Zacatlán Odyssey Part 3: Mingling the past and present

Cascada de San Pedro. This lovely curtain waterfall can be found on the edge of Zacatlán, at the head of one of the canyons leading into the vast Jilguero Gorge (see Part 1 of this series). The waterfall is about 20 meters (65 ft.) across and drops about 40 meters (130 ft.) into a rocky pool which leads to a torrent rushing down the gorge. In this part of my Zacatlán Odyssey series, we'll look at some of the ways past and present mingle seamlessly in Zacatlán. Photo by Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo.

Another view of Cascada de San Pedro. The quiet river winds through groves of trees past small farms, and then suddenly plunges vertically over a rocky ledge, beginning its long descent to the bottom of the gorge. The small park that surrounds the waterfall is easily reached and unfortunately, that is part of the problem. Mary Carmen, our hostess and guide, was Tourism Director until 2009. She worked with others in the community to put up rope safety barriers and place trash receptacles in the area. Now, the ropes were gone from their posts and empty pop bottles and other litter could be seen in the once pristine park. Fortunately, litter is the easiest form of pollution to clean up (think Gulf of Mexico). Still, Mary Carmen was angry and a little embarrassed that this lovely corner of her beloved Zacatlán had been a marred for her guests. Personally, I've seen much worse done to beautiful places in the US, so I wasn't unduly troubled. There are plenty of people in both countries that need a bit of consciousness raising, and cleaning up the park would only take a small crew an hour or so. But I understood her feeling.

El Puente de San Pedro. The Bridge of San Pedro crosses the small river about 100 meters upstream from the falls. Mary Carmen didn't know the exact date when the bridge was built, but the style is that of the 19th Century. The road and stream crossing have been used for centuries, however. It is believed that the Zacateca tribe lived in the area around 583 AD. In 1115 AD, the Xólotl Chichimecas moved into the area and a series of their kings ruled Zacatlán, although they were vassals of the Aztecs at the time of the Spanish Conquest.

Proud parents, out for an evening stroll. This pair of turkeys ambled along the bank of the river, keeping a watchful eye on several of their chicks racing around in every direction. Turkeys are native to the Americas, and were raised for food by the ancient indigenous people as early as 800 BC, as they still are today. The Spanish conquered the Aztecs in 1521, and the region around Zacatlán was granted to Hernán López de Avila as an "Encomienda," essentially a plantation served by indigenous slaves. Between 1522-1524, he removed the people from several outlying villages and settled them in the area of San Pedro Atmatla, not far from the falls, no doubt to keep them under his firm control. In 1562, they were moved again to the area that is now Zacatlán. For a map showing San Pedro Atmatla, the waterfall area, and their relation to Zacatlán, click here.

Convent ruins evoke 1/2 millenium of history

Ruins of the Templo Franciscano. Horses grazed peacefully within the walls of the old Templo established by members of the Franciscan Order in the middle of the 16th Century. Unfortunately, a smallpox epidemic ravaged the community. The indigenous people had no immunity to European diseases and died by the hundreds, ultimately causing the abandonment of the old Templo. Between 1562-1567, the Franciscans constructed the current Templo and Convento de San Francisco, located on the plaza of Zacatlán (see Part 1). It is the fourth oldest church in Mexico. The ruins of its predecessor, the old Templo Franciscano, sit next to one of the few roads that wind down into the bowels of the great Jilguero Gorge.

The ruins have been stabilized, but otherwise left untouched. Visited only by grazing horses and the occasional tourist, there were no signs or other information available on site. Fortunately, Mary Carmen proved to be a fountain of information, as usual. The only indication of the sacred nature of the ruins is the white cross painted in a small niche which can be seen on the back wall through the support timbers.

