Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico

Tepoztlán is derived from Nahuatl and means “place of abundant copper” or “place of the broken rocks.” This is derived from the words tepoz-tli (copper) and tlan (“place of/place of abundance”). According to myth, Amatlán, in the municipality of Tepoztlan is the birthplace of Ce Acatl, later known as Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl, and who may be the possible historical basis of the Mesoamerican god Quetzalcoatl over 1200 years ago, the feathered serpent god widely worshipped in ancient Mexico. At the top of a hill, there is a small pyramid devoted to Ometochtli-Tepoztēcatl, the supposed inventor of pulque, a beer-like drink made from the maguey plant. The pyramid, called El Tepozteco, dates from the Post-Classic Period (900-1521 CE) and has inscriptions dating from 1452 and 1502. During the Spanish Conquest (1521), Hernán Cortés is said to have ordered the town razed after the refusal of the town leaders to meet him. This event was chronicled by Bernal Díaz del Castillo in The Conquest of New Spain. The monastery was built by the Dominicans between 1555-1580, and in 1993 was declared Patrimonio de la Humanidad by the UNESCO. The town is a popular tourist destination near Mexico City.

Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico

Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico
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