg to Mexico City was almost completed, as all the climbing was now behind me. But alas ! I hadn't taken into account that darkness was looming, so what is under normal (diurnal) conditions a pleasant ride, turned out to be a highly extenuous and tiring cycling ride once the night had set on. Having no lights, I had to continuously try to guess and infere where I could find holes along the pavement. Determined to use as much public electric lighting as possible, I decided to cross the entire (urbanized) Chalco Valley. Once crossed the Chalco Valley, I could ride along the free Puebla highway trough Ixtapaluca and later Los Reyes, where I could finally reach the Zaragoza Avenue. Cycling along this road, I could finally arrive at the TAPO bus terminal, near the center of the city. From there all I required to arrive at home was a short ride south along Union Congress Av, and voilá: I was finally back at home's security, after a three hundreds kilometers long ride (and a three thousands meter climbing) !<br /></div></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />As usual, all photographs are available in the <a style="font-weight: bold;" title="photoset" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157602256167317/" id="w0kx">photoset</a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (just in case you still haven't seen them). And the </span><span>GPS Track</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span>is also available in both formats:</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8717478">KMZ</a> (Google Earth), or<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8717477">GPX</a> (MapSource, et al).<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />Thank you for reading. Till the next travel.<br /></span> </div></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-20120183519864222562007-09-25T02:25:00.001-05:002009-05-08T21:21:34.094-05:00Yautepec Archaeological Site + Convents Route I (Morelos), 23.09.07<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1435368395/in/set-72157602142649414/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100%;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1084/1435368395_c59de99422_b.jpg" title="Mexica Royal Palace, Yautepec Arch. Site" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157602142649414" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="map34" style="width: 410px; height: 600px;"></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1437167064/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1111/1437167064_da725d20fc_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1437167056/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1028/1437167056_eabdf79be2_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1437167052/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1423/1437167052_ce51c29b6d_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 2D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> This ride started at the late hour of 10:10. The final destination was the visit to the <a title="Yautepec Archaeological Site" href="http://www.public.asu.edu/%7Emesmith9/yaucity.html" id="bht6">Yautepec Archaeological Site</a></span><span style="font-size:100%;">, in the southern state of Morelos. But along this ride, a visit to the Convents Route was also planned ! I could visit some of the most interesting <a title="Convents" href="http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/notas/1401-La-ruta-de-los-conventos-en-el-estado-de-Morelos" id="j4-u">Convents in Morelos</a></span><span style="font-size:100%;">, already declared World Heritage by the UNESCO, and located in the following towns (or cities): Totolapan, Tlayacapan, Oaxtepec and Cuernavaca.<br /><br />In order to ride this route from Mexico City center, I took Tlalpan Av. to the south and later Division del Norte Av, which would take me directly to Xochimilco and later to San Gregorio Atlapulco, exit point to the Oaxtepec highway.<br /><br />Once along this highway, and passing along the way Milpa Alta and Tlacotenco, a moderate ascent (grade: 3 %) starts towards La Loma summit (alt: 2900 m). In that sightseeing point I stopped a little to take the compulsory photographs, and later I continued the ride downwards. Six kilometers after passing the town of San FelipeNeri, I took a left branch that would lead me firstly towards Nepopualco (a small yet beautiful town lost in the middle of nowhere where I could take some cosy photos of its simple yet beautiful church), and later, to Totolapan.<br /><br />In Totolapan I headed directly towards its magnificent Convent. It features an impressive facade and equally imponent atrium. Unfortunately, this convent presents no museum at all. After admiring its architecture, I decided to continue the ride. I went to the center of Totolapan where in its market I could finally eat some 3 kilograms of fruit (between bananas, apples and tunas), which was badly needed at this rather early hour.<br /><br />In Totolapan I could finally have a glimpse of several people that use Nahuatl as their language ! Some of them even fancied their custom dresses. I sincerely hope I could find more of this towns where people still speak Nahuatl (the language the Aztecs used before the Spanish conquest) in my future rides.<br /><br />I continued the ride this time towards Tlayacapan, a town largely know for its </span> <span style="font-size:100%;">clay and ceramic pottery. I headed again directly to its center, where its magnificent Convent is located (in the same square the Convent, Municipal Palace and market can be found). The atrium there was even bigger, and the facade of the convent, simply monumental. And best of all, this Convent did feature a Museum. Although the entry was not free (fee: 10 pesos), taking photographs was not allowed, not even without flash. So I could not present you the beauties that are located inside the Convent's walls: precious frescoes, marvelous oil pictures, magnificent architecture and as a premium: some mummies from boys and girls (from the past centuries upper classes) buried in the gardens of the convent.<br /><br />Once finished the visit, I proceeded riding towards Oaxtepec, arriving promptly (as the road is pure descent) at its Convent in the center of the town. Unfortunately, I arrived some 30 minutes later than the Convent's opening hours (it closes at 17:00). So I had to content myself with taking some pictures of its facade (not at all as imposing as the facades I had already seen in other convents in this very same journey, anyway). After paying a sort visit to the church adjacent to the convent, I abandoned Oaxtepec, riding this time towards Cocoyoc, where I took the right branch towards Yautepec.<br /><br />Searching for the archaeological site I arrived unexpectedly first at Yautepec center, so I had to undo my path a little, finally arriving at the site at 18:40, again 40 minutes later than the closing hour. Fortunately, the site master was kind enough to allow me a short and quick visit to the site (once I exposed my motives and route), so I could finally present you the photographs of this beautiful and impressive archaeological site. The site features a royal Palace that whose use was reserved for the Aztec nobility. Basements of rooms and corridors are clearly visible. The site area is really big, as it comprises a whole block. In fact, the site is even bigger, withpre-Hispanic buildings buried under presently built houses.<br /><br />At 20:00 (when I finish the visit to the site) and already under the cover of the night, I continued the ride, this time towards Cuernavaca (Morelos state capital), crossing in my way the famous Wolfs Canyon (Cañón de Lobos), a high-grade climb that would take me towards La Joya (where I could purchase a much needed water bottle) and later to Jiutepec and finally to Cuernavaca. The problem at crossing the Wolfs Canyon was not really the climbing (although a considerable effort was required), but that I had to made that ascent without solar light, guiding myself only by the passing cars lights. Once I arrived at la Joya (first town after the Canyon) I considered myself safe, since from there, I could ride aided by the occasional urban lights.