Window of the Templo looks out like the eye socket of an empty skull. Many different architectural styles can be found in Mexican buildings from the colonial era. However, convent architecture was dictated by the first Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza and his architect Toribio de Alcaraz. The style he chose is similar to that of churches built during and after the re-conquest of Spain from the Moors in the late Middle Ages, just before the Conquest of Mexico. When Mendoza turned over his responsibilities to his successor Don Luis Velasco in 1550, he left specific instructions regarding the construction of convents. The window above closely resembles those found in medieval castles and other defensive fortifications. This is not surprising, since the early colonial churches often became makeshift fortresses against indigenous uprisings. From the narrow slit, the window widens out in the thick walls to create a broad field of fire for the crossbowman or musketeer perched inside.

An old rancho connects the 18th with the 21st Century.

Rancho de Coyotepec, ancestral home of Mary Carmen's family. The Rancho was built sometime previous to 1791, the first date that appears in family records. In 1874, Mary Carmen's great-grandfather Don Juan Olvera y Manilla bought the rancho, and from then it has passed through the family from generation to generation. The walls are of adobe, and the roof of clay tiles. The two ancient wooden doors seen above lead into storage areas. The entrance is further to the right, through a archway over an old stone floor.

The arched entranceway opens into a traditional courtyard, lush with gardens. Mary Carmen's sister, Rosy Olvera Trejo, and her sister's husband Vitor David Mendoza, emerge from the main house to greet us. Mary Carmen and Rosy are two of 8 sisters in the family. In addition, she has 3 brothers. Her father, the patriarch of the family, had died just the week before we visited. Later, we met her mother, a tiny woman. I was amazed that someone so small could have given birth to this huge brood. Presently, Rosy and Vitor live at Ranch de Coyotepec, while the rest of the family live elsewhere in Zacatlán.

Rustic outside, roomy and comfortable inside. We settled down in this inviting living room for tea and conversation. Vitor pulled out a photo album and began to detail the family history to me. Although he spoke only in Spanish, and my skills in that language are still pretty iffy, to my surprise we were able to understand one another very well. The walls of the room were filled with old family momentos and pictures going far back into the 19th Century. Rosy and Vitor not only live at Rancho de Coyotepec, but they run it as a bed and breakfast and spa called Tonantzin Spa Hostal. Rosy is a trained masseuse with a salon off the courtyard. To access the Tonantzin website, click here.

Ceiling decorations confirm the antiquity of the home. Looking up in the living room, I marveled at these old-fashioned ceiling decorations. The rafters cross over one another forming square boxes which were painted ages ago with scrollwork and animal figures.

An inviting kitchen. I have an affection for big kitchens. As a boy I spent a lot of time hanging out in ours as my Mom prepared meals and we discussed the affairs of the world. Rosy's kitchen was not only functional, but tiled colorfully and appeared just the place to spend a long morning dawdling over coffee. My guess is that her clients make a bee-line for her kitchen when they enter the main house. It's that kind of place.

An ancient hedge of unknown origin. No one in the family knows who originally planted these hedges, only that they have always been here, just outside the kitchen door. It may well be that they were planted in the 1700's when the house was built, since such hedges were popular in that time period.

A lover's walk? Leading back from the house, which can be seen peeping through the trees, the walkway loops through a large pasture before returning to the house. It struck me as an ideal route for a young couple in love, under the watchful eyes of parents and grandparents, of course. I later remarked to Mary Carmen that meeting and learning about her family was like entering a different world. My life experience has involved living all over the US, with a little time in Asia. I have no deep sense of place or roots. My extended family lives all over the world. I was fascinated by such a large family with such deep roots in one place, and whose occupation of the ancestral home goes back almost 150 years.

Jicolapa, city with a legend

Jicolapa's legend dates back to the 17th Century. This little town of less than 2000 people lies just outside Zacatlán, and is part of its municipality. Jicoplapa means, in Nahuatl, "the place where the Jicotes live." For a map showing Jicolapa in relation to Zacatlán, click here. In 1675, school children noticed an apparition on the adobe walls of their school, located on the plaza. Although they tried repeatedly to erase the obscure design, it continued to return, becoming clearer each time. It finally revealed itself as the image of Jesus Christ. The children brought their teachers and parents to view it, and all agreed it was marvelous. Word spread to outlying pueblos and more people came to marvel and pay their respects, bringing flowers and incense and other gifts. Some people claimed to have been healed of their infirmities by their visit, and the fame of the image increased even more.

