Mexico may not be known for climbing, but it certainly can hold its own. This especially considering that you can access a few of the volcanoes within an hour or two drive from Mexico City. On a last-minute urge, I booked a quick flight down to Mexico to set out for the highest volcanoes in North America, Pico de Orizaba.
But we are in Mexico, and the first order of business is to eat as many street tacos as possible before it’s too late for me to recover from them the volcanoes. I happened to stay close to the old city center, 10 seconds walk away from a market and plenty of street food. Mexico City is a bit more expensive than other places, but you can still satisfy your taste buds as cheaply as just a few American dollars. The only thing is, do be aware of food poisoning.
As much as everyone seems to drink obsessive amounts when they get to Mexico, I would recommend everyone try some specialties here: fresh fruit juices and pulque. The juices are not only fresh but also cheap, thanks to the easy access to fruits. Pulque is the stuff of legends; it is said to be the Aztec drink of the gods. Only pregnant women and certain social elites are permitted to drink pulque. Part of it is the strict schedule in harvesting the juices for pulque. Similar to tequila and mescal, Pulque material comes from agave. Unlike tequila or mescal, agave will only produce the juices for making pulque ten years after first planting it. A single plant of agave will only produce it once after this ten-year wait, once in the morning, once in the evening, then it dies. Leaving the owners waiting for another agave plant in order to produce more.
Many manufacturers try to can or bottle up pulque for mass production. However, only the freshly made pulque tastes the finest. Quality pulquerias buy theirs from a vendor every single morning.
Before starting my climbs, I had some time to kill, so I focused on getting to know a bit more about the Mexican pre-historic sites, people, and interesting traditions. The Anthropology Museum in Mexico City is a great spot to learn about Mexican history. It detailed theories of migration to the Americas all the way to present ethnographies. One can easily spend a full day exploring this museum by exhibiting some of Mexico’s most important finds. Just be aware that English signs are often not available, so have your Google translator downloaded and ready!
After learning loads from visiting the museum, time to see the real setting. I got up bright and early to take a hot air balloon ride over the famous Teotihuacan pyramids. Let’s be honest: I have never seen a bad sunrise from a hot air balloon, let alone with a sky full of hot air balloons.
I do recommend either hiring a guide or reading up before coming to Teotihuacan. There is a lot of history to these famous pyramids and even older settlements. Some of the interesting details include the difference in building materials due to the continued expansion, the painting of non-native Mexican animals, and the deliberate material designs to accommodate the social hierarchy at the time of the construction.
Lucha Libre is also very much part of the old-world Mexican culture. Think of it as the Mexican version of WWE, except it came first. As with WWE, non-viewers often argue whether Lucha Libre is scripted or not. To the viewers, perhaps the wins and losses are not why they are watching. One can’t help but deploy Geertz’ Interpretation of Cultures and the Balinese Cock Fight ethnography. Similar to Balinese Cock fights, viewers commonly engage with actions that are not deemed of certain values outside of the arenas, actions such as obsessive cursing and vocal adoration of drama.
Now, onto the main item: mountaineering. Due to the last-minute scheduling, I decided to acclimatize with Nevado de Toluca and La Malinche. Then visit the big lady herself: Pico de Orizaba.
Mexico is quite popular with new mountaineers who wants to experience altitude higher than the lower 48 states of the US while enjoying great food. The approaches to these mountains are drivable. All of these mountains require less than 24 hours to climb. If you really want to shorten the climb, use the city of Puebla as your base. The city itself is very much worth exploring.
The main challenge of these climbs is the altitude. If you are not already acclimatized to the altitude, I recommend spending a few days in Mexico City(7348ft, 2240m), then gradually going higher and higher.
The best time to climb in Mexico is technically winter and early spring, as the snow can stabilize the rocky slopes. Sadly, climate change has made the seasons shorter and shorter. I just squeezed in to climb during the last part of the season, which made the temperature extra hot. Even if sleep is super important to you, I would still recommend a mid-night start to minimize your chances of getting baked raw in the sun.
As many mountaineers know, you can never be sure how your body will fare every time it goes into high altitudes and on different diets. Gastro symptoms are extremely common for most mountaineers. I wasn’t spared this climb. It was a “vomit and move” night till I got to the crampon point on the Pico.
After throwing up everything but the last piece of Ghirardelli chocolate, I successfully summited. The view towards the smokey Mexico City and the humid Gulf of Mexico coast is breathtaking. Honestly, I have rarely seen a bad summit view.
Time to head down and head back. After some more feasting and sightseeing in the nearby city of Cholula, I took a bus back to Mexico City for the last bit of visual and taste buds enjoyment before heading back home.
