Mexico/Morelos: Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl
Around the foothills of the Popocatepetl volcano, there are 14 early 16th century abandoned ex-monasteries that are all together listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site of “Earliest 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl” and the exploration of them is known as Route of the Monasteries. All of these monasteries are similar looking – like fully fortified churches with defensive walls and another layer of stone walls around. All were built by the Augustians, a Spanish religious order to evangelize the locals. The reason for World Heritage inclusion is that the these monasteries served as an architectural and urban planning model for the towns that followed. And so we dedicated nearly an entire day trying to visit 8 of them – in tiny little villages with bad roads and difficult access. Long story short – it was a waste of a day: all monasteries were officially closed and most for restoration. Some places we got a couple views through the gates while in others we climbed the walls and once we were allowed in. The monasteries we visited were: Convent of Asunción in Tochicalco, Convent of Inmaculada Concepcion in Zacualpan de Amilpas, Convent of San Juan Bautista in Yecapixta, Convent of San Mateo in Atlatlahucan, Convent of San Guillermo in Totolapan, Covent of San Juan Bautista in Tlayacapan, Covent of Santo Domingo in Oaxtepec, and Convent of Natividad in Tepoztlan.