A sorrowful Virgin Mary occupies a niche in the Iglesia del Señor de Jicolapa. There were numerous saints in other niches, but I was attracted by this simple, sorrowful figure. For more than a century the old school survived as an hermitage. Priests began saying Mass at the shrine. For many years the shrine at the school was cared for by an old lady, but then the school caught fire one day. Miraculously, the image was spared the damage of the flames. Eventually the church seen above was built at the site to protect and celebrate the miraculous image. People still come to pay homage each February.

Jicolapa's plaza is neat, colorful, and tidy. Above, a stroller passes two lovers kissing by the stairs to the kiosco. The little town has the feeling of arrested time.

The store with no name...because it doesn't need one. Mary Carmen tells me that stores in little pueblos like Jicolapa are often unnamed because they have been there so long and are so well known. Why would anyone bother? This nameless tienda sits right on the corner of the plaza, a short distance from the kiosco and the church.

Inside the store, Mary Carmen chats with a friend. The woman behind the counter is Guadalupe Cabrera López. She was obviously happy to see Mary Carmen, and curious about us. Christopher and I leaned on the ancient wooden counter and took in the feel of a place from another century.

How about a little "snort" of something to take the chill off? While the store sold a variety of goods, one of the most popular seemed to be homemade liquers, concocted from local fruits and herbs. Sra. Guadalupe pulled a bottle of green liquid off the shelf and doled out a couple of small shots. I don't drink alcohol normally, but politeness and curiosity won the day. It tasted something quite like creme de menthe, but the bottle was unmarked, as were all of them on the shelf. While we were sampling and chatting, a young Mexican man came in and secured a bottle for himself and a friend, both of them sipping from the bag-covered bottle as they surveyed the plaza from the steps of the "no name" store.

Mexican humor. While savoring my taste of the green stuff, I noticed this sign above the counter. A rough translation is "the only ones trusted by us are those more than 90 years old, accompanied by their little grandmother." I suspected this meant they wouldn't take my personal check on an out-of-country bank.

María, trying to disguise her curiosity. This little girl hung about, running her fingers through the beans in the bin, obviously trying to eves drop on the conversations, even the ones in English she probably didn't understand. Since neither Christopher nor I ever saw another Norteamericano during our visit at Zacatlán, we must have provoked intense curiousity and speculation, particularly among children who have a harder time disguising their feelings. Sometimes, from their expressions, I felt a bit like a space alien.

A relic of the past in another old store. Another unnamed store across the street was owned by a woman named Lucila Alvarez. When she spotted Mary Carmen, she invited us in to inspect this old fountain in the interior courtyard of what, in its time, may have been an elegant old home. On the side of the fountain, I found a plaque with the date "25 Dec 1888." Mexicans seem to love flowers, and the old courtyard was almost overwhelmed by Sra. Lucila's plants.

The bird that named a gorge. Above, a Jilguero (Brown-backed Solitaire) inspects its visitors in the old courtyard with the fountain. These birds swarm in the lush forests of the gorges around Zacatlán, giving the one just below the city its name Barranca del Jilguero, or Jilguero Gorge.

This completes Part 3 of my Zacatlán Odyssey series. Next week we'll go on a trip through ruggedly beautiful mountains to visit remote indigenous villages. Stay tuned! If you would like to leave a comment, you can either do so in the comments section below, or email me directly. If you choose to leave a questions in the comments section PLEASE leave your email address so that I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim

Zacatlán Odyssey Part 2: Crown of Flowers Festival

Festival Corona de Flores featured costumed dancers in Plaza Armas. The major focus of our visit to Zacatlán was the Crown of Flowers Festival. In the Náhuatl language of the indigenous performers, the Festival is called Ilhuitl Cuaxochitl. On the stage are the Queen of the Festival and her princesses, bedecked with flowered crowns and necklaces resembling Hawaiian leis.

