After the fun we had ruin hunting last weekend, we decided to commit to a day trip into Estado de Mexico to go see the only Aztec ruins that the Spanish did not either level completely or build a church on top of. These ruins stand on a cliff high above the small village of Malinalco, about a 2 hour drive (if you don't take a bunch of wrong turns as we did) south west of the DF. We picked up friend and headed out on our adventure!
The drive was really gorgeous, and took us through many parts of pastoral Mexico. Looking out on the farms, you could have been in the countryside of any part of the US, until you looked closer. Instead of random trees growing in the fields, there were giant agave plants. It was really beautiful. I wanted to stop for some pictures, but, as it is in Mexico, there are no shoulders on the road. We would have been run over.
When we arrived in Malinalco, we found it was festival day. They were celebrating San Salvador, and there were many people in full Aztec costume, feather plumes and all. Also, many people were running around in masks and other costumes too. The best quote of the day came from Eric at lunch, "Uh oh, here comes naked Batman...in a naked suit." There was live music and a bustling market on the Zocolo, too. We had no idea this was happening when we set out on this trip, so it was a lucky coincidence that we happened to pick this weekend.
After we parked the car ($25 pesos for all day, not bad!) we set out for the 20 minute hike up to the ruins. We passed this church at the base of the climb. Maybe the Spanish didn't want to carry all the building materials all the way up the hill, so they decided this spot was close enough.
Vamos a las ruinas!
As with any Mexican ruin site, you have to earn your experience. These stairs went up, up, up for about a 20 minute walk to the top of the cliff, no safety rails included.
The elevation here is 5,900 feet, a little over 2,000 feet lower than Mexico City. We could definitely feel the difference in the air. This area has an interesting micro-climate, making it both tropical and temperate at the same time (mind-boggling!). It was interesting, because there were banana trees sprinkled in with the oyamel trees, and everything was super lush.
We finally made it! A first glimpse into the ruins.
Here we have the main ritual complex. Many a dark thing happened in there...creepy!
The stairs leading up to the platform. The view was pretty spectacular up there.
View from the platform of the mountains. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was absolutely amazing.
More ruins nestled into the cliff. The acoustics inside that round part were really good. We had fun running science experiments with sound inside.
Enjoying the beautiful day!
Just inside that door is where the human sacrifices took place. According to the website this was, "a receptacle for blood offerings to the earth, legitimizing Aztec rule." I think it was probably terrifying to be an Aztec...
The micro-climate was warm and wet, and there was moss everywhere. Reminds me of home....
The tail end of the complex. There were a series of rooms in this part, and we even saw a fancy lizard! The pic of him didn't really turn out though.
Hello cact-friends! Both tropical and deserty all at once.
The village of Malinalco below. We could hear the chaotic music from the festival the whole time we were up here. It really added to the ambiance.
Life was pouring out of everything here. So beautiful.
After we climbed down from the ruins, we wondered about town for a bit. Here is the main church on the town's Zocolo.
Molten hot Molcajete de Res for lunch, served with handmade tortillas....mmm, I want to go back :)
A bit of a palate cleanser after lunch...nieve in lime, chocolate and coconut. Perfect end to a great visit.
View up to the ruins from town. We climbed all the way up there!
We had a great time exploring this special little place...looking forward to more Mexiventures!
