I met Citlali in Mexico City to see the heart of the country, first in the big capital city and then to the remote mountain town of Amatlán for hiking and exploring.
Hike La Ventana
In Amatlán, there is a massive cliff face with a unique rock feature that looks like a window to the sky, hence the name, La Ventana. It overlooks the town and of course we decided to hike to the top.
Hike Poza de Quetzalcoatl
We also took a quick hike to the pools of Quetzalcoatl. This hike was more interesting for the legend of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec deity who was born in a cave along this route and baptized in the pools at the end of the hike. We were a few months ahead of rainy season, so the usually clear pool with a gorgeous waterfall was more of a tiny, stagnant pond. But our guide, Fern, brought his trail dogs, Otis and Cheluta, who were great hikers aside from the one time they needed assistance getting down a scramble.
We also saw some really neat bugs.
Quetzalcoatl Celebration
Since the birthplace of a legend was right there in town, you best believe they have a big celebration for it! Saturday night at midnight, people hike to the Poza de Quetzalcoatl and have a ceremony with candles all around and they dance through the night. Then they relocate to the town square and continue to dance, play music, and share tales of Quetzalcoatl. There were also food vendors and small carnival rides for the kids. We did not make the night time trek, but I took some wonderful shots of the dancers the next day. Their elaborate feathered headdresses (penachos) were so beautiful and fun to photograph.
