Christopher Reynolds of the Los Angeles Times writes, "Who knew Mexico had its own Sedona?" The small colonial town of Tepoztlán, just one hour south of Mexico City, certainly fits that description.

Tepoztlán is sited in a narrow valley, the topography of which seems to focus spiritual energy in a way similar to Sedona or Big Sur. Steep, unusually shaped mountains high overhead, early morning calls of hundreds of roosters, a rising sun glowing through mist cause consciousness to shift in an inexplicable way.

Before the Spanish arrived, Tepoztlán was home to a Náhuatl-speaking group of Aztecs who built El Tepozteco pyramid high in the mountains overlooking the present-day town. Built to honor Ometochtli-Tepoxtécatl, the god of the intoxicating drink pulque, fertility and harvest, today pilgrims make the trek up the hundreds of steps from the valley floor to the pyramid on their own spiritual quests.

Tepoztlán is believed to be the birthplace of the feathered serpent god Quetzalcóatl, whose image has been adopted by the city government.

Many residents are of indigenous descent, and take great pride in maintaining prehispanic traditions. Even the graffiti has an Aztec flavor.

In 1995, the indigenous people of Tepoztlán discovered that their mayor had secretly sold out to a developer that wanted to build a large hotel and golf course complex. The people occupied city hall and ran the Mayor out of town. Today, despite development pressure to meet the demands of middle class visitors from Mexico City, Tepoztlán has been able to maintain its small-town character.

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Among the scores of American and European expats who have arrived [in Tepoztlán] in recent years, many are of the New Age/holistic/herbal persuasion, spiritual seekers eager to keep ancient rituals alive alongside imported ones. So now you can get your chakras harmonized and ions cleansed just down the street from where you get your fresh guacamole and pollo en mole.

—Los Angeles Times, November 1, 2007

Alternative medicine practitioners, psychics and spiritualists abound here. I have never seen such a concentration of such offerings anywhere else.

I find it difficult to buy into the concept of a photo of my aura. Too easy to fake with a light leak in the camera. Ionic detoxification looks just plain gross. The photos on the sign display time lapse photos of a really bad pair of feet, the cleaning fluid turning progressively more yellow, with brownish fragments floating in it.

Where New Age people congregate, reminders of India pop up. Below we have the Govinda Traditional Hindu Vegetarian Restaurant.

Lakshmi offers clothing made in India, unexpected in Mexico.

A lapidary shop advertises ovoid stones using a Sanskrit word I first read in the Kama Sutra: Lingam means penis.

Tepoztlán is reputed to be the birthplace of pulque, a fermented liquid I have heard described as "alcoholic snot". This shop offers homemade pulque made in the tradition of the proprietor's grandfather.

At one time, drinks were sold from sidewalk kiosks the way hurricanes are sold on Bourbon Street. Rowdy young people from Mexico City got drunk and caused problems. Also, some indigenous people had difficulty handling readily available alcohol, and so public consumption was outlawed. This sign warns residents and visitors alike the police will arrest people who break this law.

Tepoztlán attracts a cultured and sophisticated crowd. Artists hang out in cafés. Frequent concerts are held. Last month, a production of Franz Kafka's The gorilla was staged at the civic auditorium—something I wouldn't expect to see outside of Berkeley.

Apparently no further productions are planned for a while. Some sort of construction is blocking the theater entrance. The work involves breaking concrete and digging an enormous hole. All of it is being done by hand which means it'll take a long time. Meanwhile, untidy heaps of escombro (rubble) block the sidewalk—a reassuring sign that construction of public works is performed the same way all over Mexico.

Tepoztlán hosts many facilities for retreats and workshops, making it vaguely reminiscent of Esalen in Big Sur as a place where people can explore consciousness expansion and spiritual development. And the town has even more to offer, which I'll cover in future posts.