A trip to breathe Mexico

by Aldo Perez (Mexico)

A leap into the unknown Mexico

Something about this trip was special, maybe it was the fact that me, as a teenager visited it with my now-closed school or the memories that I had when my father and I still talk to each other, everything in Amecameca smelled to past and wherever I saw, the youngest me had already been there. Also, it was the excitement and fear of traveling with my girlfriend´s family, or as I prefer to call them, my family. This cold place, in the center of Mexico with neighbors the two greatest of the vail, El Popocatépetl, active stratovolcano, and El Izztachíhuatl, a shield nonactive volcano as the local prefer to call them El volcán y La volcana. Both with the top in snow let Amecameca, “the place where the papers point” by its meaning in náhuatl, give you the warmest welcome with it´s freezing winter wind. As the car went through the miles and miles of curves in the hill, with the landscape of a leafy forest with some local houses in the sides with their anafres1 lighted up to have their meal, my memories of going up in public transport, a small van, with my progenitor, invaded me. Thirty minutes later the turns were over and the sun was no more hidden between the leaves, now in a flat space, right in the middle of the volcanoes, to the right El Popocatépetl and to the left El Izztachíuatl, the memories were over, because a simple move to the left showed me a dusty path I´ve never seen before. Another fifteen minutes later, a slow ride through the road, a myriad of rocks and a ton of volcanic ash, finally the National Park Izta-Popo appeared. If someone says park, it probably gets confused about what this truly is. Just a few meters from the way in, Mariano, and old and strong man was sitting right next to a calm lake, with water right from La Volcana. An unusual conversation with him- as my family was on the boats- gave me the wish to move here. We pay him after the rent of the boats was over and walked, decided to see the waterfall that later will become a little river and finally will turn into the lake that we just met. In the path we approach to another local, a young man that allowed us to ride their two mares, Luna and Paloma, my girlfriend took Paloma with her 4-year niece and I took Luna. At a slow but steady ride, our legs heated thanks to the mares and sooner than we thought we arrived at the waterfall. Some woody stairs let us climb until we reached the top, where there was nobody, all the tourists were taking photos in the bottom, while we were in the part where the waterfall was only a river no larger than 7 steps. Far enough it was clear how the water was going down, zigzagging. It was so sad that it was prohibited to walk further but for something, it is a protected area. I sat on the yellow grass and look to the few sun rays that can reach me, the intense blue sky and the snowy volcano. Breathing that air, with only the sound of the river and of the movement of the leaves of the trees I felt the need to run from the city more often. Later, we met the town and the huge Ex-Hacienda de Panoaya, where Sor Juana2 lived as a child. In a pair of days, we were again on the highway, and on our back the volcanoes, I said goodbye to them knowing that in the city I will see them, right in the furthest part of my horizon, quiet, part of the landscape. The third visit and that little town, still call me for another round, next time, alone. 1. A small furnace that functions as the fire of the stove. Uses carbon to works and produces grey smoke. 2. A Novhispana intellectual from the XVI century. One of the most important women in Mexican history, a fighter for women's rights that transcend time for daring the system.