Completely apart from and high above its popular beach destinations of Cabo, Cancun, and Cozumel, there is a side to Mexico that few foreigners get to see.  A major attraction of my two-week trip to the Central Highlands of Mexico was the time we had for exploration of Mexico’s cultural treasures.  These included the obligatory cathedrals and the Spanish colonial architecture in the cities of Taxco and Puebla.  However, the pre-Columbian city of Teotihuacan with its amazing pyramids, largest outside of Egypt, and the attractively restored Hacienda of Vista Hermosa struck me as particularly interesting.

Teotihuacan, located 25 miles northeast of Mexico City, is known today as the site of many of the most architecturally significant Mesoamerican pyramids built in the pre-Columbian Americas.  At its zenith in the first half of the first millennium AD, it was the largest city in the Americas, with a population estimated at 125,000 or more.

The city is thought to have been established around 100 BC, with its major monuments continuously under construction until about 250 AD.  Teotihuacan began as a new religious center in the Mexican Highlands around the first century AD and featured multi-floor apartment compounds built to accommodate its large population.  The city lasted until sometime between the 7th and 8th centuries AD, though its major monuments were sacked and systematically burned around 550 AD.

By far the most amazing hotel in which we stayed during the two weeks was the Hacienda Vista Hermosa, around ½ hour from Cuernavaca and near the Xochicalcan ruins.

La Hacienda de San José Vista Hermosa was founded in 1529 by Hernán Cortés, “conqueror” of Mexico.  As a reward for his conquests, Charles V, honored him with the title of Marques del Valle de Oaxaca, granting him dominion and rights over 23,000 vassals and a vast expanse of land. The Hacienda of San José of Vista Hermosa was center of the life, culture and activity of the region.  Lacking iron and wood, it was built of stone with the proportions of a fortress, surrounded by colossal walls, including in its domains the residential building, stables, and the magnificent stone facilities used in the sugar refinery.

After changing hands a few times, Don Vicente Vidal bought Vista Hermosa in 1820, and it remained the property of his family until 1910, when the revolution broke out.  After various revolutionary battles, only ruins remained to hint at its former pomp and glory.  In 1945, the almost-destroyed Hacienda was acquired to rebuild it and turn it into a tourist destination.  The original architectural style was retained and in 1947 it opened its doors to the public to become the prestigious Hotel Hacienda Vista Hermosa of today.

Completely apart from and high above its popular beach destinations of Cabo, Cancun, and Cozumel, there is a side to Mexico that few foreigners experience.  In the Central Highlands, south of Mexico City, excellent hiking and climbing opportunities may be found amidst the ice and snow of its volcanoes, including the 3^rd highest peak in North America.

Our Hauser Exkursionen group consisted of nine German clients, a German leader, a handful of local guides, and The Vagabond Hiker.  That alone provided quite a cultural experience.  All were simpatico, however, and most all spoke excellent English, or at least vastly better English than my vague remembrances of schoolboy German.

We started out with the easy and accessible (and therefore popular) ascent of Volcan Ajusco, which at 12,900 ft. overlooks Mexico City from the south.  While Ajusco gave some nice views of the city, our itinerary quickly became more interesting with the climb of Nevada Toluca (15,390 ft), Mexico’s 4^th highest peak, which provided a great scramble along the crater ridge to the high point.  Several German proved their mettle with this short but challenging climb.  The next objective of our group was Mexico’s 3rd highest peak, Iztaccihuatl (17,260 ft), known locally as Ixta to facilitate pronunciation.  This peak was the most difficult we attempted as it involved an alpine (pre-dawn) start, one mile of vertical ascent, high elevation, and some snow.  Only four of us, myself included, reached the summit.

As a respite from the more challenging climbs, we next hiked up Mexico’s 5th highest peak, Malinche (14,640 ft), which featured masses of locals on their private version of the pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.  This pilgrimage, likely the largest in the western hemisphere, culminated the following day when millions converged for her feast day.  Finally we tackled Mexico’s highest volcano, Pico de Orizaba, at 18,490 ft the 3^rd highest peak in North America.  We spent the pre-summit night at the high camp after more than an hour crawling along a rough 4wd drive road in our ancient Jeeps.  With another alpine start at 2 AM, we climbed up to the 30-degree snow slope of the Glaciar de Jamapa and then traced a route up the glacier and around the crater rim to the actual summit.  With better acclimatization, eight of us reached the top with its splendid early morning views across to the Gulf of Mexico.

Apart from the excellent hiking and climbing, a key attraction of this trip for me was all the extra time we had for exploration of Mexico’s cultural treasures in the Central Highlands, including the incredible pyramids at Teotihuacan and the attractive colonial cities of Taxco and Puebla.  Part 2 of Another Side of Mexico will highlight two of these attractions…