Groups of young students in gorgeous costumes danced the first day. The men above wear charro outfits, lacking only the huge round sombreros. The women wear the national colors of Mexico: red, white, and green.

Admiring a new baby. The infant's mother cradles it in a traditional carrier called a chita in Spanish, or in Nahuatl, huácal. She wove the chita from rattan and a fibre from the maguey plant called ixtle. It has a handle which can be used to carry it over the shoulder or suspended from the head. Some of the indigenous women still use traditional clothes for their daily wear. The diaphanous white shawls are especially popular. These women were enjoying the show while waiting their turn to perform.

Danza de los Negritos. The costumes for the Dance of the Little Blacks included a hat I found particularly interesting. In addition to its flower adornments, the hat carries a long black fringe that hangs in front of the eyes of the performer, almost as a mask. Both male and female performers wore the costume, and the only way to tell the difference is the style of shoe. The dancer in the foreground above appears to be a female. The long ribbons of the hat and gold fringes of the sash and pants swayed and rippled with the movements of the dancer. The dance comes from the people of the mountains north of Puebla.

Same dancer, at rest, from the back. The whole hat was a mound of multi-colored flower blossoms. Attaching long ribbons around the rim of broad brimmed hats is a common feature of hats in many indigenous cultures. The Huichol people of the mountains of Nayarit State wear similar adornment on their hats, as do the performers of the Dance of the Old Men, which originated in Michoacan State among the Purepecha people.

A mother and daughter enjoy a moment together in the afternoon sun. In many indigenous cultures, mother and daughters--including even tiny girls--wear the same style of traditional clothing, topped by the filmy shawls. Photo by Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo.

Los Quetzalines climaxed the first evening's performance. The headdresses in particular were spectacular. The feathered hats imitate the plumage of the Quetzal bird, a sacred animal among many prehispanic cultures. Quetzals are found throughout southern Mexico and Central America. Quetzalcoatl, or the plumed serpent, appears in the myths of Toltecs, Mayas, and Aztecs.

Quetzalin steps out. Los Quetzalines danced vigorously and their lines surged back and forth across the broad, open plaza. Once again, both males and females wore the same costume, identifiable only by their shoes. The Quetzalin above is a man.

Danza de los Arcos y Tejedores. All the participants in the Dance of the Arcs and Weavers here were male, ranging from teenagers to elderly men. The arcs of flowers they carry symbolize the flowering plants of May. They danced in pairs, in parallel lines, and ultimately formed up for what appeared to be a May Pole dance, which you will see later in this posting. While their dance clothing was less spectacular than the students from the previous day, Mary Carmen assured me that this was the "real thing." These people were performing traditional dances that had come down to them from their ancient prehispanic ancestors. Note the man in the monster mask in the upper left of the photo.

"Dancing With The Stars", Zacatlán-style. These performers, called Güegües, circulated around the fringes of most of dance performances. All of them wore horrific monster masks, and carried long bullwhips with which they produced ear-piercing cracks. The Güegües represent the oldest members of the village, and the whip cracking drives away evil. Inexplicably to me, most of them also carried doll babies strapped to their costumes. The performer above engages in a tender waltz with his doll.

Waiting their turn. These young boys wore multi-colored jesters' outfits as they watched the action from the edge of the plaza. Every once in a while, one of them would peer around shyly to see who might be photographing them.

A powerful presence in a small package. At one point, this young girl came to the microphone and launched into an empassioned speech about the oppression of indigenous people and their cultures by the Spanish and the Mexican overlords who succeeded them. Although I couldn't understand every nuance of her speech, it was her poise, delivery and passion that stunned me. She couldn't have been more than about 14 years old, and perhaps younger. Speaking without notes and with complete assurance, she held the audience--including me--spellbound with her dynamic performance. Then, turning to leave the stage, she gave me a shy smile, magically transformed back into a young schoolgirl.

Danza de los Toreadores. This dancer is dresses as a picador, in the Dance of the Bullfighters. A picador is the mounted man in a Spanish bullfight who rides around the bull, sticking short spears called picas into the animal's back. The horse which appears to grow out of his chest represents his mount. The cross he wears on his hat and carries in his hand appears to present a religious theme. However, Catholicism lies as a rather thin veneer over ancient indigenous religious beliefs, and the cross was also an important religious symbol to indigenous people in prehispanic times.

Charros appear ready for action. Wearing the traditional clothing of the Mexican cowboys of Jalisco, these three appeared ready for anything. The charro tradition may have originated in Jalisco, as did tequila and mariachis, but all three have become national symbols of Mexico.

Danza de Tetlalpalol o Petición de Mano Indígena. This beautiful dance reenacts indigenous marriage customs. The grandmother of the boy goes to the family of the girl to petition for the marriage. If the proposal is accepted, the family of the boy dances to the home of the girl, carrying gifts such as the sheep seen above, bread, firewood, tamales, canela (cinnamon), atole (a corn drink), and tepache (a mixture of pulque, brown sugar, and other ingredients).

A beauty contest. This Tetlalpalol dancer carried a live guajolete (turkey) as his wedding gift. He grinned and vigorously nodded "si!" when I asked him if the turkey was for the evening dinner. I complemented him on his handsome turkey, which pleased him. When I inquired who he thought was more handsome, himself or the turkey, he and his gathered-round companions howled with laughter.

Deep in thought. A young woman rests in a shady corner under the portales during an interlude. In spite of Mexico's many problems, the people are very patriotic and often wear or display the national colors of red, green, and white.

Güegüe on the prowl. With his whip ready to ward off evil forces, this character roamed the perimeter of the crowd, clutching his babydoll. Periodically he lashed out with his long whip. I can't attest to its effect on evil spirits, but it did tend to keep the crowd back at a safe distance.

Danza de los Arcos y Tejedores nears its end. The ritual of the ribbons and the pole was performed exactly as the May Pole dance I remember doing as a school child. While the North American dance has lost its pagan roots, Danza de los Arcos y Tejedores still retains its ancient symbolism, magic, and cosmic ritual.

Tying off the ribbons. At the end of the dance, the performers crowded around to tie up the ends of the ribbons, preparing for the last part of the performance.

Shouldering the pole and guarded by a Güegüe, the performers march off the plaza. There are some differences from the May Pole dance I remember from long ago. The participants here are all male, and much older and more solemn than the giggly school kids of my day. Also, I regret to say, we didn't have any Güegües in my school days, unless you count the Assistant School Principal.

Mary Carmen inspired the Ilhuitl Cuaxochitl several years ago. She was Tourism Director for Zacatlán up until last year, when her political party lost the election. She was very pleased that the current administration agreed to fund it again this year. Mary Carmen seems to know virtually everyone, including countless indigenous people whom she had befriended during her term of office. They obviously appreciate all her hard work, and lit up with smiles whenever they recognized her. To show their appreciation, they draped her with a hand-woven flowered crown and leis.

Also among the appreciated. At the end of the festivities, Mary Carmen told us that it was traditional for the indigenous people to show their appreciation to selected people in a ceremony in the plaza. Christopher and I were among the selectees. Somewhat mystified, we accompanied a small group of others out to the center of the plaza. A troupe of performers danced slowly around us, placing flowered leis around our necks while a small child showered us with flower petals. We were not quite sure what we had done to earn this, but we felt honored nonetheless. Photo by Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo.

Boogyin' off the stage. After adorning us with flowers, the performers danced us out of the plaza in a kind of slow, shuffling two-step. Photo by Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo.

Christopher, Jim, and our new friends. With the Crown of Flowers Festival at an end, we posed for a final picture. I was puzzled when I looked at this photo and saw that everyone was frowning but Christopher and me. Then I realized that we were the only two wearing hats on a very bright day. In addition, I have noticed that indigenous people often assume very solemn expressions in photos, smiling broadly when it is over. We were charmed by the warmth and generosity of these people, and many others we met during our visit. I can well understand the obvious pleasure Mary Carmen takes in working with them. Photo by Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo.

