Day Twenty-Four - Xalapa

The morning started with an hour or so bus drive to the ancient site of Quiahuixtlan. These archaeological ruins date back to more than 1,500 years ago and span over three civilizations – the Totonacs, Toltecs, and Aztecs. The site is characterized by a huge rock formation that reaches high into the sky. We entered the site and immediately came upon miniature temples. Our guide explained that these were actually tombs for the Totonacs and would house the arms, legs, and heads of priests, warriors, government officials, and women who died in childbirth (warriors in their own right).

After exploring a bit, we walked down about 100 steps to reach a few structures from the period of the Aztecs. According to the guide, this was the spot where Hernan Cortes forged his alliance with some of the Tlaxcalans in his quest to dethrone Montezuma. Looking off into the distance we also saw a small island (the tiny one) which is apparently the spot where Cortes tied his ships and then destroyed them so that his comrades would have to continue on and could not return home without him.

Once we were finished touring, some of the members in our group decided to make the climb towards the top of the huge rock formation. I decided against it, as the sun and bugs were my enemies today. It took them two hours to go up about halfway and come back down. They say that it was similar to extreme rock climbing. While I’m sure I would have loved it, my jeans were already stuck to me and my asthma was acting up…probably wouldn’t have been such a good idea.

After they all returned, we made our way to the city of Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz. We tried to go to the Anthropology Museum of Xalapa, but didn’t make it in time. We’re going to head there tomorrow instead.  On our way back, I noticed another Ford showroom.  This one's for you, Uncle Stash:

I also got a taste of “Americanization” in Mexico tonight, as a few of us headed to the local mall for dinner. Honestly, I felt like I had stepped into the Queens Centre Mall. The food court had everything from McDonalds to Subway to Carl’s Jr. (which we rarely even see in NYC). For dinner, we decided on Chili’s and had a taste of home. It was good, but not as good as the Sopa Xochitl (spicy chicken soup) that I’ve been ordering for lunch every day. I’m definitely going to miss that when I get home, but knowing me, I’ll be able to recreate it in no time! Since we didn’t go to the mall to shop, we headed back to the hotel right after dinner. Tomorrow we’re gone by 8:30am and have a busy day ahead of us, so until next time…