Let's Go to Teotihuacan Valley, Read about a Mysterious Monolith in Mexico City, and Dance with Folk Music of Mexico!
Let's know a wonderful woman behind an irresistible tourist proposal with cause, read three incredible stories behind the Tláloc monolith, and try my playlist of Mexican Music!
Section 1. The People Behind of…
Presenting Teotihuacán en Bici and her founder Ángeles in San Francisco Mazapa, Estado de México; México.
Balloon tour offered by the Teotihuacán on Bike’s Team
I am excited to introduce you to Angeles Morales D. from San Francisco Mazapa, State of Mexico. Let’s discover an amazing project with a social and environmental cause and the wonderful woman behind it.
Ángeles is a Public Accounting graduate with two MBAs: one in Social Responsibility and another in Tourist Destination Management. She leads a sustainable tourism project with the socially responsible seal.
The Headquarters of Teotihuacán en Bici (Teotihuacan on bike) are located here. Visit them to know its offer (including a journey in Ballon! )
Teotihuacan , a name synonymous with a monumental, important, and famous Archaeological site, also refers to the valley and the town, San Juan Teotihuacan, that surrounds it.
Why visit Teotihuacan Valley? The answer is here from blog of Teotihuacan en Bici (in Spanish).
I leave its social networks here:
Facebook Tiktok Instagram TripAdvisor
Her project
She defines her project, founded 10 years ago:
As an ambassador of Teotihuacan Valley, an adventure, cultural, and eco-archaeological tourist destination, also promote the sustainable use of bicycles and the conservation of the environment.
Teotihuacan en Bici’s Work (Archives of Teotihucan en Bici, 2024)
This company is internationally reconigzed for Trip Advisor as the best alternative for adventure, archaeological and cultural tours; as well as a model of sustainable recreational tourism.
The essence of this project is to offer a unique perspective of the area, visiting locations typically not included in conventional tours.
So, when you become in a client, you will experience:
Bicycle tours are designed to offer a different view of Teotihuacán Archaeological Zone and other archaeological and cultural destinations in the region, such as The baths of Nezahualcóyotl, and the former Molino de las Flores Hacienda in Texcoco town.
Routes are designed to minimize environmental impact and promote sustainability.
Contact with local community, offering regional products like prickly pear, nopal, and xoconostle and handicraft workshops. This helps the local economy and gives tourists an authentic and participative view of the local culture.
Local and regional gastronomy.
Quality services
Fun and relevant learning in a friendly, and safe environment for everyone.
Visitors a point of adventure (Archives of Teotihuacan en Bici, 2024)
Her story and how the project came about.
Angeles was born in México City, and the origin of her initiative was her Master's thesis project in Social Responsibility, which focused on showcasing Mexico's cultural wealth.
Her supportive, empathetic, disciplined, participatory, and persevering personality and strategic mind have led her to consider her project relevant to tourism, cultural, environmental, and social issues at a local and regional level.
Another achievement was "Teotihuacán en Bici," which introduced the first bicycle tours in the area. The tours touch points of interest for local artisanal, gastronomic, and lesser-known historic sites. In this way, they promoted sustainable tourism and also economic benefits for the surrounding communities.
This approach diversifies the tourism experience and bolsters local pride and connection to cultural heritage.
Ángeles in Action during Fitur 2024 in Madrid, Spain (Archives of Teotihuacan en Bici)
In her own words, the key events that shaped her inclination towards art and culture were travels.
These journeys opened my eyes to the richness of diverse cultures and arts, leading me to create enriching experiences for visitors to Teotihuacán. I realized that if someone has only one day to spend here, offering them a memorable experience encompassing what they might not see, eat, or learn elsewhere is crucial.
I was inspired to curate tours that provide a comprehensive cultural snapshot, ensuring that visitors leave with a profound appreciation of what makes this region unique
So, from this perspective, she wants to transform Teotihuacán into a destination where visitors explore its archaeological wonders and deeply engage with its rich cultural heritage and local community.
