Mexico Day 70: Exploring Atlixco

Outside of Metepec, Puebla //

I’m barely awake at 7am when Mark peeks his head outside, then turns my direction and says “this is worth seeing”.  I crawl out of bed, open the door, and immediately my eyes grow wide at the unobstructed view of Popocatepetl.  The 17,800’ tall volcano rising before us is glowing pink thanks to the rising sun and is covered in a fresh dusting of snow.  A plume of dark grey smoke rises from Popo’s crater to remind us all that he* is indeed awake.  Not long after dawn, seemingly out of nowhere, clouds begin to take shape around the summit.  Popo will go on to create a veil of clouds from which he’ll hide behind for most of the rest of the day.

I have an idea today and that is to find a ride into the nearby Pueblo Mágico of Atlixco.  I’m craving the opportunity to walk around a town without the pressure of needing to leave and find a campsite or the stress of wondering if the trucks are secure parked on the street.  Since we are currently camped within a gated and locked property, this feels like the perfect place to leave the trucks and do some urban exploring.  Better yet, Uber is available in the area and so we have an easy way to get to town.

At noon, the one and only Uber on the road, picks us up in a small sedan just large enough for the four of us to squeeze inside.  With the windows rolled down for extra space and groovy Mexican tunes playing on the radio, we make our way twenty minutes down the hill and into Atlixco.  Daniel drops us off halfway up the small mountain in the center of town that has a church perched atop with an overlook of the city below.  This is as far as cars are allowed to go, a series of steep steps and ramps will take us the rest of the way there.  At the top we’re able to walk 360 degrees around taking in views of the city to the east and sprawling countryside to the west.  

A descent of hundreds of stairs takes us to the base of the mountain and directly into the tourist center of Atlixco. The very moment we make it to the first town street, the images I’ve had in my head of a vibrant Mexican city come to life.  All the concrete buildings are painted in bright and bold hues, murals add artistic flair, and potted flowers hang from the walls that line the sidewalks.  The closer we get to the town square the more crowded the streets become.  Vendors, selling goods of all kinds, sit inside shops that are about the size of a single car garage.  Pedestrians, shopkeepers, motorbikes, and vehicles all coexist in harmony in the narrow roads with tiny sidewalks.  The enjoyment we’re able to experience moving around on foot vs. the stress of trying to navigate these streets in our trucks is palpable.

Thanks to an Atlixco vlog I found on YouTube last night, I have my sights set on a restaurant called Enchiladas Lolita for lunch.  From the lively streets we step through a small entrance and into a colorful courtyard that feels like the perfect place to relax and enjoy a meal.  I order my favorite Mexican meal, enchiladas verde con huevo, while Mark orders his favorite, enchiladas mole con pollo.  When our meals are served I have to work at savoring, rather than inhaling, what is one of the most flavorful dishes I’ve had in all of Mexico.  Between the friendly service, excellent food, and delightful atmosphere, Lolita’s offers the trifecta that makes a restaurant a 10 out of 10 in my book.  I’m astonished when the bill comes and the total tab for our four meals + beverages is $23.  As we’re getting ready to leave a woman from the kitchen attempts to strike up a conversation with us, we fumble through with our limited Spanish until a server joins in to help translate.  The woman would like to know where we’re from and then proceeds to ask if they may take our photo and add it to their website.  I take this as a sign of how few Americans make it to Atlixco.  

Our walking tour of Atlixco concludes mid-afternoon when we summon another Uber driver to return us to the property in the countryside where we’re parked.  Luckily Mark gets a WhatsApp message sent to our host just before losing cell signal.  A locked gate stands between us and our trucks and the only way in is by messaging Brenda & Ernesto to come and let us in.  We stand outside the barb-wire lined gate sans cell service and hope that Mark’s text went through.  Thankfully Ernesto appears at the gate at the exact time we told him we would arrive. 

As soon as we’re back to the trucks, we go on to do the thing that feels natural when offered unobstructed views of an active volcano.  We get our chairs out, line them up facing Popocatepl, and sit and watch the thunderstorm that engulfs him and the surrounding mountains.  Although the clouds don’t clear until after sunset, our patience is rewarded as light fades from the sky and stars begin to appear.  Looking through the lens of our camera, we’re able to see Popo’s steam glow orange from the lava that is churning within.  This volcano is alive and his night light is driving that point home.

All the way up to bedtime we waver on which direction to go tomorrow.  Option 1: Drive up to 10,000’ in elevation where we can camp with even better views of Popo but will be within the “12km exclusion zone” where it’s advised to not camp due to the threat of the volcano.  Weather will likely be cold, wet, and ever-changing.  Or, Option 2: Head south to the desert where it will likely be hot but there will be zero chance of being hit by “ballistic incandescents”.  While it would be wise to heed the warnings set forth by the Mexican government in regards to Popocatepetl and her possible threats, we still can’t decide.  I’m as mesmerized as I am terrified.  Play it safe or risk it for the biscuit.  I guess we’ll decide in the morning.

What would you do?

*In Aztec mythology, Popocatépetl is a male warrior.

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