A visit to the Iglesia de San Juan in San Juan Chamula, in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, was a mysterious, unforgettable morning. The Tzotzil people resisted the Spanish in 1524 and later staged a famous rebellion in 1869, attacking the nearby colonial settlement of San Cristobal. Their clothes, made by hand and locally sourced,Continue reading “San Cristobal, Chamula”
Author Archives: rkrontheroad
Sumidero Canyon
The Grijalva River, in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, carved the deep Sumidero Canyon over millions of years. Its towering cliffs reach up to one thousand meters high (3,200 ft). The distance from Chiapa de Corzo, the embarkation point, to the hydroelectric dam is around twenty-three miles (35 km) and takes two to three hours roundContinue reading “Sumidero Canyon”
Crossing Oaxaca
Driving across the state of Oaxaca, there were some interesting stops. The Arbol del Tule, a Montezuma cypress, or ahuehuete, has the largest trunk diameter in the world, and is over 130 feet tall. It’s on the grounds of a church at the town center of Santa María del Tule. The magnificent tree is twoContinue reading “Crossing Oaxaca”
Monte Alban
West of Oaxaca, an easy day visit, is the ancient ceremonial center of Monte Alban. Built by the Zapotecs on a leveled mountaintop, it served as their capital from 500 BCE to 800 CE. Its terraces, dams, canals, and pyramids spread over four miles. Monte Alban was home to approximately 35,000 people, most of whomContinue reading “Monte Alban”
Oaxaca
Ancestors have populated the region now called the state of Oaxaca for thousands of years. It was named Oaxaca, similar to the original Nahuatl name Huaxyacac meaning “place of the guaje trees,” by the Mexicas (Aztecs), and then inhabited by Zapotec and Mixtec who warred with each other. When the Spanish came, they imposed order andContinue reading “Oaxaca”
Cholula
On the outskirts of the town of Puebla, Mexico, is an unusual historic site. Not the uncovered ruins of a former city, although parts of the Cholula site have been excavated, but the Great Pyramid of Cholula lies beneath a hill covered with earth and vegetation, the way the Spaniards found it. They built aContinue reading “Cholula”
Puebla
The fourth largest city in Mexico, Puebla is a pleasant place to stroll. The city was founded by the Spanish in 1531; before then, the Mexicas (Aztecs) lived in the area now known as the state of Puebla. The historic center with its classic colonial architecture is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main streetContinue reading “Puebla”
Tlahuac
Most tourists never discover the pueblo of San Pedro Tlahuac. Founded on a small island at the end of the 12th century, it once grew much of the food that fed the population at Tenochtitlan, modern day Mexico City. The area is home to Nahuatl descendants who are keeping their way of life alive. TheContinue reading “Tlahuac”
Teotehuacán
The archaeological ruins of Teotihuacán lie just thirty miles (50km) northeast of Mexico City. Although people lived in the area before then, the civilization developed in the first century CE, along the San Juan River, and grew to become the largest city in the Americas, home to over 100,000 people and covering 7.7 square milesContinue reading “Teotehuacán”
Mexico City
Riding from the airport, so many colorful murals along the highway caught my eye. My hotel was near the city center. As I walked the city streets, I felt like I was back in Guatemala, where I had lived for three years a couple of decades ago. The street scenes were so similar, framed byContinue reading “Mexico City”
Ruth Rosenfeld 