<br /><br />Once In Cuernavaca, I paid a short visit to its main square, where the Government Palace and Plaza are located. I headed then to the Pullman bus station to take the 22:15 bus back to Mexico City (fare: 63 pesos), which put me in Taxqueña South bus terminal at merely 23:25, which in turn enabled me to use the subway (closing hour: 00:00) to arrive at my house some half hour later.<br /><br />As usual, all photographs are available in the following <a style="font-weight: bold;" title="photoset" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157602142649414/" id="w0kx">photoset</a></span><span style="font-size:100%;">. The GPS track is available in both formats: <a href="http://files.filefront.com/8636018"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GPX</span></a> and <a href="http://files.filefront.com/8636019"><span style="font-weight: bold;">KMZ</span></a>.<br /><br />Thank you for reading. Till the next travel.<br /></span> </div></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-82752040402584862042007-09-10T14:36:00.002-05:002009-05-08T21:28:02.039-05:00Olintepec Archaeological Site (Morelos) + Nepantla de Sor Juana (Mexico), 09.09.07<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1297/1354036155_c8706e6f08_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100%;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1297/1354036155_c8706e6f08_b.jpg" title="Olintepec Arch. Site" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157601948876157" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="map33" style="width: 100%; height: 650px;"></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1355652299/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1405/1355652299_378df70f5b_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1355652281/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1056/1355652281_1e23c15320_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1355652259/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/1355652259_558745094f_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 2D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />This ride started last Sunday at the very late hour of 09:45. The two main places to visit in this journey were the Olintepec Archaeological Site in the southern state of Morelos, and Nepantla, a little town where the best writer of her time was born: Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, in the south-eastern tip of the Mexico State.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">In order to reach Nepantla from Mexico City center (elev: 2240 m), I had first to arrive at Amecameca. There are several ways to reach Amecameca. I took the one with the least traffic signals or road crosses: the Puebla toll highway (via the Zaragoza Avenue) up to the Chalco toll station, and then, using the Chalco bypass, I reached Tlalmanalco (alt: 2400 m). After a short climb (elev: 2550 m) I descended towards Amecameca. Using the Amecameca bypass, I headed directly to Tepetlixpa, last town before the descent to Cuautla starts.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />Seven kilometers after Tepetlixpa is located San Miguel Nepantla, little town where in 1651 <a title="Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sor_Juana_In%C3%A9s_de_la_Cruz" id="pybg">Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz</a> was born. Her house (or what is still left of it) is now surrounded by a luxurious, modern and beautiful Cultural Center, sponsored by the Mexico State government. After paying a 10 pesos fee, I was granted access to the two wings that conform the Cultural Center. The first wing houses the remains of Sor Juana house. The second wing presents a beautifully decorated Museum dedicated to Sor Juana. Unfortunately, taking photographs (even without flash !) is not allowed in both Museum wings interiors, so I can only present you photographs of the external garden of the Cultural Center, which in turn houses several statues of Sor Juana, beautifully placed along the green garden. The external walls of the Museum also present (printed on metallic plates), several sonnets, authored by Sor Juana. You can see all the pictures in the above linked <span style="font-style: italic;">Photoset Show</span>.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />The Museum wing that houses the Sor Juana exposition presents several portraits of the beloved female poet, as well as personal items, and most important: a chronological sequence of her life path and writings, from her birth in Nepantla, till her dead in the Sn. Geronimo Convent, in the (then imperial) Mexico City. This exposition presents the ordeals that Sor Juana must endure in order to satisfy her intellectual prowess, and also, how must she obey the final orders from the Catholic Church to sell all her four-thousand-books library and associated scientific instrumental, and refrain from continue writing and reading any other matter out of the clerical realm. So virulent was the attack the Catholic Church put upon her, that she signed her resignation letter (<span style="font-style: italic;">Answer to Sor Filotea</span>) with the following words: "<span style="font-style: italic;">I, the worst woman of the world</span>", written with her own blood.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />As a tribute to her intelligence and courage, lets review one of her most famous poems: "<a title="Stubborn Men" href="http://www-personal.umich.edu/%7Edfrye/SORJUANA.html" id="jv6c"><i>Stubborn Men</i></a>"</span><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><br /></i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>You mulish men, accusing</i></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>woman without reason,</i></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>not seeing you occasion</i></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>the very wrong you blame:</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>since you, with craving unsurpassed,<br />have sought for their disdain,<br />why do you hope for their good works<br />when you urge them on to ill?</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>You assail all their resistance,<br />then, speaking seriously,<br />you say it was frivolity,<br />forgetting all your diligence.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>What most resembles the bravery<br />of your mad opinion<br />is the boy who summons the bogeyman<br />and then cowers in fear of him.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>You hope, with mulish presumption,<br />to find the one you seek:<br />for the one you court, a Thaïs;<br />but possessing her, Lucrecia.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>Whose humor could be more odd<br />than he who, lacking judgment,<br />himself fogs up the mirror,<br />then laments that it's not clear?</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>Of their favor and their disdain<br />you hold the same condition:<br />complaining if they treat you ill;<br />mocking them, if they love you well.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>A fair opinion no woman can win,<br />no matter how discrete she is;<br />if she won't admit you, she is mean,<br />and if she does, she's frivolous.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>You're always so stubbornly mulish<br />that, using your unbalanced scale,<br />you blame one woman for being cruel,<br />the other one, for being easy.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>For how can she be temperate<br />when you are wooing after her,<br />if her being mean offends you<br />and her being easy maddens?</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>Yet between the anger and the grief<br />that your taste recounts,<br />blessed the woman who doesn't love you,<br />and go complain for all you're worth.