This concludes Part 2 of my series on our Odyssey to Zacatlán. Although our core reason to visit was the Festival, we stayed for several more days to enjoy the many interesting activities and scenic places of Zacatlán and the surrounding area. Future posts in this series will show some of Old Zacatlán, and our visits to spectacular waterfalls, sweeping mountain vistas, a very unusual clock factory, and much more. Stay tuned! If you would like to leave a comment, please do so in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comments section PLEASE leave your email address so that I may respond.

Hasta luego, Jim

Odyssey to Zacatlán de las Manzanas: Part 1

Parrochia de San Pedro y San Pablo, one of two large churches overlooking Zacatlán's El Centro plaza. The Parrochia was built in the period overlapping the 17th and 18th centuries. A couple of months ago, a fellow named Dick Davis left a message on the comments section of this blog expressing his appreciation of my various postings featuring Mexico's indigenous people. Dick offered to coordinate my visit to the small city of Zacatlán de las Manzanas for the Crown of Flowers Festival, or Ilhuitl Cuaxochitl as it is known by the Náhuatl-speaking indigenous people of the area. What made the offer irresistible was not just the promise of a colorful fiesta full of people in their native dress. Our hostess, Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo, was formerly the local tourism director. She was offering to put us up in her own home and act as our personal tour guide for an area reported to have spectacular scenery. My only responsibility would be to enjoy myself, take lots of photos, and write up the experience in this blog. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. Remarkably, the entire transaction with Dick to set all this up has taken place over the internet. While I have never met him or even spoken with him directly, I can't thank him enough for providing this opportunity.

Zacatlán sits on a rolling plateau that ends abruptly at the edge of a huge canyon. The city of Zacatlán has a bit less than 29,000 people, with a total of about 63,000 scattered in small villages and farms throughout the mountainous municipality (equivalent to a US county). Zacatlán is about a 1.5 hour drive northeast of Puebla, and about 2.5 hours from Mexico City. For a map, click here. From Lake Chapala, the total drive time is about 10.5 hours, which I broke into two half-day drives. Nearly all of the distance was on fast, smooth, toll roads called cuotas. The city is surrounded by large and very steep pine-clad mountains which drop down into deep, narrow canyons with rushing streams and cascading waterfalls. In the photo above, the line where the city appears to meet the mountains is actually the lip of a cliff falling into the vast Jilguero Gorge. In the course of my visit, I took over 1500 photos of the festival, the scenery, and fascinating local villages. After winnowing this number down to the few which best tell the story, I will have material for perhaps 9 more postings following this one. Fasten your blog-reading seat belts!

Zacatlán from the east, looking across the gorge. This telephoto shot gives you a sense of the abruptness with which the city ends at the lip of the Jilguero Gorge. "Jilguero" refers to the species of finch which abounds in the thick canyon forests. The gorge drops off precipitously for a couple of hundred more feet below what you can see in the photo. In the center of the photo are the steeples of the two churches that face onto the plaza. I took the photo that is previous to the one above from the slopes of the mountains you can see in the background. Zacatlán de las Manzanas got its Náhuatl name from the presence of grassy pastures ("zacate," a type of grass, and tlan "the place of"), and Spanish name from its reputation as apple-growing capital of Mexico (manzanas is Spanish for apples). The plateau on which the city rests is at 2010 meters (6594 feet) with a mean temperature of 18 degrees C. (64 F.). The area reminded me a lot of the Cascade foothills in Oregon, both in geography and cool moist climate.

Breakfast at Mary Carmen's home for the visiting dignitaries. I had invited my friend Christopher English (left, above), a well-known local artist, photographer, and writer who has been published in several local magazines. Christopher also has a fairly decent command of Spanish, a skill I am still developing. I have known Christopher as a fellow hiker for 3 years, and he turned out to be an excellent companion on the adventure. While traveling around Zacatlán, we were invariably introduced by our hostess as "visiting reporters from the United States," and treated by those we met as special dignitaries, as if we were from the New York Times or 60 Minutes. While this may have been the simplest way to describe us, at times we felt a little like imposters. Neither us us tends toward an inflated self-opinion. However, I suppose that since my blog is viewed by about 6,500 people from around the world each month (totaling 105,000 since I launched it 3 years ago), I qualify as an on-line magazine photojournalist, albeit unpaid and self-published. Christopher has been published in print magazines, so he slips under the qualification wire too. Photo by Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo.

Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo, our hostess and guide. She was wonderful in both roles, even though her beloved father had died only a few days before our arrival. She constantly had to juggle the traditional mourning period activities with her commitments to us. We would have understood if she had simply cancelled, but that's not Mary Carmen's style. She is a person who appears happiest when she has half a dozen balls juggled in the air at once. She virtually buzzes with upbeat energy, and regularly left us exhausted and recuperating at her home at the end of a long day while she raced off to some other commitment. She also told us that being with us raised her spirits and kept her mind off her grief. Above, she is dressed in the traditional style of the indigenous women in the area. Under her lacy shawl, Mary Carmen wears a beautiful white blouse called a huipil, which is colorfully embroidered with plant and animal designs. The local Náhuatl name for the garment is Quexquemetl (pronounced Queshquemetl). She wore her hair in two braids, although they were considerably shorter than those usually worn by the indigenous women. You will learn more about Mary Carmen and her extensive family as this series unfolds.

Templo y ex-Convento Franciscano. This church and former monastery was founded by the Franciscan order in 1562 and the church was completed in 1567. It is the oldest church in the State of Puebla and the fourth oldest in the Americas. The Templo is considered a jewel of the Vice-regal style. I was not able to take any pictures inside, because every time I had an opportunity they were holding a Mass. According to written accounts, when it was under restoration, architects found murals with jaguars, snakes, bees and other animals sacred to the beliefs of the original indigenous people. Additionally there were murals of huts with straw roofs in the ancient style and both indigenous and Spanish people going about their daily activities. The church is considered unique in that it still carries on all of its traditional activities after 440 years.

Indigenous woman uses modern and traditional style carrying methods. Some of her burden she carries in the unfortunately-ubiquitous plastic bag, while the remainder she totes in a hand-made wicker basket held up by a tump-line across her forehead. The use of the tump-line goes back thousands of years. Her hair is held in two long braids down her back which are attached to colorfully embroidered strips of cloth called cintas ending in rainbow-hued fringes at the bottom.

A closer look at braid decoration. This young woman wears her hair braided in almost the identical style as the older woman in the previous photo. Out of view at the bottom are the colorful fringes that end the decoration. The cintas are black and embroidered in the design of cabbages. Also typical are the two large flowers entwined in her hair at the beginning of the braid. The designs vary both according to the taste of the person who did the embroidery, and the traditions of the village from which she came. The shoulders and neck of her huipil are also embroidered. The ankle-length skirt is made of black wool, and is held up by a black and white embroidered belt. The overall effect is elegant.

Palacio Municipal faces onto the Plaza de Armas where two days of festival dances occurred. This was constructed between 1876 and 1896, during the heyday of dictator Porfirio Diaz. The style is neoclassical, using gray cantera. The columns are Tuscan style.

A most unusual clock. In the center of the plaza are two clocks facing in opposite directions, but gently inclining to meet at their tops. Both are run by the same clock mechanism. One of the most unusual aspects of the clocks are that the faces of both clocks are flower gardens. Only the numbers and the clock arms are non-living.

Closeup of the clock face. The closer you look, the more beautiful the clock face becomes, with a wide variety of plants set in concentric circles. This clock was designed and constructed by Mary Carmen's father, the person who had died a week before. He was the second of three generations who founded and built and are still running an internationally-known clock business based in Zacatlán. This is the only double-faced garden clock in Mexico, and perhaps the world, where both clocks are run by the same mechanism. In another posting of this series, I will take you on a visit to the clock factory, and its very unusual display.

