Tepotzlan, via the Segundo Piso

So this Saturday, I went with some friends/coworkers to a little town called Tepotzlan (more about that in a minute). To get out of Mexico City, which took 2 hours by the way, we got to drive on the "Segundo Piso" of the Periferico. What happened was that there was so much traffic, they built a 'second floor' to the highway. It was fun! You can see some great views. This picture is near the end, and that flag is Huge. Anyway, the Segundo Piso was a huge project, and they even made a movie about it. En el Hoyo / In the Pit mainly told the stories of the workers in one small section, but it also gives an idea of how huge an undertaking it was. The very end of the movie is a long single shot of the whole Segundo Piso, ending at the huge flag.

So after leaving the city, Mike 'Costanza' in the lead car (the little red one on the left), was making great time. But we made it anyway. What can I say about Tepotzlan? It is a cute town with a huge craggy mountain/hill at its edge. At the top of the hill is a pyramid offering great views of the surrounding valley. It is supposedly a center of positive energy, maybe because the plumed serpent god, Quetzalcoatl, was 'born' nearby. Lots of people come to get their aura cleansed, or whatever it is they do, and there are lots of newageish spiritual events, shops, visitors, and other such skulduggery.

I looked at the Frommer's guide and it said this: "Most Tepoztlán residents, whether foreigners or Mexicans, tend to be mystically or artistically oriented -- although some also appear to be just plain disoriented." I agree. And may I add that many of the foreigners need long baths with very hot water and well-paid professional scrubby-maids. With shears.

But the town itself was really neat. Neat-o, even. It was raining, so we didn't get to spend two hours climbing to the top. Drat! I was aching to do that, for sure. But we did get to shop around at the artists market, and see the sights. This picture on the left is a mural at the entrance gate to some convent or other, but the point is that it is made entirely of beans. Well, beans and seeds. And some legumes, I guess. But things you can eat! Pretty fancy, huh?

This picture, I love. Love! It's a Pulqueria, where they sell pulque, the drink the Aztecs made, sort of a forerunner to tequila. (defined as: a thick, milky-white, mildly alcoholic beverage fermented from the juice of various species of agave.) But the men hanging out playing guitar, the dog on the roof, even the plastic chairs says nothing but "Mexico" to me.

The best part is the sign on the white poster paper just above the men. Roughly translated it says: Pulque: Healthy, Nutritional, and Medicinal. The champagne of the Mexica." (also known as Aztecs)

Notice, the taste isn't mentioned.


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