Cuernavaca and surroundings

Cuernavaca - special edition

I've always wanted to write something about my city and the secrets it hides, and now that my friend Hayley is going to Cuernavaca, it is a good time to do that. This is for you. :)

First things first!!.. What you want to drink is "Cafe de Olla", it is a traditional way to prepare coffee, like an american coffee but with particular cinnamon/ground taste :) .. In Cuernavaca downtown I would recommend to go for a coffee at "La India Bonita", this is a traditional restaurant that have a very good cafe de olla... :)... Calle Morrow, No 15-B, Centro 

Now..

Original name is Cuauhnāhuac which means place of trees, the spanish "conquestors" couldn't pronounce that and named it Cuernavaca.

Cuernavaca is named the "eternal spring city", the weather is great most part of the year. Although lately is a little more extreme, just a little more. When I was a kid I used to play in the streets with my friend at the posada until 2 a.m. Our parents were not looking at us,  we were really safe, and they stayed in the house while we had fun, the weather was perfect although a bit cold. but I was a kid, who cares about the cold?

The reason of the great weather is that Cuernavaca is build at the middle or bottom of a mountain, in the top of that mountain is Mexico City. The north of Cuernavaca is a forrest, it is a little bit cold and the south is reaaally hot sometimes, so from the north to the south there are many types of weather which makes it so great, probably the most perfect area to live is "Delicias" or Vista Hermosa, in those city areas the weather is just perfect.

Why is the weather so great? There are multiple canions in the middle of the ciyy, these canions or "barrancas" work as a cooler bringing the cold wind from the top of the mountain and it mixes with he wind in the top which is hot creating a mixed temperature that creates the eternal spring.

My mother says that, any plant you ground, any flower, any tree, any fruit tree will grow in Cuernavaca.

Cuernavaca downtown (centro) is so small that you can visit almost everything in one day.

Ok, where to go?

- Palacio de Cortes --must go-- @ Downtown

Cortes palace is a great place to visit, it was a jail, government palace, now a museum, it is built on top of a pyramid and you can see that from the inside of it, it has a great mural in the back side, for sure you know Diego rivera and Frida Kahlo, he painted those murals. 

Last month my brother proposed in a restaurant in front of the palace and I had the chance o take that picture :)

- Plaza de Armas @ Downtown

This plaza before the spanish people arrived was the main commerce center, even during the colonization the main market was here, eventually the market was moved and this is the main plaza of the city, where all the independence celebrities happen. I am against celebrating an independence that really didn't happen btw.. Viva Mexico!! ;)

- Zocalo and Kiosko @ Downtown

This is probably the story I like the most. One town from spain asked for a Kiosko  (see the picture) to a really important French Engineer,  then Cuernavaca did the same but to a different engineer, the designs were sent to the wrong city, so Cuernavaca got the design of the important engineer , I always feel like I want to cry a little bit with this story ;/.. the name of the engineer: Gustave Eiffel ... enough said! :)

All over Mexico we have french architecture and the reason is that the wife of a president/dictator (Porfirio Diaz) liked so much french architecture, so she told her husband that she wanted everything to look like Paris, this is another evidence that the world is controlled by woman ;)

- Museo Brady -optional- @ Downtown

You probably have seen great museums already and this is a small one, just the collection of an english man that loved Cuernavaca, he traveled around the world and was collecting objects like masks, pillows, frames etc from all over the world. When he passed away he donate his house and his collection. (or maybe his family cause he was not alive anymore hehehe)

- Plazuela del Zacate -- must go -- @Downtown

It is a nice place to have the first beer before getting a seriously funny night.. I use to meet my friends there every weekend to plan the night after college... try "el garage" that is probably the best place to go. although lately there are many new places .. during the day there is not much to see, but the 1 block distance block walk is worth :).

- Mercado, or central market. --must go-- @Close to Downtown

Full of color, noisy, some areas are smelly, but all the businesses inside the dome, yes the market is in a huuuge dome, all the things are amazing, it is delicious to have food although your bacterias are different so probably is not a good idea for you to eat there. I used to go with my mom to do the grocery every weekend, always carrying a huge bag of oranges for the week...

like this:

Well not that big, but I was still a kid :)

- Jardin Borda --must go-- @ Downtown

Jardin Borda is the most traditional park, although is most for tourism, there are art expositions and music. You can be the captain of a boat like a kayak and travel trough the the artificial lake., make sure to not find the pirates on your way, they might sink you :) 

- Catedral --must go-- @Downtown

All the cathedrals are on top of ancient pyramids, usually ceremonial pyramids were destroyed, so the parents would take their kids to venerate the old gods, but eventually the kids started to venerate Jesus, that was part of the spanish strategy to conquer. The maintenance manager of the cathedral is my fathers friend, they respect a lot my father, if you tell the manager "Tonio" that you know me, "El hijo del contador Alejandro Gonzalez" (the son of the accountant, my father is an accountant), then if you ask for it he might show you the tombs of the fathers that are in the backside of the atrium.

