Outside of the city...

Anyone visiting Mexico city or spending anytime here wishing to get away from the hustle and bustle should think about visiting Tepoztlán - a small town of just over 32,000 residents located a short drive away from DF in the state of Morelos.

According to myth, Tepoztlan is the birthplace over 1200 years ago of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god widely-worshipped in ancient Mexico.

It has not yet been possible to determine who first inhabited the area. The earliest findings of pottery and other ceramic utensils date back to approximately 1500 BCE.

By the 10th century CE the Toltec culture was predominant in the area. Tepoztlán is said to have been the birthplace of Ce Acatl, a very important Toltec leader, later known as Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl, and who may be the possible historical basis of the Mesoamericangod Quetzalcoatl.

During the Spanish Conquest Hernán Cortés is said to have ordered the town razed after the refusal of the town leaders to meet him. This event was chronicled by Bernal Díaz del Castillo in The Conquest of New Spain.

The town has a rich history and plenty to see and is rapidly becoming one of the most sought after areas with many wealthy mexicans snapping up weekend and summer houses in the town.

If travelling to Tepoz in a large group you may wish to rent a house for your stay. We recommend looking at www.laquintadimension.com for a beautiful rental house in the pretty town. The owner has one large home in Tepoztlán and a smaller condo at Valle de Bravo available for rent year round. Reservations can be made by contacting the owners son, Fabian Aldama on the telephone number listed on thier website who can arrange bookings of both properties and speaks fluent english for any of you non spanish speakers.