Tlaxcala Regional Museum (Tlaxcala), 17.06.07

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


Photoset Map

Photoset Show

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

GPS Cycling Data:






Distance: 143 Km, Total Ascent: 1200 m, Cycling Time: 6:18 hr, Avg. Speed: 22.6 Km/hr, Max Speed: 70.7 Km/hr, Energy Expended: 27 MJ, Cycling Power: 300 W.

Travel Report:

Owed to the fact that on the previous day I had to attend a late-night compromise, this ride started at the late hour of 10:00, sadly.

I took the usual way of Zaragoza Av to the usual gigantic traffic jam that already was in its position, at the junction between the free and paid Puebla highways. I cycled all the way up (by the free highway), passing the town of Avila Camacho, to the Llano Grande summit (1000 m ascent), and later, descending all the way down to Sn Martin Texmelucan (Puebla).

From Texmelucan I took the free highway to Tlaxcala, an easy plain 25 km long ride, that gently took me to the heart of that beautiful city. Once there I headed directly to the Sn Francisco Ex-Convent, site of the Tlaxcala Regional Museum, located in the top of a hill, near the center of Tlaxcala.

The museum has several exhibition rooms. The first of them houses several pre-hispanic archaeological findings, unearthed from all the state of Tlaxcala. From this exhibition are worth mentioning the sculptures of Camaxtli and Teocipactli, Tlaxcallan indigenous gods, that were worshipped only there (and not by the rest of the nahua cultures). Several poly-chromated ceramics are also shown, which were used in religious rituals. I could even see a couple of Olmec artifacts ! These Gulf Culture ritual axes were found in Huamantla, and are thought to have been made in Veracruz. The rest of the Museum is devoted to the exhibition of colonial and contemporary art works. You can have a glimpse of the items exhibited in the Museum in the above linked PhotoSet Show.

After finishing my visit to the Museum, I had to wait at the entrance of it, since the heavy rain that had started one hour ago had still not finished. Once the rain stopped, I could start the return leg of my journey, this time cycling back to Texmelucan.

Unfortunately, the road was still wet, so I had to accept the fact that I was going to arrive at Texmelucan made a soap. But heck, this was better than last ride full sun, from which I still carry the solar burns on my skin.

Arriving at Texmelucan at about 20:00, it was a no-brain choice taking the return bus to Mexico City, which for only 54 pesos took me and my bicycle back home :-)

Thank you for reading. Till the next travel.

Tizatlan Archaeological Site (Tlaxcala), 03.06.07

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

Photoset Map

Photoset Show

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

GPS Cycling Data:






Distance: 160 Km, Total Ascent: 1400 m, Cycling Time: 7:28 hr, Avg. Speed: 21.4 Km/hr, Max Speed: 60.3 Km/hr, Energy Expended: 30 MJ, Cycling Power: 280 W.

Travel Report:

This ride started at about 08:00 (or 3 hours later than self-proposed). From the center of the city I took the Zaragoza Av. all the way to the eastern terminus of the city, but just arriving to the bifurcation between the free and paid highways to Puebla, the whole road was being blocked by the police, as reparation to the road were being made. Fortunately, as I was taking a picture of the gigantic traffic mess, the police opened the road, so I could say that I was the first one to take the free highway, at least that day. Why ? Because I, as soon as I heard the police order to continue, I was able to position myself in front of all the traffic that was just beginning to advance to the free highway :-) Life is made of simple things, isn't it ?

I continued inside of Ixtapaluca, where I could see several cars and pickups with cyclists waiting. I guessed at that moment they were waiting for more cyclists. And in fact, I was able to see them later on the highway, as they were part of a cycling race, which departed from Ixtapaluca and ended in the Llano Grande summit. At the end of the urban Ixtapaluca I could see more cyclists waiting.

Nonetheless, I started the ascent, passing firstly the town of Zoquiapan. On my way to the Llano Grande summit, I was reached by the cycling race that was taking part. Remembering my last week broken chain I reminded myself about the importance of a good cadence in cycling, so this time I was not able to match this cycling race. I had to accept the fact that those cyclists were better cyclists than me :-)

At my arrival to Avila Camacho, I was so hungry that I stopped for some bananas and apples. After that short gastronomical stop, I continued the ascent. Almost reaching the summit, I could enjoy the breath-taking panoramic views that the volcanoes that surround the Mexico City Valley offered to my eyes. In the crystalline air of the morning, and having shorted the distance to the volcano. it offered and impressive vista, with its top covered in snow.

At my arrival at the Llano Grande summit, I could have a glimpse of what a strong cycling group looked like :-) There were more than 50 racers that were celebrating their winning ceremony. I crossed some words with one of the racers, and after that, I continued my journey to the other side of the mountain, towards Texmelucan.