- Hacienda de cortes

This is a hotel and spa... so beautiful for weddings and to stay and eat, although is not that cheap.. however you can visit it and walk around just asking for permission in the front desk. this is not in downtown so you might need to take a taxi.

Take a look to this architecture, isn't it amazing???? Recently like 10 years ago Antonio banderas bougth an Hacienda close to Cuernavaca and he is fixing it to be a SPA too.

- Hosteria las Quintas @ Nearby downtown

And this is my mom and me at las quintas recently :)

Las quintas breakfast buffete is delicious you can try most of the traditional mexican food, it is not really cheap but worth it. Its gardens are amazing and so beautiul, you can walk around that place and you will see the magic of the colors of Cuernavaca, flowers, fruits, trees, just beautiful.

What and where to eat?

- Tacos acorazados @ Tacos mary at "Pasaje bellavista" this place is in front of the kiosco/zocalo
- Pozole @El barco at owntown too. Taxco however might have better Pozole
- Tacos de Canasta. There is no a particular place I could remember
- Gorditas @Gorditas donia tina at the central market
- Tacos de res @El cuniado. Beef tacos with a special soup "consome" in front of Comercial Mexicana Centro.

What to drink?
- The water of Cuernavaca is really delicious, it is compared to Evian water although is not comercialized like that. Buy a "santoriny" water bottle at any "tiendita" or oxxo.
- Buy a BIONICO, this is a mix of fruits that you can get in the kiosko :)

Hidden places?

- Barrancas
Take the turistic bus tour and it will take you to the inside of one of the barrancas, although it might not be something impressive, think about during the revolution all the gun power was hidden in those barrancas.

People says that if you get a love kiss in a barranca, you would marry that person.. I never had a kiss there ;/ .. or not yet

- Underground tunnels

These tunnels communicate Catedral, Jardin Borda and Palacio de Cortes underground, Used by the spanish people to go everywhere without mixing with the population at that time. Later those were used to date the Emperator Maximiliano with his lover "La india bonita" an indian girl that is said was really beautiful, he cheated on his wife :/

You cannot visit those tunnels anymore, they are closed but if you carefully look at the main hallways in the Jardin Borda you might find the entrance, follow picture is part of the tunnel, the tunnel is under that hallway and the entrance to it is at one of the sides.

(Keep the entrance as a our secret...)

Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl
Take a look to the east and if you are lucky you will see them:

The legend says that Popocatepetl was a warrior and Iztaccihuatl was a princess, her father sent him to war cause he didn't like popocatepetl, she was told that he died in battle so she killed herself, when he knew about her dead he ran till find her and took her in his arms and ran away when he got tired let her sleep and he continued his way then he died too in pain. That is why you see them side to side... Iztaccihuatl means "Sleeping woman" and Popocatepelt the "mountain that smokes" ... we usually make a joke when the Popocatepelt is active and has a small eruption: "The popocatepelt is hot (horny) and the woman is sleeping -typical- " ;)

The secret treasure

My family has a secret of a treasure hidden in Cuernavaca, only my mum, my dad and me know where it is, but it is in a private property. I am not sure if I told you before about this story and if not, I will someday :)

Around cuernavaca and Taxco

Don't forget to go to Tepoztlan --must go--.. that place is amazing... make sure you have tennis shoes to climb the mountain to get to the Tepozteco pyramid, get a michelada, try tepoznieves, eat quesadilla de chapulines and quesadilla de flor de calabaza.

Bring some cookies, if you are lucky you will find my friends and feed them, tell them I send them my regards::: :D

Close to Taxco is also Xochicalco --must go-- one of my favorite places. I wish I could explain you all the symbols of the next pic.

You can do camping overnight here, with a RSVP and there is a light show.. I was part of the very first group that did this camping, it is so magical, all the pyramids are iluminated with different colors, can you imagine all those symbols but painted with different live colors? native mexicans were really amazing!!!!

El rollo 

Morelos has a ton of aquatic parks ... best one and most fun is "el rollo" you --must go-- to any of them, although it might be a little bit cold in jan/feb. Don't forget your sun blocker...

Atzala, to be honest I have never been there.. but I wish :)

There are many other things to see... and hopefully I can join you to any of these someday.

Enjoy so much!
A hug!! :)
.Alex