Molino de Flores

On Saturday Alejandro and I took a day trip to a small national park called Molino de Flores.  It is located outside of the city of Texcoco about 15 miles from Mexico City.  Molino de Flores is located on a hillside along the Coxcacuaco River.  Since the 1500s when a mill was built along the river, it has been an hacienda.  The name, which translates as the "mill of flowers", is actually a reference to the Flores family which owned the hacienda in the 1600s.  The present buildings were built in the late colonial period by another owner, the Marquis of Salvatierra.  The hacienda reached its peak in the late 19th century and early 20th century when it produced most of the "pulque" (an alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant) for Mexico City.  The estate was abandoned during the Mexican Revolution.  In 1937 it was made a national park, and visitors can see the buildings, partially in ruins, of the hacienda.

The site is frequently used as a film location for movies and television shows.  As luck would have it filming was going on while we were there.  As a result, much of the hacienda was off-limits.

Taking a path along the river, we came to the unique chapel of "Nuestro Señor de la Presa" (Our Lord of the Dam).  

The church's interior is built against the rock face of the cliff.

The chapel was built on the site of a supposed miracle.  They say that the image of Jesus appeared on the face of the cliff.

From here we continued on to Tetzcotzinco, a nearby archaeological site.