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>Your lover's grief gives<br />wings to their liberties,<br />yet after making them so bad<br />you hope to find them very good.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>Whose blame should be the greater<br />in an ill-starred passion:<br />she who, begged-for, falls,<br />or he who, fallen, begs her?</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>Or who deserves more blame,<br />though both of them do ill:<br />she who sins for pay,<br />or he who pays for sin?</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>So why are you so afraid<br />of the blame that is your own?<br />Love them just as you have made them,<br />or make them as you seek to find.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>Just stop your soliciting<br />and then, with all the more reason,<br />you may denounce the infatuation<br />of the woman who comes to beg for you.</i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>With all these arms, then, I have proved<br />that what you wield is arrogance,<br />for in your promises and your demands<br />you join up devil, flesh, and world.</i></span></p><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Once I finished the visit to the Museum and House of Sor Juana, I continued my way downwards to Cuautla, Anenecuilco and Ayala City (in that order), finally arriving in Olintepec at 16:30.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">The <a title="Olintepec Archaeological Site" href="http://www.inah.gob.mx/ZonasArqueologicas/todas/htme/za01406.html" id="r_pq">Olintepec Archaeological Site</a> is located in the homonymous town, 5.5 km after Ayala City. Although this site is not very impressive by its size, it is a peaceful place to know, and one of the last archaeological sites in Morelos that I still remained unknown for me :-) The site features a pyramidal structure (Hill 1), where almost two hundreds ritual burials have been discovered. Although being populated since 1500 BC, the city of Olintepec was made tributary of the Aztec empire in the Late Post-Classic period (1350-1520 CE), tributing to the Tlahuica city of Huaxtepec. On the top of the pyramid stand now the vestiges of what resemble to me as a Christian building: namely a church. This custom of the Spanish conquerors of building a christian church over the top of pre-Hispanic temples, with the very <b>same stones</b> that were used to built the pre-Hispanic temple is one of their most recurrent themes. I had seen such custom in action in several other sites (Cholula and Tepapayeca, to name a few). Here we have seen another sad example :-(</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />After finishing my visit to the Olintepec site, I cycled upwards, now back to Cuautla. On my way back, I decided to pay a short visit to the Museum that presents the house where Gral. <a title="Emiliano Zapata" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emiliano_Zapata" id="un.i">Emiliano Zapata</a> was born. This Museum is located in Anenecuilco (between Ayala City and Cuautla). Zapata was the leader of the Southern Mexican Revolution (1910-1921). In the that exposition, a beautifully painted mural (fresco) can be appreciated, depicting Zapata's ideals and his motto: "<i>The land belongs to those who work it with their own hands</i>".</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />At my arrival at Cuautla (at 19:00) I could again observe the crowded Plaza that Cuautla turns itself each Sunday. Lots and lots of people ! The Sunday dancing (danzón) was in its place, in front of the State Government Palace. I spend some time enjoying the human spectacle, but after a while I decided that it was time now to get back home. Fortunately, since the last bus to Mexico City departed at 20:00 (74 pesos fare), just five minutes after I purchased my ticket ! After a couple of hours I arrived at the Taxqueña bus terminal, and then, using the subway, I promptly arrived back at the safety of home :-)<br /><br />All the photos of this travel are available at the following <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601948876157/">photoset</a>. And the GPS track is available in both formats: <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8522865">GPX</a> or <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8522866">KMZ</a>.<br /><br /></span><span>Thank you for reading. Till the next journey.</span><br /></div></div></div></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-40405523387404273862007-08-28T22:10:00.002-05:002009-05-10T13:38:22.461-05:00Cholula Archaeological Site + Texmelucan (Puebla), 26.08.07<div id="map32" style="width: 410px; height: 410px;"></div><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&set_id=72157601724718127" align="center" frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601724718127/map/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photoset Map</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601724718127/show/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Full Photoset Show</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GPS Track: </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8415372">KMZ</a> (Google Earth), or<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8415371">GPX</a> (MapSource, et al).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GPS Cycling Data:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1253815757/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1058/1253815757_d177e837f7_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1253812847/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1339/1253812847_9161ea0725_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1253809889/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1132/1253809889_b4dcc598fc_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 2D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Distance: 160 Km, Total Ascent: 1302 m, Total Descent: 1260 m, Time: 06:11 hr, Avg. Speed: 24.3 Km/hr, Max Speed: 73.5 Km/hr, Energy Expended: 26.85 MJ, Power: 302 W.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Travel Report:<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This ride started last Sunday at 08:20, almost three hours later than intended, as I had hoped to be able to start cycling at 05:30. I took my usual route to Puebla from Mexico City center: Ignacio Zaragoza Av. to the southeast of the city, in order to reach the junction between both free and toll Puebla highways in Los Reyes. By the way, this time the road was closed to all automotive traffic at the junction, so it was a pleasure cycling alone in the beginning of the free highway. In fact, I could take some surreal photographs of the building site that is now located <i>in</i> both highways. After that point, I continued cycling along the free highway, crossing on my way the whole county of Ixtapaluca. Once this county ends, the mountain climbing towards the Llano Grande summit (elev: 3220 m) starts after passing the town of Zoquiapan (elev: 3260 m).<br /><br />As this time I was being <span style="font-style: italic;">chased</span> by several fellow cyclists, I could not take any photos of the landscape in the ascent. But anyway, you have already seen lots of pictures of that ascent in my previous reports of that route to Puebla. From Zoquiapan, where I arrived at 09:55, I needed 90 minutes to reach the Llano Grande summit. Along that climb I was fortunate enough to see several cyclists that were already riding the return descent from the summit towards the Mexico City Valley. Once at Llano Grande, I found another cyclist that was climbing from Texmelucan (Puebla) towards the summit (i.e. from the other side of the mountain). As I, once I had crowned the port, started my descent towards Texmelucan, that fellow rider (who happened to live in Tlaxcala) and me cycled together a good part of the ride towards Texmelucan. It was surely fun to talk and ride that descent at more than 60 km/hr, simultaneously, although a little bit dangerous.