Chalma and Malinalco

25.08.2004 - 31.08.2004 

Introduction

This journey with a Native guide an an anthropologist takes you through some of the most beautiful landscapes of Central Mexico. We will explore together the magic of Malinalco and participate in a colourful and spectaclar local saint celebration with deep roots in pre-hispanic religion.

Itinerary

Chalma

This tour not only introduces you to the impressive remnents of the pre-hispanic past, but also gives you an introduction to contemporary indigenous cultures in the region. The first part of this tour highlights the annual pilgrimage of the Xochimilca people to Chalma, a tiny town that in pre-Hispanic times hosted an important shrine to a local high deity, that after the forced conversion, became associated with an image of the crucified Christ. The pilgrimages and celebrations could therefore continue until today, pre-Hispanic in content and meaning, but Catholic on the façade.

Before the forced Christianisation in the 16th century, Oztocteotl, the god of caves, was venerated in a natural cave here, but he was "miraculously" replaced by a statue of Christ on arrival of the first missionaries. In the seventeenth century, this crucifix was moved to a new church, the Santuario de Chalma , which today is the goal of pilgrimage, reputed for miraculous appearances of a Christ-like figure. One of the fascinating questions we will set out to investigate together during our stay here, is the connection between this ancient legend and Mickey Mouse....

Chalma with its rich history and colourful street life is always an exiting place to explore. Few foreigners find their way to this isolated little town, and a visit here might give you the feeling of being a pioneer traveller, in particular if you visit during the annual celebration of the Crucified Christ. We recommend the participants in this tour to have a look at the article Holy Tree: Dancing Mexican pilgrims pray at sacred ahuehuete, by Elizabeth Fullerton, which may give you some idea about what awaits you during our exploration.

About your Enkidu Culture Guides on this tour

Our native guide with background from the area, has himself participated in rituals and worship in Chalma since early childhood. Our anthropologist guide has conducted ethnographic fieldwork in the region and also worked with the translation and evaluation of colonial sourcematerial in the Nahuatl language. We can therefore promise you an unique possibility to experience contemporary meanings, and the deeper symbolism of a Mexican ritual as experienced and interpreted by the participants themselves. This tour is in so many ways an overwhelming introduction to Mexico not just from Behind, but also from within.   

Malinalco

Malinalco, the second main focus of this tour,  is beautifully located in a spectacular landscape. Green forests and hills surround this small colonial town in the highlands southeast of Mexico City. This town, despite its spectacular and highly interesting archaeological zone, receives astonishing few foreign visitors. Malinalco is mostly mentioned in travel guide books only with a couple of lines and very few visitors find their way to this magnificent place. A number of well to do inhabitants of Mexico City (including some high-ranking politicians and celebrities) have weekend houses here, which is the reason why the town despite its isolated location and small size has a number of excellent restaurants offering a wide variety. We recommend visitors to try out some of the local [fish] dishes which are very tasteful and mostly delicately prepared.

In pre-Hispanic times, Malinalco was an important center for training and education of young recruits to the imperial Aztec forces. Initiation rites for new recruits were also held here. The Aztec Temple of the Eagle and Jaguar Warrior was the most important place for worship in pre-Hispanic Malinalco, and is also today an impressive sight. It is built into the top of a mountain and thrones ca one kilometre above the town in the valley underneath. It is actually one of only 3 places in the world that has temples carved into the mountain itself. The view from the mountain top where the archaeological zone is located is simply spectacular. When going to Malinalco, a camera is definitely a must. Every Saturday, a colourful tianguis, (market) is held in Malinalco. We therefore highly recommend to visit Malinalco on a Saturday even if it means that also the ruin site will have more visitors. 

In the 16th century, the Spaniards ordered many churches and convents to be erected in the town, which has several beautifully preserved examples of early colonial architecture, often constructed with stones from the Pre-Hispanic site.

The churches are often decorated with frescos and murals that were painted by converted Indians in the early colonial period under supervision by Spanish friars. In these artworks, indigenous and Catholic artistic conventions, symbolism and imagery often mixed and merged. The ecclesiastical art of colonial Malinalco has been discussed by the American art historian Jeanette Peterson whose writings focuses on the complex interchange between the Pre-Columbian and European Renaissance worlds. Enkidu recommends in particular her prize winning book: The Paradise Garden Murals of Malinalco: Utopia and Empire in Sixteenth-century Mexico, from 1993 as an introduction.

Accomodation:

Night 1: Mexico City Hotel Catedral

Night 2: Mexico City: Hotel Catedral

Night 3: Malinalco: Hotel Las Cúpulas

Night 4: Malinalco: Hotel Las Cúpulas

Night 5: Malinalco: Hotel Las Cúpulas

Night 6: Mexico City: Hotel Catedral

Hotel Las Cúpulas, Malinalco: 

The base for our explorations in the area.

 

Departure and Return Details
Additional Information	This tour includes: Lunches and meals according to tour description Accomodation according to tour description   Multilingual guide All local transportation according to tour description (Buss: Mexico City - Xochimilco - Chalma - Malinalco - Mexico City, Local transportation between hotel and archeological sites etc during guided tours) Entrance fee to the archeological site Please Note: This tour must be booked at least 48 hours in advance of your travel date Confirmation with payment information for this product will be received within 12 hours after booking. Major Credit Card accepted:   Confirmation for this product will be received within 12 hours after booking Your personal guide for this tour will contact you by e-mail within 24 hours after received booking.  Fact File:  in pdf-format
Fact File	For each of our tours, a special fact sheet has been developed with some basic background information, a map, and references for further reading.
Price	To be announced
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