Mexico: Cuetzalan
July 2016

Cuetzalan

From Yohualichan we drove to Cuetzalan. Around here there are masses of Brugmansia, mostly yellow but white and pink too, and lots of other colourful flowers.

It was market day and we spent some time wandering among the stalls looking at all the different things for sale. It is an out-of-the-way place and the only people here apart from us were Mexicans.

I had had nopal (prickly pear) salad in Tepotzotlan, though I can't say it was a very memorable taste.

Dried beans, chilies and pulses.

Machetes, an everyday tool here.

Beautiful leather sheaths for the machetes.

Always masses of beautiful tomatoes. Tomatoes are an indigenous crop and were an important part of the diet long before the Spanish arrived to take them to Europe.

Corn was the most important crop in the ancient cultures; three additional staple foods were squash, beans and chili peppers.

Dried black chilies.

The streets are shaded with huge white sheets - the sun can be very fierce here but today was cooler and cloudy so very comfortable for wandering the market.

A beautiful array of herbs and dried flowers, possibly used for medicinal purposes.

In the foreground the fruits of the prickly pear cactus (nopal), another ingredient of the diet here, probably for thousands of years.

Medicinal compounds, including wereque, said to be good for diabetes among other ailments, and Alumbre or alum stone.

Probably a husband and wife team come in from the countryside to sell their avocados (I think, though I've never seen them quite like this anywhere else) and bananas.

Numerous medical benefits are claimed for Cat's Claw, including in the treatment of infections, arthritis and ulcers.

The centre of the town is the Zocalo, with a shady park and large church. All around the market stretches through the shaded streets and up the steps leading through the town, busy with people.

The beautiful traditional dress is slowly giving way to modern clothing.

The tall pole is for the Danza de los Voladores.

In the green Zocalo the people gather to rest, watch the world go by and chat.

We ate in a restaurant high above the Zocalo with a fine view over the town. We started lunch outside on the roof dining area but retreated inside when a thunderstorm hit!

Fajitas and an artisanal beer for lunch - cloudy but good.

The church and town hall on the edge of the Zocalo.

Looking down on the Zocalo from the restaurant.

Zacapoaxtla

The Zocalo, Zacapoaxtla.

We had some difficulty getting out of Cuetzalan, the car couldn't make it up one slope because the tyres kept slipping on the cobbles and we had to make a detour. But we were soon on our way for the three hour drive back to Puebla.

On the way we stopped at the small town of Zacapoaxtla where we seemed to cause some amusement, especially amongst the youngsters. It reminded me of travelling to Japan in the eighties and the orderly files of schoolchildren who found me highly amusing!

On the Zocalo one man stopped us to shake hands and ask where we were from. It was all very genial.

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