Thursday, June 18, 2009

Magical Malinalco...El pueblo magico

Mexico has a wonderful system of designating charming tucked away places as "los pueblos magicos" (Magical villages) and Malinalco most certainly falls into this category. Only a couple of hours from Mexico City, few people have heard of it, as it is truly off the beaten track, and thus, I am just a little reluctant to let you in on this best kept secret...but oh well...here goes!!

Snuggled in an alluvial valley with its own microclimate, Malinalco is surrounded by tropical flowers, lush greenery and temperate forests; a veritable verdant natural paradise...

Everywhere conveys a sense of space, green fields, volcanic crags and beautiful views...


You can start an ideal day by having a leisurely traditional Mexican breakfast...

Wandering through the market full of carefully stacked pyramids of tropical fruit and vegetables...

Meandering along quiet cobbled streets past colonial buildings, churches with bunches of bananas hanging over the doors, and traditional cantina bars with swing saloon doors...

Don't forget to pop in and visit the 16th century Augustinian convent...

before heading up the winding stone path fragrant with bougainvillea, jacarandas, and both pine and palm trees, that leads to the hilltop 16th century Aztec archaeological site with commanding views of the whole valley...

If you are lucky you can be treated to a conch-blowing ceremony that a local guy just likes to perform here, communing with Nature and the ancient history embedded in the site...


Malinalco is the perfect chilled weekend retreat from Mexico City easily reached in two hours from Observatorio bus station. Boutique hotels and trendy restaurants are beginning to creep in but it is still essentially right off the tourist map. You can visit.....but ssssssssssssssshh please don't tell absolutely everyone!!!

14 comments:

Cecile/DreamCreateRepeat said...

Looks wonderful! I love the name designation!!

Prêt à Voyager said...

i could totally go for a traditional mexican breakfast right now. way more appealing than my boring bowl of cereal!

anne

Fly Girl said...

This post sept me away. Those views are gogeous and even the fruit looks dreamy. This gets me excited about my trip to Cozumel next week.

A Cuban In London said...

I loved this post so much. Those photos are stunning and many thanks for letting us in on this true wonder!

Greetings from London.

Robert Brown said...

Beautiful, Catherine - you're a great reporter!

Wendy said...

Looks like another great find Catherine.

Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

This is my kind of Mexico! I love that Augustinian monastery arcade.

Joanna said...

Wow, it looks beautiful. We were in another pueblo magico last year--Alamos. This looks equally delightful. It's on my agenda for our next trip to Mexico.

Martha said...

How wonderful! Sign me up! :-)

Catherine said...

Cecile, Pret, Cuban, Wendy, Robert, Martha, Joanna, Fly girl,Jen - thanks for all your lovely comments this week...I am really into trying to discover places off the beaten track this year...hope you manage to get to Malinalco on your next visits!!

kristine said...

loving the look of that pomegranate!!

Alice said...

Is that a variety of the pomegranate? For a short trip outside DF, Malinalco is the best! Check out this house for rent: www.malinalco.dreamhosters.com

Catherine said...

Kristine and Alice - yep that is a pomegranite - a beautiful fruit... and thanks Alice for the accom recommendation...will check it out..

Julie C said...

Great choice! I too am a Malinalco fan-- some additional pics and another lodging rec on my blog @ http://www.midwesternerinmexico.com/2009/04/12/malinalco-with-the-visiting-nebraskans/

It's a constant quest to find these secret spots before the masses do...and then advise only the few lucky readers ;)