SENIORS RETURN TO MEXICO



Seniors Head For This “Magic Town”

In the state of Puebla, nestled high in the hills of Mexico’s Sierra Norte, senior citizens will find the “Magic Town” of Cuetzalan. The town of 45,000 is surrounded by a tropical forest filled with waterfalls, grottos, and coffee plantations.

The lush green hills of Mexico’s Sierra Norte—punctuated by cascading waterfalls and steep cave-studded limestone cliffs—surround this remote indigenous community. The residents here are Nahuatl, (pronounced NAH waht l),  direct descendants of the Aztecs that inhabited the region centuries ago.

Every Sunday locals flock to the market in Cuetzalan, where local farmers sell a rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables, locally grown coffee, and home-spun fabrics.

Three structures rise above Cuetzalan’s skyline: the plaza’s freestanding clock tower, the Gothic spire of the Parroquia de San Francisco and, to the west, the tower of the French Gothic Santuario de Guadalupe, with its highly unusual decorative rows of los jarritos (clay vases).

The Casa de Cultura houses a small, underwhelming but free regional museum. About 5km northeast of town, there’s a pair of outstanding waterfalls called Las Brisas and Cascada del Salto. For you adventurous senior spelunkers, the Cuetzalan cave system has the potential to be the most extensive in Latin America, with 100km of cave passaged discovered since the 1970s.

Indigenous men and woman flaunt their traditional dress, as white as the mist that sometimes descends into town. Some carry goods on their back that they’ll sell during the day, but all walk with the pride of their ancestral legacy. Cuetzalan is a town where the past lives on, a place where streets rise and fall suddenly.

 Seniors Find Unspoiled Attractions

Every year, thousands of visitors like yourselves descend upon Cuetzalan, some six hours North-East of Mexico City, for an annual spectacle known as the Dance of  The Voldores (or “Flying Men”). Strapped into rope harnesses atop a 100 foot replica tree trunk, four performers wow audiences with a choreographed aerial display.

I witnessed one of these in Mexico City.  Senior visitors will be enthralled with the action as they swing freely dangling in the air working their way to the ground below.

The region where this singular village is situated is the well known Sierra Norte, a zone with a tropical-humid climate. An adventure to Cuetzalan simply requires an open mind, some faith in yourself, and respect for the people around you (and maybe just a few words in Spanish).

Fodor’s notes that Cuetzalan is one of the most precious and unspoiled attractions in the state of Puebla. Because of its elevation the town is often enveloped in clouds. At Cuetzalan, senior visitors will see some of the Mexican Highland’s most picturesque scenery.

It’s now on the Becker’s ‘travel bucket list’. Consider putting it on yours. jeb

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