Tlaxcala

Date: June 11, 2024

From Apoala we went to the state of Tlaxcala and stayed two nights at the historic Hacienda Soltepec right outside the town of Huamantla and close to the volcano La Malinche. The hacienda is believed to have been founded in the 16th century but the buildings are much more recent. Here is a picture of the facade and entry to the hotel:

Right inside the doors is this sun room/lounge area:

We got a room in the oldest part of the hacienda, in a room off a series of two interior courtyards. The first courtyard had this well-like structure:

The next courtyard also has water in the form of two fountains with waterlilies in bloom::

There was a pomegranate tree in the courtyard, recognizable by its characteristic fruits:

Here is a pomegranate where the skin has split open to reveal the ruby red seeds inside:

At night the courtyard was lit by lights along the paths:

Our room was called "Golondrinas" which means "swallows" in Spanish and the walls of the room were decorated with mural paintings of swallows flying around.

The hotel had a golf course and several tennis courts:

We had a whole day in the area and went for a hike on La Malinche, the nearby volcano. The name "La Malinche" was given to the volcano in the 17th century, and honors a Nahua woman who helped Hernán Cortés as an interpreter, advisor and intermediary during the conquest of the Aztec. The volcano is in the Parque Nacional La Malinche at the border of Tlaxcala and Puebla states. La Malinche is the sixth-highest peak in Mexico and reaches over 4,400 m above sea level. The volcano has been dormant for the last 3,100 years. Here it is from a distance:

The paths are very well maintained and the hike is pleasant, though quite steep, in the shade among the trees:

We did not go all the way to the top but stopped at the site called "Las Antenas":

The altitude was 3496 m above sea level so we were still quite far from the top:

Some funny leafy plants with spikes on the leaf edges:

View along the path on the way down: