Cuetzalan is a Magical Town that seems out of a fairy tale, these are some reasons why you would have to pack your suitcase and travel to know it.
Once upon a time, in a country far, far away … No, wait! It is in Mexico, in the Sierra Norte de Puebla, where this Magic Town that seems to have come out of a story is found: Cuetzalan.
Hidden in the fog, is Cuetzalan. Grottoes, underground rivers, waterfalls, and ruins surround this site. Between labyrinthine streets and attached facades, its inhabitants welcome each traveler with singular sympathy. The steps of the Main Plaza resemble the entrance to an otherworldly kingdom. In the background stands very tall, with its Gothic and Romanesque style, the tower of the Parish Church of San Francisco de Asís. In front of her stands, like a giant weather vane, the pole of the Papantla flyers awaiting the ancestral dance inherited by the Totonacs.
Here the mornings pass calmly between the coming and going of merchants and art dealers, between baskets of jonote and backstrap, looms at the Matachiuj Handicraft Market. Sundays are for flea markets, there is everything: fruits, sweet bread, spices, herbs that cure any ailment and serious ailments, fresh and aged cheeses, woolen shawls, wicker bags, hand-embroidered dresses, and even coffee beans.
For passersby eager for illustration, the Casa de Cultura and the Calmahuistic Ethnographic Museum preserve Yohualichan archaeological treasures, dance costumes, and black and white photographs. As mealtime approaches, the smoky smell of jerky permeates everything. It is difficult to decide between chicken with mole, ranchero pipián, tlacoyos or beans with xocoyoli, a wild plant from the mountain.
A few minutes from downtown is the butterfly farm and the Xoxoctic Botanical Garden, where these winged creatures fly over orchids, ferns and medicinal plants. To spend a night under the stars and wake up among coffee plantations in a palafito (a sophisticated tent with a bed and terrace), you have to arrive at the El Cuichat community and ask about the Blue Reserve: a consecrated place in the middle of nature. to dreams.
If you have never visited Cuetzalan, you have missed one of the great charms of Puebla. So the next time you don’t know what to do on the weekend, don’t even think about it, visit this pleasant corner of the mountains.
Unmissable
- The Posadas family workshop, you will be able to see how the plumes used in the Dance of the Quetzalines are made.
- The Peña Los Jarritos and the Lienzo Charro El Potrillo, in both places, traditional dances are carried out. Also, there are places to dine or have a drink.
- Las Ranas restaurant, in the Artisan Market. Ask for the Tanesik coffee, made by
indigenous women. - Seven kilometers north of Cuetzalan is Yohualichan, a ceremonial center with pyramidal bases.
- For those who love the uncertainty and adventure, there are the El Salto or Las Golondrinas waterfalls, where you can swim, practice rappelling and zip-lining.
- There is also the Heart of the Forest Waterfall and, for those who are not afraid of the dark, the Atepolihui and Chichicazapan caves.
Source: mexicodesconocido.com.mx