Arriving at Texmelucan, I took the 25 km long, plain road that would take me to Tlaxcala, the state capital of the Tlaxcala state. At my arrival at Tlaxcala, I took the deviation to Tizatlán, about 5 km north-east of Tlaxcala City. In Tizatlán I had to climb the steep hill where the town's church is located to finally arrive at the Tizatlán Archaeological Site. Tizatlán was the head of government of one of the four city-states that formed the Tlaxcalan Republic, etern enemy of the Nahua Empire. Xicotencatl was its ruler, and old and wise king, whose son, Xicotencatl Axayacatzin (the younger) fought bravely the spanish conquerors, until its execution by Cortes.

The point of this archaeological site is that it houses an interesting collection of pre-hispanic frescoes painted on several basements, which are in fact poly-chromated altars. You can have a look at these stunning paintings in the above linked photoset show. It is really interesting seeing how, in spite of having being painted more than seven centuries, the frescoes are still trying to tell us, its spectators, a story that still wants to be told.

Once finishing my visit to the impressive frescoes, I paid a short visit to the site museum, which houses several descriptions of the history and richness of the site.

In the same site, there is a beautiful open chapel, which also happens to have a lot of beautifully painted frescoes housed in its interior. The open chapels, which covered only the altar, and used no roof for the rest of the Cathedral, were erected in the first years of the colonization, with the purpose of being more attractive to the numerous indigenous population, still to be converted to the cristianism.

After taking some pictures of a monument erected to Xicohtencatl Axayacatzin, with the impressively beautiful La Malintzin volcano in the background, I started the returning leg of my journey, cycling firstly back towards Tlaxcala, by the paid highway to Tlaxcala. After that, I took the free highway to Texmelucan.

It was 18:30 when I arrived back at Texmelucan. Realizing that a cycling return to Mexico City would paramount to suicide (I don't want more nocturnal descents from Llano Grande), I took the wise (as in: coward) decision to abort the cycling return to Mexico and instead, I took the AU bus, which for 54 pesos took me safely back home :-)

Thank you for reading. Till the next travel.

Texmelucan (Puebla), 27.05.07

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


Photoset Map

Photoset Show

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

GPS Cycling Data:






Distance: 180 Km, Total Ascent: 2050 m, Total Descent: 2050 m, Cycling Time: 7:55 hr, Avg. Speed: 22.6 Km/hr, Max Speed: 65.2 Km/hr, Energy Expended: 35.43 MJ, Cycling Power: 311 W.

Travel Report:

This ride started at about 08:00 (or 3 hours later than self-proposed). On my way out of the city, I crossed with the first Cicloton ! What is that ? It is a city-sponsored Sunday 8 hours 30 Km long cycling circuit around Mexico City, that will take place once in a month. The streets are closed along the path of the Cicloton, so the cyclist can ride alone on their lanes. I don't know if it is going to be the best of the ideas, but there we go :-)

After an hour or cycling I arrived at the beginning of the free highway to Puebla, where I could see several fellow cyclists also riding up the steep ascent to the Llano Grande summit (elev: 3200 m) from the ground level (2250 m) of Mexico City. There was also in fact, a cycling race, from Ixtapaluca to Rio Frio, both locations in the state of Mexico.

Somehow I could manage to insert myself along this race, trying not to be the last man in the race. But I had to pay the price. As I had five weeks of not having cycled, my so called technique was in bad shape, so I wasn´t cycling efficiently, putting instead too much force on the pedals in each stroke, resulting in a very bad cadence. The end result ? A broken chain :-(

Yep, I broke my chain 4 km before (and just 150 m under) the highest point at the Llano Grande summit ! My God ... Why me ? This new chain (Shimano DuraAce) has only a couple of rides on it ! I decided to walk to the highest point at Llano Grande, and from there, glide towards Rio Frio, a town on the other side of the mountain, where I could probably find a bike mechanic. Please do not forget that this day was Sunday ... God.

What else could I do ? I had no chain cutter, I (almost) always ride solo, there were no towns nearer than Rio Frio ... f*ck. It was lovely to see how the rest of the race cyclists were passing by me now ... After a short stop in Llano Grande to look for mechanics, I started gliding my descent to Rio Frio.

Once in Rio Frio, I looked for a bike repair shop, but all were closed ... yes, that was Sunday. But, in a stroke of luck, a local instructed me to talk to one music CD seller, as he was ... the bike repair man, in his Sunday office ! Luckily enough, he was eager to fix my chain :-)

In this way I could continue my way to Texmelucan, in the state of Puebla, just 22 km west of Tlaxcala, the capital of the homonimous state.

Thank you for reading. Till the next travel.