The game of balero looks easy, but isn't. While wandering through the plaza, I encountered this young man at a small table full of traditional hand-carved wooden toys. He cleverly caught my attention by casually flipping the solid wooden cylinder up in the air and catching it on the wooden nipple extending above the handle in his hand. This is the game of balero, or "bullet mold." The wooden cylinder is generally made of cedar, willow or poplar. The bottom of the cylinder end facing him has a small hole into which the nipple fits. He did it so easily and casually that he was able to persuade me to take a try. Needless to say, I failed abysmally, even after numerous attempts. Generally there are several players, and they bet on how many successful tosses they will have out of a given number of tries. The game is widely played in Latin America, and comes with a variety of different moves including "the double, the vertical, the mariquita, the stab, the Buenosairean, etc." My thanks to Mary Carmen for emailing me this information.

El Balcon restaurant lives up to its name. El Balcon, which means "the balcony," sits at the end of a narrow spur of land that extends out into the Jilguero Gorge. The restaurant is the building you can see just above center in in the photo. The black rectangular section running along its front is a cantilevered, glassed-in balcony with tinted windows. The result is a spectacular 180 degree view of the deep gorge separating El Balcon from Zacatlán on the opposite side.

The tinted-window dining area of El Balcon faces across the gorge toward Zacatlán. Our table was in the corner area you can see in the upper right of the photo. It you look closely, you can see the line of structures on top of the plateau across the Jilguero Gorge. Just below our window were a couple of large, unusually shaped rocks about which there is an indigenous legend. It seems a beautiful maiden fell in love with a young man forbidden to her. When they consumated their love, the gods sent a bolt of lightening, turning them to stone.

Christopher and I enjoy the view...and the food. Often a restaurant with a fabulous view will slack off when it comes to the quality of the food, thinking that the view is enough to draw patrons. Not so with El Balcon. They specialize in beef dishes, while also carrying fish and chicken and other entrees. Mary Carmen recommended the Res Azteca (Aztec Beef). I took her advice, while Christopher tried the filet mignon. Neither of us was disappointed. The beef was unbelievably tender and juicy. If I've had better, I can't remember when. The Res Azteca was covered with an edible black corn fungus called Huitlacoche, a great delicacy. Cheese was melted over the fungus. It sounds kind of odd, but it was delicious. If you visit El Balcon, I strongly recommend it. Photo by Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo.

A view down the gorge, toward...more gorges and more mountains. In a later post you will see some of the villages we visited in the mountains in the far background, including a view of Zacatlán from near their summit. You can get down into these gorges, but the roads are winding, rough, and mostly unpaved. There are also trails down, but the hike back up would be daunting, although the indigenous people continue to use them after thousands of years.

Agapanthus, also known as "Lily of the Nile" is neither a lily nor from the Nile. We found this lovely cluster of Agapanthus africanus along the cliff edge near El Balcon. The local name is Agapanto, or Flores del Amor (Flowers of Love). It originated in South Africa, but is now cultivated throughout the warm areas of the world. It blooms in Spring and Summer, so we were definitely in the right season.

After lunch, I stepped out onto a rock outcropping to try a photo. I moved cautiously because the drop from the edge of the rock to the canyon bottom was a couple of hundred feet straight down. While I photographed the canyon, Mary Carmen shot one of me. Photo by Mary Carmen Olver Trejo.

The bottom of the canyon. Using my telephoto at extreme range, I captured this quiet pool, fed by a small waterfall which originates in the springs a little further up the canyons. This is the beginning of the roaring white water found further down the barranca. In a future posting of this series, we'll check out some of those huge waterfalls.

This concludes Part 1 of my multi-part series about our Oddyssey to Zacatlán. In Part 2, I will show the dancers of the wildly colorful Ilhuitl Cuaxochitl, or Crown of Flowers Festival. This is a fabulous area, definitely worth visiting again, whether or not the festival is happening at the time. Even with a guide, there was much we didn't have time to see over our 5 day visit. For an account of my friend Dick Davis' visit, click here. Anyone who would like to contact Mary Carmen for more information can email her at marycarmen0328@hotmail.com. If you would like to leave a comment, please do so either by using the comments section below, or by emailing me directly. However, if you leave a question in the comments section PLEASE leave your email address so that I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim