Tepoztlán

Tepoztlán is a Pueblo Magico just 85 km south of CDMX. In an hour and a half drive you will arrive to a cute town full of great restaurants, hiking and markets to enjoy. I really miss a good hike on a holiday, so this town was high on our list!

The first day we spent walking around the Saturday market, which actually seems to be every day. It can be tricky to drive through the town with closed streets or one-way streets, so if you can stay in town and walk, or stay out of town and arrive early, it would be a good idea. Tepoztlán is known for their itacates (a triangular Mexican grilled sandwich?) Which embarrassingly we never tried! The market has everything on offer, daily basic necessities, crafts, food and decorations.

We had a delicious late lunch at El Ciruelo which has an ant egg appetizer (tasted like scrambled eggs) the kids thought it was a mini-risotto dish, so we didn’t tell them until afterwards. The attached gift shop is gorgeous. And the view is amazing! We parked at private parking lots on either side, but they also offer valet parking which can be great when the traffic is moving slowly.

The afternoon was spent walking around the Ex-Convento Nuestra Señora de la Natividad, a church built by Indigenous Tepoztecos under the order of the Dominicans between 1555 and 1580. It was a nice cool escape with preserved frescos.

The next day my eldest and I decided to hike Tepozteco to the top to see the Temple built to the god of pulque (pulque has been made for thousands of years from the fermented sap of the maguey plant). It’s 600 m straight up a winding, shady path to arrive at the amazing view and the temple at the top which was built 1150-1350 BC. You can easily access the main path from the town, through the stands selling water, snacks and artesania. Then it’s a 45 min hike up to the top and a 30 min hike down. (Aprox 92 floors according to my phone.) Bring water and wear sneakers as it’s a path with tree roots and stone steps (of course we did a stroller coming up on our way down!). In the morning it’s much cooler and fewer people crowding the path, it was getting crowded on our way down. When we got to the top there was a security guard, I’m guessing in his 70s, who does this commute every day to work! What a workout as it’s straight up and straight down. Closed Monday and Tuesday. It said 45 pesos entrance fee but we didn’t pay any fee. We also were told we would see coati, but unfortunately we didn’t see any.

For lunch we went to Los Colorines, super long line, but worth the wait with great service, a nice fun ambiance and tasty food. Then a walk past another really nice shop, Casa Organica, which is on the outskirts of the market. And in the afternoon we went to see the Museo Tepoztlán Colección Carlos Pellicer, a nice small collection of local artifacts. A perfectly formed and sized museum for kids! Afterwards we tried vegan ice cream at Tejon on Zaragoza Street (which might be closed now) but, never fear, there is a Santa Clara in town too.

We ran out of time as there was so much hiking, shopping and eating to do! But next time we would love to check out the Cascada de los Venaditos, and the nearby Poza de Quetzalcoatl, and Piramide Tlayacapan. And try La Miga for brunch, but we did stop in at Panaticos for takeaway bread and treats.

Hotels
We really wanted to stay at Posada del Tepozteco but we booked last minute and it was fully booked. Other people recommended Artesanos 11 (family and pet friendly) and Casa Fernanda (adults and children ages 12+ only). We ended up at Posada la Presa, which had a nice pool, was quiet and out of town and a great breakfast. It wasn’t very full, but on our last day it was fully booked and our only issue was the walls were thin. But Tepoztlán has many hotel choices, it’s warmer and sunnier than Mexico City so we were glad to have a pool when we went.