<br /><br />At my arrival at Texmelucan and before continuing my trip towards Cholula, I could pay a long overdue visit to the beautiful white church of St Mary Magdalene, in Texmelucan. This precious all white church is located not in the center of Texmelucan, but along the highway to Huejotzingo. I was fortunate enough to arrive at the church just when the most revered moment of the mass was taking place, so I could see how all the people in the church, including also the ones that could not enter in the shrine (as it was already full) and were standing out of the church,kneeled down at the consagration . By the way, it was also fine to note that there were several bicycles standing at the front of the church. After finishing my visit to this church, I went to the center of the city to buy another liter of isotonic drink and something to eat.<br /><br />Once cycling again, I took the highway to Huejotzingo, which is a beautiful road in pristine conditions. It even features a side line for bicycles ! At my arrival at Huejotzingo, I decided not to stop there, as I had already obtained photos from its enormous and beautifully orange painted church. But when I reached the town of Santa Maria Zacatepec, I had to made a due stop, since this town houses a beautiful blue church, an impressive clock tower built with orange bricks, and a simple yet stunning big kiosk, built with the same orange bricks as the clock tower. I had previously desired several times to stop in Zacatepec on my way to Puebla, just to have a look at that impressive architectural group, but I had been unable to do that before, as the whole architectural group is located in the top of a hill, which is accessed only by stairways ... and this ascent is very difficult to perform riding a bicycle :-)<br /><br />Ten kilometers or so after Zacatepec, I could finally reach Cholula, and, after crossing its main square, I could arrive at last in the <a title="Cholula Archaeological Site" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholula_%28Mesoamerican_site%29" id="hvr5">Cholula Archaeological Site</a>, which houses the largest man-made structure by volume in the world ! First of all, I had to leave my bicycle in a secure place, as I (obviously) was not going to be allowed to enter in the Great Pyramid with it.<br /><br />Inside the Great Pyramid we (the visitors) could roam across a network of tunnels that travel across the pyramid's interior. You can have a look of those dramatic pictures in the photoset. The corridors inter-connect via staircases with the different levels of the interior, as there are several pyramids, one built atop the other, in the interior of that Great Pyramid.<br /><br />Once outside the pyramid (and after recovering the lost sight, owed to the stark contrast with daylight), the church of Our Lady of Remedies could be seen at the top of the pyramid. It was a custom for the Spanish conquerors to built a christian church at the top of the most importantpre-Hispanic temples, and this case, sadly, was no exception.<br /><br />Outside the Great Pyramid stands the adjoining Archaeological Site. This huge site comprehends several impressive pre-Hispanic buildings: a Teotihuacan building, Stone Courtyard, Altars Courtyard, Mexica Altar, Building F, Buildings 1 - 6, and an Offerings Altar. As it is said that an image is worth a thousand words, I do sincerely recommend you having a look at the extensive array of photographs taken at the site, in the above linked photoset.<br /><br />When I was almost exiting the site, at the foot of the Building F (the only staircase that has been restored to its initial state) I had the opportunity to observe a magnificent spectacle: the <a title="Papantla flyers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danza_de_los_Voladores_de_Papantla" id="uks3">Papantla flyers</a> ! It is really a unique chance to observe that aerial dance !<br /><br />After finishing my visit to this incredible rich site, I went for my bicycle and, after crossing the center of Cholula, and its beautiful arches and Cathedral, I started the return leg of my journey. Please note that owed to the extension of the archaeological site, it was now 17:30, so my priority was now to arrive at Texmelucan, since the whole return to Mexico City in bicycle was now impossible given the hour.<br /><br />But the big problem started as soon as I was leaving Cholula: a diluvial rain started to fall ! In just some minutes the whole highway to Texmelucan had been converted into a river ! I was riding in a stream of water of half meter (yes, 50 cm) deep ! I had never cycled inside that kind of water stream. And worst of all, it was an uphill road. But it was not even a road now: the water had covered the whole road (both ways) with a stream of more than half meter of deep. As the rain continued to fall, as soon as I found a place where to take cover from the rain, I stopped my insane riding. But the water level continued to rise, facing me with the possibility that the very place where I was standing were soon covered also by water. What course of action should I take ? If I rode downhill towards Cholula I was going to face more water, but at least a big city. If I choosed to ride uphills, I could find less water, but the ride was going to be a lot harder for the slope, and the next big city (Huejotzingo) was more distant than Cholula. What should I do if this crazy rain continues ?<br /><br />Fortunately, after half an hour the rain stopped as by magic, so the stream over the road stopped to rise. I decided then to continue my ride uphills, towards Huejotzingo and Texmelucan. I still had to ride inside that half meter deep water stream, but it was only in the following couple of kilometers, since as far as I continued ascending, the volume of water that I found on the road diminished with the height, up to a point where, happily, no more water stream was on the road ! I can not imagine what those kind of rains could do to human settlements if the rain would last several hours, as is the case with hurricane rains.<br /><br />From that point it was a piece of cake the return to Texmelucan, although a slight rain continued, there were no more rivers on the highway. In this way I could safely arrive at Texmelucan at 19:50, where I purchased my return bus ticket (AU lines, 54 pesos fare). The bus departed at 20:10, arriving in Mexico City a couple of hours later at the TAPO bus terminal. From there a short subway trip and I was again in the safety of home, albeit wet all the way to the marrow !<br /></div></div><br /><span>Thank you for reading. Till the next journey.</span><br /></div></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-25340614939912584712007-08-21T12:59:00.001-05:002007-11-24T17:09:43.966-06:00Teotihuacan Archaeological Site + Acolman Ex-Convent (Mexico State), 19.08.07<div id="map31" style="width: 410px; height: 410px;"></div><br /><br /><iframe align=center src=http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=10079170@N00&tags=190807 frameBorder=0 width=100% scrolling=no height=500></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601578062444/map/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photoset Map</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601578062444/show/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Full Photoset Show</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GPS Track: </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8369395">KMZ</a> (Google Earth), or<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8369359">GPX</a> (MapSource, et al).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GPS Cycling Data:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1195948836/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1373/1195948836_ebd343709f_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1194426795/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1015/1194426795_38e005a4bb_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1195293108/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1439/1195293108_b1c940442f_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 2D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Distance: 108 Km, Total Ascent: 550 m, Total Descent: 525 m, Time: 04:03 hr, Avg. Speed: 25.80 Km/hr, Max Speed: 57.90 Km/hr, Energy Expended: 20.21 MJ, Power: 346.60 W.