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Tlaxcala Part 3: Palacio Gobierno's gorgeous murals showing the city's...
Mural showing two of Tlaxcala's most important gods. On the right is Camaxtli, the god of war and hunting. He was the chief deity of Tlaxcala and always appears with black paint across his upper face,...
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Tlaxcala Part 4: Palacio Gobierno's murals of Tlaxcala's conflict with the...
Tlaxcalteca warriors engage in a "pep rally" before going into battle. The one on the right wears the heron emblem of Tizatlán, one of the four key cities of what the Spanish called the Tlaxcala...
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Tlaxcala Part 5: Plaza Xicoténcatl and the Ex-Convento Franciscano de Nuestra...
Plaza Xicoténcatl is named for a famous warrior-general. Xicoténcatl Axayacatzín (also known as the The Younger) was the chief military leader of the Tlaxcalteca when the Spanish arrived. The Plaza...
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Tlaxcala Part 6: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption
Detail from the main retablo in the Chapel of the Third Order. The figure above, although only identified as "Caballero" (Gentleman), may be San Luis Rey, the sainted 13th Century French King. The 18th...
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Tlaxcala Part 7a: Museo Regional artifacts from the Pre-Classic to the...
Priest of the Rain God Tlaloc. The molded-clay statue was created during the Epi-Classic era (650-900 AD). This was the period between the fall of Teotihuacán and the rise of the Toltec Empire. In...
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Tlaxcala Part 7b: Museo Regional's artifacts- Pre-Hispanic Post-Classic Era...
Chac-Mools like this were used from the Toltec through the Aztec periods. A Chac-Mool is a carved and polished stone statue, thought to represent either a god or a warrior. The figure is always the...
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Cantona Part 1: Ancient city, lost in the high desert
Person of the elite class, holding a bowl. This small statue, found at the ancient city of Cantona, represents a member of the elite class. His status is indicated by cranial elongation. Binding the...
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Cantona Part 2: The ancient city's unique Ball Game Clusters
Main pyramid of Ball Court Cluster #7, viewed from its right side. Archeologists have identified twenty-seven ball courts at Cantona. This represents more than twice as many as any other pre-hispanic...
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Cantona Part 3: The Plaza of Fertility, the South Plaza & Pyramid, and the...
Cantona's largest pyramid overlooks the Plaza of Fertility. These structures are part of a civic, religious, and administrative complex that lies just south of Ball Game Cluster #7 (see previous...
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Cantona Part 4 of 4: Where and how the ancient people lived
View of an elite neighborhood from atop one of the pyramids on the Acropolis. In this posting, we'll take a look at Cantona's elite and middle-class neighborhoods, as well as some of the artifacts...
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Tlaxcala Part 8: The Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions
A weaver operates a 16th century-style loom at the Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares. In this posting, we return to Tlaxcala from our visit to the ancient ruins of Cantona. The museum contains...
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Tlaxcala Part 9: Mercado Sabatino, the place where you can buy (almost) anything
A flower customer examines her choices. Flowers are only one of the many items for sale here, including a variety of live animals. After we visited the Museo de Artes y Tradicionales Populares (see...
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Tlaxcala Part 10: Franciscan chapels of the colonial era
Carole starts up the long staircase leading to the Capilla del Cristo del Buen Vecino. The Chapel of the Christ of the Good Neighbor stands at the top of a hill behind the Convento Franciscano de...
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Tlaxcala Part 11 of 11: The Basilica of the Virgin of Ocotlán
The Virgin of Ocotlán is the centerpiece of the Basilica's main altar. In this last posting of my Tlaxcala series, we'll take a look at the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Ocotlán, located on a hill to...
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Zultépec-Tecoaque Part 1: Outpost of the Teotihuacán Empire
Teotihuacán"theatre" censer found at Zultépec-Tecoaque. The incense was burned in the lower, hour-glass shaped part of the theatre censer. The upper part is an elaborately decorated lid shaped to...
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Zultépec-Tecoaque Part 2: The main plaza and its temples
The Temple of Ehecatl, God of the Wind, overlooks the Plaza Prinicpal. In Part 1 of this series, I showed you some of the fascinating artifacts recovered from the period when this site was a...
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Zultépec-Tecoaque Part 3: The North and South Plazas
Temple of Mictlantecuhtli, God of Death and Ruler of the Underworld. The temple is located in the Plaza Superior Sur, directly south of the Plaza Principal (see Part 2 of this series). In this posting,...
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Zultépec-Tecoaque Part 4: Daily Life of the city's inhabitants
Examples of the beautifully crafted pottery found at Zultépec. I particularly liked the graceful shape of the pitcher, as well as the painted designs on the bowls. It is not clear whether these were...
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The Towering Waterfall and Lush Meadows of Cañon Leonera
Water cascades down the vertical walls of Cañon Leonera. In the summer of 2017 (I'm behind, I admit it...) I was among several carloads of expat hikers who drove two hours from the Lake Chapala area to...
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The hike to Rio Negro's steaming hot waterfall
Billows of steam rise from Rio Negro's remarkable hot waterfall. The scalding hot water comes from springs further up the arroyo. Three of my friends and I visited the falls during a hike into the...
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