Cuernavaca, Taxco and Tepoztlán

This weekend the study abroad program organized a three-day excursion to Cuernavaca, Taxco and Tepoztlán, with one day dedicated to each of these charming towns. Cuernavaca is appropriately referred to as the “city of eternal springtime.” The moment I stepped off the bus I sensed the tranquility of this town filled with flower-lined streets and a zócalo (town plaza) bustling with vendors selling food, inflated balloons and handicrafts. We began our visit to Cuernavaca with a tour of the Palacio de Hernán Cortés, which actually serves as a museum of the entire history of Mexico, beginning with ancient artifacts of the Olmecs to a mural by Diego Rivera. The tour guide ambitiously tried to lead us through ever moment in Mexico’s history detail by detail, so by the time that the tour ended three hours later we were ravenous for lunch. But it was worth the wait because we found a family-run restaurant down one of the side streets that served a fixed lunch (“comida corrida”). Consomé, rice, homemade tortillas, Jamaica juice and Encacuahuatado de pollo (chicken in a sauce made of peanuts, chiles and other spices) all for 35 pesos—not bad! After lunch we visited Robert Brady’s house, which is now a museum. Robert Brady was an American artist and art collector who lived in Cuernavaca for over 20 years. During his residency in Mexico he gradually converted his house into a living museum containing artwork from his world travels. Using his artistic eye, he decorated the rooms in themes such as a red oriental room and a yellow room with one of Frida Kahlo’s most famous paintings. My favorite was the tile bathroom filled with ceramic frogs. It’s certainly the type of house to make any art enthusiast jealous.

Saturday was our day in Taxco, a city known for its silver and Greek appearance for the cliff lined white buildings. We essentially had the entire day free to wander the silver shops and craft markets, eat lunch and see the cathedral. In contrast with the European feel of Taxco, Sunday spent in Tepoztlán felt more like a journey into the Amazon. We spent the morning and early afternoon climbing a steep cliff to reach a pyramid at the top and gawk at the astounding view of the valley below us. Such a strenuous hike was rewarded with lunch at one of the restaurants below. The weather was hot enough to appreciate some tropical drinks and “nieblas” (like an icy gelato). The streets of Tepoztlán that day were packed with tourists and natives celebrating Carnaval. I felt like I was walking through a labyrinth of colors, confetti, cotton candy, people walking with cold beverages in hand and street vendors shouting out for people to buy freshly baked pan dulce. What a festive way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!