The Magic Town of Zacatlán

I have mentioned in previous posts that the Mexican tourism board has given the designation of "Pueblo Mágico" (Magic Town) to a number of towns throughout the country for their cultural, historical and scenic qualities.  On my previous trips to Mexico City, Alejandro and I have visited several of the "Magic Towns" as day excursions from the capital.   Saturday we visited yet another "Pueblo Mágico", Zacatlán in the northern part of the state of Puebla.  Due to heavy traffic heading out of Mexico City, it took us nearly three hours to get there.

 

The outskirts of Zacatlán, like most Mexican towns, are not impressive.  But the center of the town is thoroughly charming.  On the main plaza there are two historic churches.  The parish church of San Pedro dates back to the 18th century.

 

 

Next to it is the older, more austere Franciscan church which was founded in the mid 16th century as a center for the conversion of indigenous people of the area.

 

 

The town square of Zacatlán is very pretty.  It is dominated by a floral clock which was created by a clockmaker from the town.  I did not realize at first that it has two faces, and from what I read it is the only clock of its kind in which both faces are run by the same mechanism.  

  I attribute the fact that there weren't any flowers blooming on the "floral clock"  to the season.  Winters in central Mexico are dry and chilly at night.

During the rainy season, however, this region receives abundant rainfall coming in from the Gulf of Mexico.  The architecture reflects this.  The older buildings have tiled roofs with very wide overhangs.

                  A number of the streets in the picturesque town center are closed to traffic.

Zacatlán is also called "Zacatlán de las Manzanas" (Zacatlán of the Apples).  The Franciscan missionaries introduced the cultivation of apples to the region, and today the area is a major apple producing region of Mexico.  Zacatlán is famous for its apple cider.  Numerous shops sell cider and other apple products.  Each year tourists are drawn to the town's Apple Fair and Cider Festival.

Zacatlán is located in the "Sierra Norte de Puebla" (The Northern Mountain Range of Puebla).  The rivers, tumbling down toward the Gulf of Mexico, have created a rugged and dramatic terrain.  The town is perched at the edge of a ravine, and just a few blocks from the town center is a walkway which provides scenic views of the canyon.

The sun was not in the right spot for a good photo, but there is a waterfall on the other side of the ravine.

(Photo taken by Alejandro)

Our time in Zacatlán was short and there was more that we could have visited, but it was a delightful excursion to one of Mexico's "Magic Towns"!