Chula Cholula: Zacatlán de las Manzanas

Zacatlán de las Manzanas

Yesterday - after 2 hours of sleep - I did a day trip to Zacatlán de las Manzanas (manzana means apple, as the region is famous for them), together with C. (Denmark) and P. (Australia).

It was a bit cumbersome to go there, as we had to cross the town Chignahuapan, which is famous for its Christmas baubles. People from all over the country seem to go there just to buy these handmade baubles. The whole town was a huge market, very similar to a German Christmas market, but totally lacking the atmosphere due to high temperatures, sun, and no snow at all (and no hot punch and Glühwein, of course...). Well, you can guess how hard it was to cross the narrow streets by coach...

Even kilometers away they sold Christmas baubles - directly on the street, in front of a bend.

Finally we arrived in Zacatlán de las Manzanas. As many people already since years call me "Chico de las Manzanas" or something similar due to my immense love for this delicious pomaceous fruit, Zacatlán should be my paradise. So I was kind of surprised that during my whole visit I didn't come across a single apple tree. But at least the apples were on sale, so no problem. The original reason why I became interested in this Pueblo Mágico weren't the apples anyway, but the delish salsas KIN T'IYAT.

The original reason for which I got interested in Zacatlán

One of the attractions is the huge double-sided flower clock on the main plaza. Its mechanism was manufactured on site in Zacatlán in Latin America's first clock factory.

Working flower clock.

The mother refused to take a picture of us (WTF?!), so I just asked her 3 year old daughter. Interesting angle, isn't it.

Of course we tried the local specialty - Pan de Queso (Cheese bread). Actually the bread comes in different shapes, each filled with sweetened cottage cheese. Not bad, but nothing worth to call it a local specialty, I would say.

This bakery is famous for Zacatlán's specialty: Cottage cheese filled bread. Oh yes - people fill up on it apparently...

Pan de Queso

Filling of sweetend cottage cheese

Pan de Queso in form of a croissant.

Guess the filling...

Ah yeah, once again...

Same filling, but still better than the others, due to its crunchy texture outside.

And on the market I found: A corn bread, filled with... ya, guess what - cottage cheese. And corn again? Love Mexican "variety"...

It's always the same with Mexican cuisine: The reason for its "incredible variety of food blend with local culture and traditions" - and the reason why it's a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage - simply is the Mexicans' talent to promote simple and plain dishes as something special. But I'm fine with it... as long as the next Italian restaurant isn't too far away...

Municipal theatre

A 30 minute taxi drive brought us to Valle de Piedras Encimadas (Stacked Stone Valley), a huge area with hundreds of basalt stone formations.

Valle de Piedras Encimadas

See the peacock?

Kissing couple.

The girls saw a horse, I saw a dog - gender mainstreaming...

The loving Mom kissing her child (which you can see on the right side)

Hey Popeye, where's your pipe?

C. (Denmark) and P. (Australia)

Sea horse

This atmosphere reminded me so much of a scene of one of the western movies I used to watch as a child. Redskins comiiiiiing...

As there were only two donkeys left, I rent a bicycle, which I was totally fine with. Actually I'm still thinking about buying me a cheap one here, as I like to cycle around and explore new areas. Let's see.

Typical Mexican market stall

With good reason it's Thailand and not Mexico, which is known as "Land of Smiles"...

At the end of our trip we still visited one of the many waterfalls in the region. It reminded me sooo much of my region in Germany. Same flora, similar environment, even the smell of the air was the same.

C. (Denmark), me, P. (Australia)

Happy, but I think our faces reflect the lack of sleep...

The "Attention" sign? Who cares - let's just stick on some advertisement for land purchases...

Pretty dog - and pretty dirty paws. Poor trousers.

The way back took even longer than the going there, because now the Christmas baubles town was really stuck. No getting through at all. At least my extremely short night allowed me to sleep nearly the whole drive, so it wasn't too much of a big deal. Monday free. Short week following. Nice.