Native Trails MyTrails 2025 130 Estado de México 2 Visit of the Monastery San Francisco Javier in Tepotzotlán Duration: 02:00 h · Level: Easy The colonial town, originally populated by the Otomí, lies at an altitude of 2,300 m (7,545 ft.). It impresses the visitor by its rambling monastery of San Francisco Javier, whose sumptuous church is a masterwork of the Churrigueresque style. It testifies to the great influence the artisans and artists of the Otomí exercised on its construction. But you will also be enchanted by the octagonal side chapel “Camarín de la Virgen”, the three-hectare (7.4-acre) monastic garden, and the “Museo Nacional del Virreinato” with the most comprehensive collection of religious art treasures from the colonial period. 3 Excursion to the pyramid complex of Teotihuacán Duration: 03:00 h · Level: Medium Visit of the huge pyramid complex of Teotihuacán. It was the first city in the “New World.” Built between 250 BC and 700 AD, its population, in its heyday, amounted to approximately 125,000 – 250,000 people in about 2,300 apartment complexes; at that time, it certainly was the largest metropolis on the American continent. Only when you walk along the mighty “Avenue of the Dead” (about 1 km long) will you become aware of the dimensions of the site. The excavations, which have been executed for many years and are still systematically continued, expand our knowledge of this past civilization every day. 4 Visit of the Templo de Quetzalcóatl Duration: 01:00 h · Level: Easy Because of its distinctive decoration, the temple of Quetzalcoatl is considered one of the most beautiful structures of pre-Hispanic Mexico. Third in size among the pyramids of Teotihuacán, it was erected on a square platform inside the citadel about 250 AD. The temple consists of huge stone blocks and is adorned with some 365 reliefs of serpent heads, sculptures of the “Feathered Serpent”, as the god’s name translates from Náhuatl. Other ornaments include marine elements such as corals or shells, which is suggestive of Quetzalcoatl being venerated as the creator god. 5 Hot air balloon ride over Teotihuacán Duration: 05:00 h · Level: Medium Your excursion begins early in the morning with a meeting with the crew near the archaeological zone of Teotihuacán. Together, you will drive to the launch site, where the captain provides a brief introduction and safety briefing. Then the moment arrives: your hot air balloon gently lifts off and carries you for 45 to 60 minutes over the vast landscape. From the peaceful heights, you marvel at the monumental Sun and Moon Pyramids, the perfectly straight Calzada de los Muertos, and the surrounding temple ruins. The first rays of sunlight bathe the valley in a warm glow, revealing a mosaic of dry savanna, cultivated fields, and scattered agave plantations. The view stretches to the distant volcanoes, and even the bustling streets below appear calm and orderly from above - a magical moment where past and present converge. 6 Visit of the Former Convent of San Agustín Acolman Duration: 01:00 h · Level: Easy The former Convent of San Agustín Acolman, one of the oldest church buildings of the Conquista period, has a façade reminiscent of a fortress. Although this impression is mitigated by the Plateresque church portal, the fortification elements of the mighty 16th century building are still well recognizable. The large cloister in the larger of two atriums impresses the visitor with wonderful columns in Isabelino style and shows carefully exposed wall paintings. The open chapel with its outward layout and a fresco of St. Catarina was intended to promote the Christianization of the “infidels”, who, some state, were much more at ease in the open air than in the darkness inside the church walls. 7 Visit of the archaeological site of Santa Cecilia Acatitlán Duration: 01:00 h · Level: Easy Unlike many other archaeological zones within the area of the former Aztec empire, where you will see pyramids without the temples that had formerly been on top of them, Santa Cecilia Acatitlán gives you the chance of imagining the impression such a complex left in the people in ancient times, because the temple was reconstructed according to old pictures when the pyramid was secured in 1962. The place is likely to have originally been under Chichimec rule.
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