In addition to Mexican cities and villages, which everyone hears about, and where there are always crowds of tourists, there is “little-known” Mexico – beautiful and interesting places where Mexicans come to rest.
So we want to talk about some of the places close to Mexico City.
Let’s start with a town where many residents of the capital come with their families for the weekend to drink a cup of coffee or hot chocolate with fresh pastries and walk around the square. This is the town of Tenango del Aire with a population of slightly over 12 thousand people, which is located 50 km from Mexico City.
In colonial times, the town was called San Juan Bautista de Tenango-Tepopula, in the 19th century it was called Tenango de Tepopula or Tenepo-Tepopula. In the 60s and 70s, Tenango del Aire became the center of the cultural life of the region with famous personalities such as writer, writer and critic Carlos Monsivais and painter Nahum Zenil coming here. The meeting place was invariably a wooden house in the city, which now functions as a museum.
What to see in Tenango del Aire
Of course, the main square, called Plaza de la Constitución. After the victory of the United Socialist Party of Mexico in 1984, Tenango del Aire became the third largest city in the country with a socialist regime.
On the plaza is the Parroquia de San Juan Bautista, which used to be a monastery, and the Clock Tower called Plaza.
The museum is a wooden house (Museo Casa de Madera), founded in March 1992. The building in which the museum is located was built at the end of the nineteenth century, in the 70s it was purchased by Luis Pastor and Ricardo Flores. It was uncomfortable to live in the wooden house, so in less than a month the owners moved. This wooden house, which was then used as a vacation home, remained the only wooden structure in the entire municipality, which was the reason for its wide popularity.
The museum has 15 main exhibition rooms with over 10,000 examples of applied arts from pre-Hispanic times to the present day.
Mode of Museo Casa de Madera: Tuesday – Sunday from 10.00 to 17.00.
The cost of admission:
- adult – 30 pesos
- Children and persons over 65 years of age – 20 pesos
And don’t forget to stop by the famous cafe store in the center, Panes y pasteles Tenango, to try the sweets of the family brand that has been popular since 1973
What to see on the outskirts of Tenango del Aire
San Juan Coxtocan has archaeological finds – mystical petroglyphs. At the Centro Ceremonial Chicomequiáhuitl, in a place beautifully called “the place of the seven rains” (lugar de las siete lluvias), you can not only visit the archaeological site, but you can also visit a mysterious ritual of the locals.
It is amazing how in Mexico, which is considered one of the most religious countries in the world, there is a strong tradition of magical rituals, various forms of fortune telling, dreaming, witchcraft…
How to get there by public transportation
From the Central de Autobuses de Oriente bus station in Mexico City, take the Los Volcanes bus line to Chalco; in the center of Chalco change to the Tenango-Juchitepec bus and ask the driver to stop at the Tenango del Aire center (el centro de Tenango del Aire).
The next best place to go with kids if you’re a little tired of the cultural program and just want to relax is the small amusement park Hacienda de Panoaya.
Hacienda de Panoaya amusement park
In the park, located in the municipality of Amecameca and covering an area of about 60 hectares, you can go boating, bungee jumping, visit the contact zoo, have fun in soap foam, visit the volcano museum, see how cheese is made and even ride a tractor.
Admission fee: 75 pesos; if the ticket includes a visit to the Contact Zoo, 99 pesos. Children under 3 years old are free.
Operating hours of Hacienda de Panoaya: daily
- summer – 10.00-18.00
- winter – 10.00-17.30
Hacienda de Panoaya activities schedule
Weekends and Holidays:
- Foam party: 2 p.m.; 3:30 p.m.; 5 p.m.
- Spectacle of eagles, snakes: 13.00; 14.30; 16.00
- Cheese Factory and Volcano Workshop – every hour
Weekdays:
- Foam Party: 11:30 a.m.; 1 p.m.; 2:30 p.m.; 4 p.m.
- Spectacle of eagles, snakes: 2:30 p.m.
- Cheese Factory and Volcano Workshop: 12 noon; 1 p.m.; 3 p.m.; 4:30 p.m.
Official website of Hacienda de Panoaya: http://www.haciendapanoaya.com
How to get to Hacienda de Panoaya by public transportation
From the Central de Autobuses de Oriente bus station in Mexico City, take the Los Volcanes bus line to Chalco and ask the driver to stop near Hacienda de Panoaya. The bus stop is opposite the entrance to the park.
