It's fun to shop for fresh vegetables and fruit at the outdoor markets. The warm dry climate makes it comfortable. During those few months when it rains, an overhead tarp provides protection. The main market in Tepoztlán is in the center of town. Parts of it are open every day, but it expands on weekends to serve the large tourist influx to this...
Read MoreTepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico. Finger Rock. Photo by author On September 22, the day of the fall equinox, I hiked alone into the mountains near where I live, in Tepoztlán, to honor the transition of seasons. I gave the rock protuberance that juts up two stories high from the forest floor the name "Finger Rock," because that's what it looks like to...
Read MoreTepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. A family business that operates on weekends in my neighborhood. Photo by Don Karp I’m sharing what my neighborhood is like in Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. This is the second part, where we explore the streets away from the my apartment. To see my apartment, views from there and etc.,
Read MoreTepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. Right across the street is this friendly frog who dispenses drinking water directly from the mountains. Photo by author This is a personal description of my neighborhood in Mexico. It is not just any neighborhood, or an average one. Tepoztlan, a "Magic City," is in the central volcanic region, an hour south of Mexico...
Read MoreThe climate in Tepoztán is temperate, making it an ideal place to grow plants. The soil is from volcanic deposits, and very rich. Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. Me in my garden. Photo by author The climate in Tepoztan is temperate, making it an ideal place to grow plants. The soil is from volcanic deposits, and very rich. The only hitch is lack of...
Read MoreTepoztlan,Morelos, Mexico. New trash (basura) containers are all over Centro. This is the main plaza (zocalo). Photo by Don Karp In order to continue the federal funding normally paid to a " magic city" in Mexico, Tepoztlan needs to meet a certain level of cleanliness. After all, tourists don't want to come to visit where there is a mess....
Read MoreTepoztlan, Mexico. Group photo on Cero de La Luz, San Juan. Photo by Jesus Vazquez Tepoztlan has many incredible trails that I've explored over the years. A man named Jesus contacted me to be a trail guide and help form a bilingual hiking group here. He'd found Letters From Mexico via a Google search on the city, and also knew of me...
Read MoreTepoztlan, Mexico. Whimsical "angel cloud" at sunset. Photo by Don Karp In central Mexico, there are two seasons—dry and rainy. During the rainy season, we often see spectacular skies, with clouds oozing down the strange mountain shapes that characterize Tepoztlan. I like to call them “mystical mists.” I call my photo collection “cloud atlas,”...
Read MoreBuying land and building a house in Mexico is no easy feat. This article tells the story of a friend of mine who has done it and in a very innovative and artistic way. With her imagination and tenacity, she created elegance and comfort. Her home is in the woods on a mountain in central Mexico—Tepoztlan,
Read MoreThe Deer Sanctuary (Santuario de los Venaditos) is a beautiful nature preserve with two main trails--one to a cascade, and the other to an overlook with petroglyphs and a cave. Cascade in the Deer Sanctuary, a nature preserve in Tepoztlan, Mexico. Photo by Don Karp The Deer Sanctuary (Santuario de los Venaditos) is a beautiful nature preserve...
Read More