Macuiltepetl y Puebla -- Aventuras hacía la magia

I'm still here, I promise!  After a busy week and a half, I have been coerced into writing another entry ;)

Part I: Macuiltepetl

Macuiltepetl is a park here in Xalapa.  Though several travel guides erroneously state that it is a ten minute walk from the city center, it's more like a fifteen minute taxi ride (which is still pretty close!).  The park is actually an ecological zone, and includes a dormant volcano, a trail into the center of the volcano, a museum, a reptile exhibit, a mausoleum, and lots of eagles, among other things!  When I went with two friends the other Saturday, we saw about half the park -- saving some things for later on purpose, and others because they were inaccessible at the time.

The entrance to the park is easy to miss, as it's small and hidden behind foliage.  At first, we started to walk up the maintenance trail, but the presence of about ten armed men made me think we should try somewhere else... And then we found the walking path, parallel but a bit lower.  For those of you inclined to freak out, please don't - the policemen and soldiers are typically very nice guys, and they just ride their four wheelers around the park all day and chat with people.

The walk was beautiful, and I enjoyed taking in the increasingly panoramic views of Xalapa while conversing with friends.  Several people were out running, and several kids were having a blast dragging their parents from play station to "secret tunnel" and up and down everything they could find!

Towards the volcano's summit, we climbed up the lighthouse-like Mirador.  At the top, one of the park employees had one of the eagles, and was trying to get him to fly around.  I guess the eagle wasn't feeling active, though, as he would just take a short glide into a nearby tree and wait to be called back.  After watching the eagle and taking pictures of the landscape for a few minutes, we climbed back down to continue exploring the park.  The only other "big" thing we stopped by on this trip was the mausoleum: a giant green pyramid which houses the remains of famous Veracruzanos.  I know, I should have taken pictures of all of their plaques so I could list them for you... Suffice it to say there was a good mix of scholars, soldiers, artists, and politicians.  Maybe next time I go I'll remember to get some of their names!

Part II: Puebla

This past Friday, another friend from school and I took a quick day trip to Puebla, mostly to scout out the nearby ruins to see if my mom and I would like to further explore them over Spring Break.

Before we went into the city proper, we took a quick taxi ride to Cholula.  Once a separate city and now basically a suburb, Cholula is home to an ancient Aztec pyramid, as well as a colonial cathedral. The cathedral was built right on top of the pyramid, which may actually have been an honest mistake - years before the arrival of the Spanish, the temple had been abandoned, and was soon taken over by vegetation.  It really does seem like a steep mountain, and it wasn't until after we descended that I realized just how huge the pyramid is! It's base is actually larger than any of the pyramids at Giza, if you can believe it!  The cathedral at the top was nice, and I assume the inside was gorgeous.  However, when we dropped by they were in the middle of Mass, so I didn't want to interrupt the service just to stare at the interior decoration.

The courtyard provided stunning views of Puebla, and a clear view of Malintzin, the local volcano which is generally snow-covered and always spewing out smoke.

 Me and the five volcanoes! Guest appearance by Señora Mariposa. Thanks Deb for the photo

Moving on to Puebla. Puebla was the first city in Nueva España built specifically for Spaniards.  This means that the central part of town -- which is well-preserved, if a bit touristy -- feels incredibly European.  If it weren't for the trees and the warm breeze, I could have been transported back to Spain!  The local cathedral has the tallest spires of any church in Mexico, and took 74 years to build.  The city was known in its heyday for its intricate tile work.  Called talavera, the tile was made from the rich local clay and painted and glazed by artisans.  Many of the buildings are still covered in talavera, and they are gorgeous!

We spent the afternoon wandering through the cathedral, visiting the Casa de Cultura to learn about the cathedral's construction, tasting local sweets, visiting an art museum, and enjoying the colonial atmosphere.  Although the conquistadores undoubtedly destroyed a lot of traditional Mexican culture and messed up a lot through their colonization, they did leave behind some beautiful works of art by way of buildings and even entire cities.

 

Our afternoon snack: apple covered in something-I-don't-remember, with strawberries, cranberries, strawberry sauce, and tamarindo powder!  It was a suprisingly excellent flavor combination.

After a very full but fun day, I arrived at my house and just wanted to eat a light dinner and crash into bed.  But no! Our neighbors had invited us over to dinner, so I walked up the street and tried to be awake and conversational for another hour and a half.  I really do like our neighbors, it's just that I was exhausted :)  I got to play with their grandson, a precious one-year-old who was fascinated with me and my hair but too shy to say "hola."  He finally caved and gave me a kiss goodnight before he went to bed, though!

Side note on food: in Puebla, I had a cemita -- a fantastic sandwich!  When I get back home, I'm going to do what I can to replicate it... but I know it won't be the same.  Also, here in Mexico pineapple is a common topping for hotdogs.  I haven't tried it yet (I had the opportunity, but I don't think my brain had enough energy to process the thought of adding new things to my hotdog), but if the opportunity presents itself again, I think it may be a tasty condiment.

As I near the halfway point of my stay here, I feel more and more comfortable with this amazing country.  I'm excited to travel a bit more with friends, and incredibly thankful for the friendships I've made and continue to make.  Living alone in a foreign country isn't easy, but when that country is as magnificent, friendly, and hospitable as Mexico, it's hard to pity yourself! ;)