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Travel Report:<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: justify;">This ride started at 12:20 (since I had to attend some previous appointments that Sunday's morning). Being so late, I decided to make a long due ride that I had not made because its destination is relatively too near from Mexico City: the cycling ride towards the Teotihuacan Archaeological Site !<br /><br />This archaeological site is only 50 km distant from Mexico City center. I had been there a lot of times before (<a title="once" href="http://erasmoperez.blogspot.com/2006/03/archaeological-site-of-teotihuacan.html" id="chzi">once</a> with the companion of fellow cyclists), but I had never gone cycling to Teotihuacan <b>and</b> entered in the archaeological site, in order to ascend the Sun Pyramid. Well, now I had opportunity to change this fact, and pay my debts :-)<br /><br />I took Eje Central Avenue (to the north) in order to gain access to Insurgentes Norte Av. Insurgentes put me directly at the Pachuca exit highway. There were (as usual) two roads to ride towards Teotihuacan: the free and the toll highways. As I have already rode a number of times on the toll highway, I decided that this time I would use the free highway, an unknown route for me :-)<br /><br />So, in Ecatepec I branched out to take the free Pachuca highway, passing soon by Venta de Carpio, where I could find a gigantic second-hand automotive market. There were kilometers of second-hand autos looking for a new owner. Next town on the route wasTepexpan . Along the ride I entered in the town of Acolman. I was already passing by it, when a fortuitous look made me realize I was going to miss something serious: the <a href="http://www.sectur.gob.mx/work/resources/LocalContent/6926/1/ex_convento_san_agustin_acolman.htm">Augustine Ex-Convent of Acolman</a>.<br /><br />This Ex-Convent (a national museum) is located at the exit of Acolman, in Teotihuacan direction. I could have really missed it. Just the sheer quantity of autos trying to find a place to park made me look in the right direction. I didn't have all the time in the world, but somehow I arrived to the instantaneous conclusion that maybe I was not going to have the time and opportunity to re-visit thatimponent and enormous convent. So, making a U-turn I entered in the parking area of the site.<br /><br />When I entered in the convent's atrium, I was mesmerized by the size and elegance of the building. Its sheer size imposes immediately upon the visitors. But it is its simplicity and cleanliness of lines that blow up its stunning image. It is difficult to imagine such a big yet simple religious building. And, on top of all, the Ex-Convent is located in the middle of an immense atrium, beautifully decorated with a green carpet of grass. An idyllic scene, indeed.<br /><br />The facade of the convent depicts several religious images (saints and angels) beautifully sculpted in stone and built on the top of columns ofplateresque style. The arch of the door of the temple is also beautifully sculpted with religious images. A significant fact of this convent is that it is still in almost pristine conservation conditions, in spite of being built between 1539 and 1560. It really seems as the time had stopped its march on this convent. I have seen modern churches which look <i>older</i> than this preciously preserved Acolman Convent.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Once inside the Convent's Museum, a lot of colonial religious oil paintings can be appreciated, along with an extensive exposition of objects used by the Augustine monks that once inhabited the walls of that Convent. Not only religious items can be appreciated, but alsochapells, adoratoriums and monk's cells can be seen there. The convent features several interior halls, which house orange trees and sometimes, a water spring or a stone cross. The corridors of the convent are impressive by its elegance and size, flanked by columns and arches ofplateresque style. The jewels of the convent are the frescoes that depict some scenes of Christ Passion. Those frescoes are still admirably well preserved, as you can observe in the photographs shown in the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601578062444/">Photoset</a>.<br /><br />After such a magnificent visit to the Acolman Ex-Convent, all that was still required was to cycle at top speed non stop ... in order to arrive at a decent hour at the Teotihuacan Archaeological Site, where I arrived at 15:50 (last entry hour is 17:30).<br /><br />The <a title="Teotihuacan Archaeological Site" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuac%C3%A1n" id="lik3">Teotihuacan Archaeological Site</a> is by far, the biggest site in Mexico, having covered in its cultural apogee a total of 38 square kilometers. with a population if 170,000 inhabitants. It houses two enormous pyramids: Sun's and Moon's, a big avenue (<i>Dead's Avenue</i>), several temples (to Quetzalcoatl, between them) and residential buildings. The Sun Pyramid is one of the biggest in America (second only to the GreatCholula Pyramid).<br /><br />Once in the site, I swiftly proceeded to take some pictures of the Dead's Avenue, the Moon Pyramid, and of course, of the Sun Pyramid. The bad news was that rain had started to fall at my arrival at Teotihuacan ... never stopping while I was roaming around the site. So I had to made the whole visit under rainfall. Having no other course at hand, I started to climb the Sun Pyramid. I was fortunate enough to obtain some precious pictures of the vistas at the top of the pyramid, although I had towhitstand the rain and strong wind at the top of the building. I would strongly recommend you having a look at the photos of the site at the above linked Photoset show.<br /><br />Owed to the rain, I had to shorten my visit to the site, so as soon as I climbed down the pyramid, I decided it was time to start the return leg of the trip, since rain was not going to stop any moment now. I cycled back towards Mexico City, riding in the toll highway up to the toll station, where I had to take a bypass, since this is the one and only toll station where bicycles are not allowed to pass. From there I took the road through Ecatepec, taking later Centenario Avenue in order to ride towards the center of Mexico City, using at the end Congreso de la Union Av, which finally delivered me (after branching out in Boturini) to the safety of home, which I reached at 19:30, with full solar light (at last) !<br /></div></div><br /><span>Thank you for reading. Till the next travel.</span> <span></span><br /></div></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-48933742165733605752007-08-14T02:00:00.003-05:002009-05-10T12:13:51.720-05:00Jonacatepec Las Pilas Archaeological Site + Cuautla (Morelos), 12.08.07<div id="map30" style="width: 410px; height: 650px;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Map Navigation</span>: 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.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1111170765/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1408/1111170765_8a3683a102.jpg?v=0" title="Las Pilas Archaeological Site" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601425761614/map/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photoset Map</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601425761614/show/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photoset Show</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GPS Track: </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8304153">KMZ</a> (Google Earth), or<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8304154">GPX</a> (MapSource, et al).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GPS Cycling Data:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1200448348/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1168/1200448348_0113f92796_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1109593989/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1015/1109593989_74ae2a87c0_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1110432758/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1085/1110432758_419bf8ba1d_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 2D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Distance: 155 Km, Total Ascent: 822 m, Total Descent: 1,633 m, Time: 05:44:12 hr, Avg. Speed: 26.60 Km/hr, Max Speed: 64.70 Km/hr, Energy Expended: 23.47 MJ, Power: 284 W.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Travel Report:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;">This ride started at the very late hour of 10:00 (sadly). I guess that as I knew beforehand that this particular ride was not going to be one of extraordinary difficulty, I subconsciously decided to start it late. Well, that momentarily suited to me, as I had a previous hard Saturday, being able to go to sleep only at 02:00 on Sunday :-(<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"> The purpose of this ride was to visit the Las Pilas Archaeological Site, in the town of Jonacatepec, in the southern state of Morelos. Jonacatepec is located 30 km south-east of Cuautla. So I had first to arrive in Cuautla. I decided to take to least-effort path from Mexico City: cycling first towards Amecameca, and from there, descending to Cuautla. The other route involves first arriving at Cuernavaca (Morelos capital), and from there riding again to Cuautla. But the route to Amecameca only involves a light ascent to 2,550 m (in Amecameca) from the 2,250 of Mexico City level. In contrast, to arrive at Cuernavaca, La Cima summit (3,000 m) must be reached first. So, the route selection was a no-brainer, although in the past I had once taken the Cuernavaca path, since I didn't know about the Amecameca route.<br /><br />To reach Amecameca there also (at least) two routes. One involves crossing the south-east sector of Mexico City, reaching Tlahuac, and from there exiting the city in Amecameca direction. This is a picturesque route, since a lot of interesting city neighbourhoods are visited, being them one of the most intriguing quarters inhabited by the indigenous population of Mexico City. But this route has also the disadvantage of being too slow, since it comprises cycling along the usual city inter-quarters streets, with stop lights and traffic-negotiating corners. The other route involves arriving in Amecameca using the paid Puebla highway. This route is much less glamorous, since it only features a big and wide inter-state highway, and the associated landscapes which can be appreciated along the route ... but it is fast. No traffic lights, no corners to be worried about its traffic ... and no <i>topes</i> (asphalt protuberances on the road's asphalt carpet, built to deliberately slow down the traffic, in order to protect the pedestrians from speeding cars).<br /><br />I took then the Zaragoza Avenue, in order to exit from Mexico City center to the toll Puebla highway. Fortunately, the gigantic traffic jam (owed to the construction of a big traffic distributor) that is usually in the place where both the free and toll Puebla highways diverge was not present at this time. I hope I had the same luck in my fore coming rides towards Puebla. This time I took the toll highway, since the Amecameca highway starts just before the Huixtoco toll station, along the Puebla toll highway.<br /><br />Just at beginning of the toll highway, at Km 18, a 2 % slope opens the welcome, it is just an 80 m climb, but there was where I could reach some cyclists that were riding before me. Once again, I could ride with companion, although merely momentarily. A cyclist and me were trying to <span style="font-style: italic;">outdo</span> the other, with this little <i>race</i> lasting up to the Huixtoco toll station (km 33), beating me in the last 500 meters or so. But anyway, it was a hell of fun riding against a fellow cyclist :-)<br /><br /><br />At the Huixtoco toll station I branched out of the Puebla highway, entering in the Chalco highway. The road to Chalco is a plain one, since Chalco was once a lacustre region, up to not much time ago. Fun starts at the Chalco exit, passing Tlapala, with a moderate ascent towards Tlalmanalco (2,400 m)n and later on the road to Amecameca, where a small <i>summit</i> of 2,550 m must be reached before descending to Amecameca (2,450 m). But heck, that was all the ascent I had to do in order to arrive in Cuautla, since from Amecameca there is only descent towards Cuautla.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In Amecameca (where I arrived after 2 hours of cycling) I took the by-pass to circumnavigate the city. I always choose the by-pass (if available), since they avoid me the ungrateful task of slowing me down passing by the center of a town I had already <a title="visited" href="http://erasmoperez.blogspot.com/2007/03/amecameca-mexico-state-140805.html" id="u051">visited</a>. But when the center of a town is located along the highway, I try not to lose the opportunity to pay a short visit to its main square.<br /><br />Along the route, I reached Tepetlixpa, last town before the real descent towards Cuautla starts. It is a very commercial town, very apt for cliche-filling tourists. A lot of restaurants along both sides of the road offering <i>cecina</i>, a sort of dried and salt cooked cow meat, a really recurrent dish on that region. It seemed to me that the most appreciated cecina comes from Yecapixtla, a town in the neighbourhood. Why from Yecapixtla ? I really don't know (neither care).<br /><br />I descended then from Tepetlixpa (2,333 m) to Nepantla (2.056 m) where <a title="Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSor_Juana_In%25C3%25A9s_de_la_Cruz&ei=VezBRpu9J6bEgQOoooHqCw&usg=AFQjCNERzL8aeNwV7n1fKKVmXjgRy2ideQ&sig2=MbUarwtGNTUF4lBrusMnmA" id="mm7s">Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz</a> was born in 1651. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was the best writer of her time. She was also a nun and a poet. I curse myself for not stopping in Nepantla in my route to Cuautla, but honestly, I was unaware of the fact that I was passing by Nepantla along the descent. I promise next time I remake the route towards Cuautla (hopefully, in two weeks time), pay a much obliged visit to the town that saw birth the tenth muse, America's phoenix.<br /><br />I arrived at the Cuautla entrance just before 14:00. There is an impressive welcoming arch at the entrance of the city, decorated with a mural depicting Morelos and Zapata, both national heroes of Mexico. Morelos was the chief architecture of the Independence War (1810-1821) after Hidalgo hanging by the spanish, and Zapata was the leader of the southern Revolution War (1910-1921), assassinated by orders of fellow revolutionary Carranza. Sad history, indeed.<br /><br />After buying water at Cuautla entrance, I took the by-pass in order to avoid the havoc of traffic in the city center. After 7 km of by-pass, I could finally enter in the Izúcar de Matamoros (Puebla) highway. This road is a well pavemented, clearly marked road, decorated with stunning vistas alongside: a cyclist paradise, albeit full of up and down-hill swings. After 16 km, having passed by the towns of Tlayecac, I reached Amayuca, where the Jonacatepec deviation stands. From Amayuca, it's only a 3.5 km down road what was left to me before finally reaching the Las Pilas sites, arriving there at 15:40.<br /><br /><a title="Las Pilas" href="http://www.inah.gob.mx/ZonasArqueologicas/todas/htme/za01403.html" id="owgs">Las Pilas</a> archaeological site (which has been inhabited since 1,000 BC) is unique is some interesting way: it is the only site (up to my knowledge) that is housed in a swimming pool recreation center ! Really ! In fact, I was just hoping that I would have to pay to 30 pesos required by the swimming pool administration (although on Sundays, there is no fee for the archaeological sites), but no. The door that gives access to the archaeological site is a different one, being it run by the INAH (National archaeology sites administration). Curiously, both doors (swimming pool and INAH) gave access to the same track :-) Man ...<br /><br />Once being admited, the track that leads to the site passes by the pools :-) I guess that you could just jump into the water, if you were inclined to do (and avoid paying the fee), but I had no time for such divertimentos, unfortunately, as I had a mission to run: the visit to the site :-)<br /><br />The Las Pilas site is not a gigantic site like others (Cholula or Xochicalco, just for mentioning some), being rather one of modest dimensions. But it is interesting in its own way, as the site features channels, as a unique water collecting system. In fact, must of the pyramids and temples in the region are associated with the water cult, which had its main religious deity in Tlaloc (rain god). The main function of those channels was to collect the water that came of the water springs, drive it to a central register box, and from there, conduct the water towards a big receptor located in the South-west bound of the plaza. From here water was diverged towards the population centers and agricultural fields. In fact, those channels (and associated water cult) were so important to the population, that some of the out-of-use channels were used to perform ceremonial burials. In those burials, the people was earthed in the channels in special positions, like the Lotus, accompanied by religious artifacts, as the small statuettes (<i>Tepictocton</i>) representing the <i>Tlaloques</i>: Tlaloc helpers. Aside from the engineering feats of this site, it was a beautiful place to be. The green grass put an idyllic touch to the scene, along the delicately modulated slopes of the hills that built the site.<br /><br />Once finished the visit, I proceeded to visit the downtown, where a beautiful yet abandoned Augustine St. August Ex-Convent can be appreciated in all its past glory. It certainly give its viewers an impossible feeling of melancholy. You can have a look at it in the photoset.<br /><br />It was time now for the return leg of the journey, although merely to Cuautla. I rode back towards Amayuca (a gentle uphill slope), where I could buy a much needed water replacement, since those places are really hot indeed, and the sun had been the Highness it is accustomed to be, with no rain or even clouds that interfere with its power. From Amayuca I cycled back towards Cuautla, reaching its downtown at 18:30.<br /><br />The Cuautla's downtown was absurdly full of people ! More people per square meter than in the Mexico City Zocalo ! I asked a local if there was some festivity in town, just to explain myself the cause of so much people, and he told me that no special <i>fiesta</i> was hold on that Sunday, It was just that every Sunday was the same. There was a Danzón public ball between the kiosk and the municipal palace. A lot of elder people were taking part. It was an interesting show to witness. After taking some pictures of the beautiful and imposing Cathedral, I decided to return to Mexico City.<br /><br />At 19:30 I took the Estrella Roja bus (74 pesos fare), which, owing to the rainful weather conditions along the highway, a trip that is usually made in 2:30 hours, this time was accomplished in 5 hours ! Arriving in Mexico City at 00:30, there was no more Metro (subway, closes at 00:00) to take this time to arrive home, so a modest ride from the South Bus Terminal (in Taxqueña) to the center of the city was all that was required to arrive back at home's safety :-)<br /></div></div><br /><span>Thank you for reading. Till the next travel.</span> <span></span><br /></div></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30618069.post-68796078071434710232007-08-07T03:20:00.003-05:002009-05-10T12:15:38.950-05:00Tepexi de Rodriguez + Tecali de Herrera (Puebla), 05.08.07<div id="map29" style="width: 410px; height: 410px;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Map Navigation</span>: 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.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1037400378/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1287/1037400378_30c0d88eba.jpg?v=0" title="Tepexi de Rodriguez" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1036496523/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1164/1036496523_837c9a097e.jpg?v=0" title="Tecalli de Herrera Ex-Convent" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601272411170/map/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photoset Map</span></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601272411170/show/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photoset Show</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GPS Track: </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8248217">KMZ</a> (Google Earth), or<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://files.filefront.com/8248218">GPX</a> (MapSource, et al).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">GPS Cycling Data:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1036485361/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1189/1036485361_df5f35d03c_t.jpg" title="GPS Track Altimetry" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1043591963/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1033/1043591963_f2639e7c11_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 3D" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/1043589485/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 116px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1304/1043589485_3ab8885d35_t.jpg" title="GPS Track 2D" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Distance: 228 Km, Total Ascent: 2,056 m, Total Descent: 2,469 m, Time: 9:43 hr, Avg. Speed: 23.4 Km/hr, Max Speed: 64 Km/hr, Energy Expended: 39.12 MJ, Power: 280 W.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Travel Report:<br /><br /></span><span>Alas ! At last, a ride that starts early ! At 05:55 I was already taking the first picture of the journey. This means that at 06:00 I was already cycling towards my destination: the <a href="http://www.cnca.gob.mx/cnca/inah/zonarq/tepexi.html">Tepexi el Viejo</a> Archaeological Site, in the eastern state of Puebla.<br /><br />From my house (near Mexico City center) I took Fray Servando Av., in order to gain access to Ignacio Zaragoza Av., a very long avenue that drives directly to both (free and toll) Puebla highways. I choosed to take the free highway, reaching the start of the Puebla free highway (and the end of the urban zone) at 07:15. According to this timetable, I could start the next time the ride half an hour before, at 05:30, since at 06:45 there is already sunlight on the road.<br /><br />The landscapes along the route at that early hour, just when the sun has still not risen, were breath taking. It was almost phantasmal the combination of light in the sky and darkness on the mountains. The sun behind the mountains gave a strong contrast between day and shadows. It is maybe because I am not really accustomed to get up before the sun that those landscapes seemed strangely alien for me, just as if I were in another planet :-) You can have a glimpse of those precious vistas at the photoset show.<br /><br />From Mexico City level (2,240 m) I continued the ascent to Avila Camacho (elev: 2,900 m), and later, up to the Llano Grande summit (elev: 3,200 m). On my way up to the summit, I was blessed with the companion of several fellow cyclists, die-hard ones. They were climbing this summit with one-speed bicycles ! You have to have legs if you want to climb this 1,000 m ascent along just 20 km (grade: 5 %) with just one gear ! And I have still to say that I was overrun by some of those formidable cyclists (but not by all).<br /><br />A fellow cyclist and me reached the Llano Grande summit at 09:00, from where a steep descent drove me to Rio Frio, and after the Potrero Bridge, also to Santa Rita Tlahuapan, first town on the road once the Zoquiapan National Park ends.<br /><br />Continuing the descent, I crossed several towns like: San Matías Tlalancaleca, San Lucas, San Rafael Tlanalapan, finally arriving in San Martin Texmelucan at 10:10. In Texmelucan I made a short stop in order to buy some fresh fruit and water.<br /><br />From Texmelucan I took the road to Huexotzingo. This free highway is superbly pavemented, it even features a side lane, of the same quality as the car lanes ! A God gift. Besides, along the road some impressive vistas of the volcanoes could be appreciated. Reaching Huexotzingo at 11:30, I decided to pay a short visit to its beautiful church, decorated with a stunning and incredible beautiful orange color.<br /><br />Later on the road I reached Cholula, home of the imposing Cholula Archaological Site, already visited (if you are interested, you could review my previous Cholula <a href="http://erasmoperez.blogspot.com/2006/11/za-cholula-puebla-191106.html">report</a>). I could not enter in the city, since time was a scarce resource, so I continued by the Quetzalcoatl boulevard (painfully bad pavemented) towards Puebla City.<br /><br />In Puebla City, again, I could not enter in the center of the city, since I had already been there, and more important: the clock was ticking. So I by-passed the center using the Circuito and soon gained access to the Valsequillo Boulevard, road that would take me directly to the Africam (an open-air Zoo), in the Valsequillo Dam. From the Valsequillo branch, the route took me towards Tecali de Herrera, a place which reputedly was once the house of Quetzalcoatl.<br /><br />In Tecalli de Herrera a beautiful church can be appreciated but, its main attraction is the Franciscan Ex-Convent (properly a Basilica: three naves separated by columnades with semicircular arches), built between 1540 and 1569. It is an enormous and gigantic ruin, that in this day consists merely on its mail walls, columns and arches, since the rest of the building is no more ... even its wood roof was taking apart, for making a bull rodeo in 1920. Could you imagine that ?<br /><br />I would certainly recommend you having a look at the imposing views of that gigantic Ex-Convent in the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/albatros/sets/72157601272411170/show/">photoset</a>. Those views are certainly a kind of its own. In fact, this was the first time I had ever seen such a magnificent opus, turned down to its mere ruins and vestiges.<br /><br />From Tecali and before I reached Ahuatepec, only cruel desert awaited me. The landscapes of those desert places made me remeber the phrase that Dante (in the Divine Comedy) put at Hell's entrance: <span style="font-style: italic;">Abandon all Hope all You who enter here</span>. Man ... the desert is indeed a desolated place. I was just hoping nothing bad occurred me (as a broken chain or whatever other mechanical failure) in those desolated realms. At some point in the road I found the famous <span style="font-style: italic;">Sifon</span>, an enormous aqueduct cliff bypass. It is really an imposing piece of architecture. I don't know when that Sifon aqueduct was built, or by whom, but certainly it's a breath-taking building, not just by its enormous size, but also by its location: in the middle of a desert.<br /><br />In Ahuatepec the desert finishes and lots of water appears from no-where (as far as I could see). As soon as I was reaching Ahuatepec, the humidity of the air increased, and for a reason: there is an open water channel, that coming from Ahuatepec, I imagine, supply water to Tecali. In fact, there is so much abundance of water after Ahuatepec, that in Atoyatempan (the following town), I could observe fields being irrigated ... by aspersion ! Just a few kilometers after the desert. A strange land, indeed.<br /><br />In Tepeyahualco (next town along the route) I decided to make a second short stop, because I was starving, and lacking water. After the renewal of my reserves, I cycled towards the last stop before reaching the destination: Molcaxac. Molcaxac is a picturesque town, last big town before Tepexi. I decided to pay a short visit to its simple yet beautiful church, painted with a pale blue color, and its adornments in white.<br /><br />Just before I reached Tepexi de Rodríguez, along the road I could enjoy and </span><span style="">indescribable </span><span>view: A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saguaro">Saguaro</a> forest. I had only seen once the Saguaros (on a previous car travel to Oaxaca), but this time I could stop along the road and <span style="font-style: italic;">breath</span> its beauty. Being the saguaros desert plants that grow to an enormous size, the panoramic view was just incredible. The sheer beauty of those desert plants and the imposing silence of the valley gave the scene an almost surreal atmosphere. And in the background, my destination: Tepexi de Rodríguez.<br /><br />I reached Tepexi de Rodriguez at 19:30. I went straight forward to the church, to have a look at it and to take the compulsory photograph. From the church the road to the Tepexi el Viejo archaeological Site could be observed. It was a 10-km off-road hill-crossing way. I needed at least a couple of hours to get to the site and return to the town, and I had only 30 minutes of light ... Man, what else could I do ? Nothing. I had to accept the fact that on that day, I was not being able to visit the site. Although I had started the journey at 06:00 and I had tried not to make too many stops, the full route (up to the archaeological site) proved to be, at the end of the day, too long to be made in only one day. I need two days for that visit.<br /><br />So, after accepting that fact, I had to contempt myself with roaming around town and taking pictures of it. Another problem: the return to Mexico City: the last bus to Puebla had already departed at 19:30, with the following bus passing by at 04:00. I was tempted to pay one room in the town's hotel, but heck, I had never needed a hotel room (on my previous one-day cycling tours), so, I was not going to change this trend ! I went to the local market to eat some (ten) <span style="font-style: italic;">tacos de cabeza</span> (only delicacy available in town), roamed a little more, and when I was so tired that I could stand no more, I went to the town's park, in order to rest at least three hours, just to wait the oncoming 04:00 bus to Puebla. I almost felt asleep, but then I remember the cost of my equipment, and somehow I lost the sleep, having to contempt myself with resting the body, although not the mind. At 03:45 I went to the junction were the bus was going to pass and waited.<br /><br />The town at that hour made me remember <span style="font-style: italic;">Comala</span>, the ghost town of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Paramo"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pedro Páramo</span></a> Rulfo novel. The town resembled in fact a ghostly town. I was just half-heartily waiting to appear some <span style="font-style: italic;">anima</span> at the round of the corner :-) Anyway, the bus arrived punctually at 04:15, and for a fare of 65 pesos (plus a 10 pesos unofficial <span style="font-style: italic;">fare</span> for the bicycle) I arrived in Puebla's CAPU (bus central station) at 06:30, from where I again took another bus, this time direct to Mexico City (82 pesos), which departing at 06:50, put me again in Mexico City (at the TAPO eastern bus terminal) a little before 09:00 (delay caused by lots of traffic at that rush hour). A 10-minutes cycling ride and I was again back at home's safety, but with a hard day oncoming ... and hardly any sleep. But heck, this is what cycling is all about, isn't it ? :-)<br /></span><br /><span>Thank you for reading. Till the next travel.</span> <span></span><br /></div></div>Erasmo Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722334928557346505noreply@blogger.com0