Polar Opposites

Tuesday morning I packed my bulging backpack, bid my wonderful Mexico City hosts farewell, and boarded a bus bound for the small town of Tepozltan. The hour and a half passed quickly, I spent much of it marveling at the Mexican countryside, which is greener than I ever imagined it could be, and watching/singing quietly along with the movie Hairspray, which was playing on the bus´s entertainment system. I had done research on an Ecovillage called Huehuecoyotl, and had been given instructions from the man who responded to my request to stay to take a taxi from the Tepozltan bus stop. The taxi driver looked quizzically at the address before we set off, but assured me he knew the place. We drove, and drove, and drove, and after I asked how much farther we drove some more. Finally, we pulled up to a very stylish green wroth iron gate that in its curves formed the word Huehuecoyotl. We passed through and up a slight hill to find several yellow masonry, red shingled houses picturesquely nestled into the base of a mountain (not the type with snow, think along the lines of a large shear rock.)

A man with curly brown hair and blue eyes stepped down from a patio and greeted me. His name is Odin Ruz, he had responded to my email. You´ve come during the rainy season - nothing much is happening, he explained as he showed me to the dormitory. Afterwards we sat on his patio and had a long conversation about the ecovillage´s history, what it´s doing to educate people about sustainability, who its residents are, and how it works. When we finished he looked at me tranquilly and said - well, you´re free to walk about the gardens and ask any questions you wish of the residents, most of which should be home. Other than that, there´s a path that leads up into the mountains. So, enjoy. - If I needed anything he would be at his studio.

I spent the day wandering through gardens, climbing the mountain, and watching hummingbirds and the largest butterflies I´ve ever seen pollinate flowering trees. The only sounds I heard were the chirping of birds and the barking of dogs. Mexico City has a population of 24 million. This is quite different.

For more info about Huehuecoyotl check it out at www.huehuecoyotl.net.