Considered one of Mexico’s magic towns, Tepoztlán attracts visitors for its extraordinary natural landscape and archeological ruins, highlighted by the Tepozteco Mountain, with the temple on its summit. “Tepoztlán” is Náhuatl and means “the place of the copper ax,” referring to the ax carried by the god, Tepoztéactl.
The first inhabitants of Tepoztlán were from the Tolteca and Chichimeca cultures. This is the birthplace of Ce Acatl lord, the supreme Toltec chief and cultural hero who was dedicated to promoting art and science.
The Nativity Temple and Ex-Convent was built between 1555 and 1580 under the orders of Dominican friars. The building was occupied for a while by the French troops of Maximiliano of Habsburgo. In 1994, UNESCO declared it World Heritage site, and it currently houses the Tepoztlán’s History Museum.
The Archaeological Area of Tepozteco is where god Tepoztécatl was worshiped. The temple was built between 1150 and 1350 by the Xochimilca Tepoztecos. It was part of the Tepoztlán Prehispanic city and received pilgrims from such far away places as Guatemala. Its restoration began in 1895.
The Carlos Pellicer Museum houses the archeological collection of Carlos Pellicer, a famous poet from Tabasco, and includes pieces from different Mesoamerican cultures.
On Wednesdays (and Sundays, and to a lesser extent on Saturdays), one of the two main streets in Tepoztlán is lined with market stalls filled with crafts from all over the region.
Tepoztlán is famous for its gourmet ice cream called Tepoznieves -- "Ice Cream of Gods" -- which comes in such exotic flavors as Moon's Lullaby, Mermaid's Song, Thousand Flowers, Love's Prayer, Rose Petals, Queen of the Night, Temple of Silence, and Symphony of the Sea.
The whole of the town is walkable, although hilly.
Refer to these Web sites for additional information about Tepoztlán.
Cuernavaca, often called the "land of eternal spring," is known for its rejuvenating spas, spiritual sites, perfect climate, and flowering landscapes. Cuernavaca has a deep connection with its historical and spiritual heritage.
Cuernavaca was a home of Cortez who had a palace built for himself after the Emperor Charles V gave him Cuernavaca as a fief. In front of Palacio de Cortez is the town plaza (zocalo), government buildings, and post office. The Palacio de Cortez is now the home of the Cuauhnahuac Museum with a collection of pre-Columbian and conquest-era exhibits.
The city of Cuernavaca has several museums that house important collections of art from all over the world. In one of these museums you can see recreated rooms of a 19th-century home. See the link below.
Not far from the downtown area is the central market and on the other end of the zocolo is the old Cathedral and the Jardin Borda.
Cuernavaca has beautiful plazas and gardens that have become important city symbols. You’ll also be able to appreciate old buildings of great historical and cultural value (See the links below).
Teotihuacan means 'The City of the Gods", or "Where Men Become Gods" in Nahuatl. “Teotihuacán was the religious center of Mesoamerica. Its skyline was dominated by two enormous pyramids which the Aztecs called the "Pyramid of the Sun" and the "Pyramid of the Moon," both linked by a broad avenue. It was a planned city of over two thousand structures. While farmers primarily lived in wooden houses, other inhabitants lived in stone houses decorated with paintings and murals and, in some cases, with elaborate drainage systems” (http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAMRCA/TEO.HTM). Between 100,000 and 200,000 people lived there at its peak around 600 A.D., making it one of the ancient world's largest cities.
Teotihuacan is the most visited of Mexico’s archaeological sites. The Pyramid of the Sun is the third largest pyramid in the world, and the Calle de los Muertos (Street of the Dead) is flanked by temples, palaces, and platforms with amazingly well preserved murals in the Palace of the Jaguars and the Palace of the Quetzal-butterfly and bold sculptures in the Temple of Quetzalcoatl.
Visitors who plan to climb the pyramids should be prepared for lots of walking at a high altitude and bring water, a sunhat, camera, guidebook - but little else to drag around. (NOTE: Participants will have an alternative activity at Teotihuacan.)
The Museo Teotihuacán is a state-of-the-art museum with interactive exhibits. One part has a glass floor on which visitors walk above mock-ups of the pyramids. Findings of recent digs, including several tombs, with skeletons wearing necklaces of human and simulated jawbones, and newly discovered sculptures are on display.
Mexico City (Friday Evening through Sunday Departure)
The greater Mexico City metropolitan area is one of the world's largest and most populated, with an estimate of about 20 million people living in the region. It is divided up into 16 delegaciones, similar to the boroughs of New York, which in turn are divided into "colonias" (neighborhoods), of which there are about 250.
The zocalo, or central plaza, is the world's largest square and Mexico City's main historic district. The Hotel Catedral where participants will stay is located behind the main cathedral on the zocalo.
Your College Board consultant will determine which of the many interesting sites in Mexico City you will visit. Among them are the
