Mt. Tepozteco overlooks the main street in Tepoztlán.
The quaint town of Tepoztlán (place of abundant copper in the indigenous Nahuatl language) has grown rapidly to over 40,000 inhabitants in recent years. Some of the growth can be attributed to the Pueblo Mágico (magical town) designation bestowed by the Mexican Secretariat of Tourism. This award recognizes selected towns for their scenic beauty, cultural heritage, and/or their historical significance.
Bananas, mangos, strawberries, guayaba, pineapple, melons, even Washington apples, they have it all.
Tepoztlán comes to life on Market Days, every Wednesday and Sunday. That is when food vendors, craft persons and local farmers set up awnings around the main square of town. People come from Mexico City and surrounding towns to enjoy the live music, shop for fresh produce, dine, and perhaps seek out their favorite flavor of ice cream for which the town is famous.
Our first visit to Tepoztlán was on a Sunday. We chose a nearby restaurant for lunch before purchasing several grocery bags filled with fresh fruits and vegetables including pineapple, strawberries, bananas, mangos, mandarin oranges, tomatoes and avocados, all for about $15. We would have looked into the 16th century Dominican cathedral, The Parish of the Nativity, except that Sunday mass was just getting out, and the area in and around the cathedral was quite crowded.
The mosaic mural is coated with varnish so the birds won’t eat the seeds.
Our return visit to Tepoztlán on a Wednesday a few weeks later allowed us time to visit the cathedral. Access to the cathedral grounds from the marketplace is through an arched gate. The face of this portal is exquisitely decorated with a mosaic scene portraying in fine detail the agricultural imagery of the region. The whole scene is portrayed solely with the use of seeds, beans, and organic materials. Even though the image is preserved by a thick layer of varnish, we learned the entire mosaic is redesigned and redone from scratch every year.
The Dominican cathedral is even more dramatic inside.
The cathedral itself is a tribute to the ingenuity of the artisans of the 1500’s who carved the intricate stonework on the façade. The local history is also superbly displayed and described at the adjacent former convent, now a museum. We were as impressed with the stunning architectural detail of the building as we were with the museum’s exhibits.
For the more adventurous visitor, an invigorating hike up the neighboring peak of Tepozteco offers spectacular vistas of the town, the surrounding hills and the distant central valley of Morelos. To this day there are remains of an Aztec era temple high on the cliffs of Tepozteco, probably a site for priests of an earlier era. Whether you like to shop or if you simply prefer a beautiful drive in the country, Tepoztlán is worth a visit.
Applecore 
So many colorful sites, so much beauty! Each post is a thrill.
Muchas gracias, mi amiga!
I love the way the market vendors arrange the fruit and vegetable displays. Sometimes I almost don’t want to take something from the pile and mess up the artwork!
I know what you mean. At least here you get to pick the items you want. I cannot imagine the work that goes into building pyramids of strawberries! But they do it every market day.
I liked all the pictures and the historical facts, for example of the cathedral. Very beautiful and enchanting! Nice to be able to trail along with you and the Mrs.!
Thank you for the kind words. Florence gets credit for the photos. When I take photos I get about 10. When she takes photos we get about 100, and it is much easier to choose images from a larger selection.
I’ll love the drive and the colourful fruits you get along the way! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome – thank you for following along.