She believes the most interesting contribution is a sustainable tourism model that supports the local economy, promotes environmental conservation, and fosters a sense of pride and identity among the residents.
Toys donated for the children of the community by Teotihuacan en Bici, 20024
To finalize, they are excited about our upcoming project, the "Tuna Tour," an agrotourism journey designed to revalue the local fields and highlight the importance of prickly pear to our local economy.
Other tours includes religious tourism in the convents of Acolman and Oxtotipac, places for the conservation of species such as Animal Park and Burrolandia; and "Magical Towns" as San Martín de las Pirámides, San Juan Teotihuacán and Otumba.
This opens the visitor's perspective since they are elements not typically associated with tourism in this region.
Thank you for opening the doors of Teotihuacan en Bici (Teotihuacan on Bike in english) and discovering the human being behind the project that spreads the riches of Mexico to the world!
This segment is in special sponsored by the Intercontinental Association for Mexican Cultural Heritage (AIPCM A.C, for its acronym in Spanish), a non-profit organization focused on supporting the Mexican Cultural Heritage and dissemination of the people behind the culture.
Section 2. The Short Reading
Tlaloc Monolith in México City, Personal Archives, 2018
Three Amazing Stories Behind An Archaeological Piece in México City
(9 min read)
Many people think Museums, History, and Archaeology, among other disciplines, are boring. How could they be bored if they were born of human beings? Humans are the only species in the world with a gradient of emotions, passions, and plenty of gestures day by day.
All human creations are impregnated with human nature: laughter, crying, anger, peace, beauty, ugliness, faith, hopelessness, frustration, illusion, etc.
Even when the pieces inside the museum are quiet and sometimes lacking in color, Even when they seem mute and dull, they have a lot to tell us. We only need to learn to listen to them.
All the pieces in the museum had a lot of stories behind them. As I always say, History is the collection and systematization of events of daily life to set patterns and universal laws, but without the emotions and passions that give nuances to events.
The whole difference is how these stories are counted.
Here, I bring you three brief and tasty stories behind the same object: the mysterious monolith of Tlaloc.
It was made at least one thousand years ago, and although I am sure there are thousands of stories behind it, I will leave you only three well-documented events.
But before proceeding, I invite you to use your imagination, put each story on a stage with the most 19th-century curtains you can imagine, press "play" to the narrative, and have fun.
Imagination is better than virtual reality devices and is completely free!
Where is it?
When you visit The National Museum of Anthropology in México City, don't forget to look for the Monolith of Tlaloc in its gardens.
In the corner, Reforma Av. and Grutas Av. cross in the middle of a beautiful fountain, and we can admire this colossal monument, which is 7 m high, 4.41 m wide, 3.92 m thick, and weighs 167 tons.
The location of this piece is the most unusual since it is an outdoor space in the museum gardens, exposed to all-natural elements.
For this reason, most visitors believe this monolith is not original, but it is! And, for me, due to the stories behind it, it is one of the most mysterious and fascinating pieces in this museum.
To read it completely, click here to go free of charge to the original publication on the Medium platform.
Section 3. “The Tianguis”
Discover this playlist of Mexican Folk Music of 20th Century as a gift to you on Spotify here. I Hope you enjoy it:
You will find music of Trova and Danzón from the Mayan region (Campeche and Yucatán), Huapangos from the Huasteca region (on the Costa del Golfo de México), Sones Veracruzanos (from the seaside Puerto de Veracruz), and from Itsmo Oaxaqueño and Corridos from the era of the Mexican Revolution (between 1910 and 1920). Also Ranchero of the western and central region of Mexico. Enjoy it!
Thank you so much for reading!
Founder and Editor
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It is wonderful, Guadalupe, that you are hilighting these types of touristic and cultural experiences. Being a tourist doesn't always mean going to the same old places and gawking at the same old things - weaving one's way through the crowds. Sustainable, eco-conscious tourism I think is the kind of "tourist" activity we need today. Thank you for building this awareness!